For a Second Year, NAAA Spreads the Good Word of Ag Aviation at EAA’s AirVenture 2017
The Experimental Aircraft Association’s (EAA) annual AirVenture held in Oshkosh, Wis., July 24–30, was truly the “world’s greatest aviation celebration,” and they had a record attendance of 590,000 to prove it. Among those were NAAA representatives who met with hundreds of attendees.
More than 10,000 airplanes attended this year’s event, as well as the B-2 Stealth Bomber and three performances by the Blue Angels, which was a huge draw. AirVenture conducted more than 1,000 forums on aviation topics and 800 companies exhibited, including NAAA, along with partners Air Tractor and Thrush Aircraft. NAAA had three booth spaces and actively recruited pilots or pilots-in-training with a genuine interest in pursuing an ag pilot career. It was a successful venture for NAAA with more than 100 prospective ag pilot contacts made at the event; NAAA will be following up with them to further nurture their interest in the agricultural aviation industry.
Thrush 510G and Air Tractor 802 on display
NAAA’s booths included an Air Tractor 802 and Thrush Aircraft’s 510G. Thrush also had its simulator available for attendees in the Redbird Simulators booth space. The simulator drew crowds to the NAAA booth after attendees experienced what it was like to fly an ag plane. The industry’s importance and career opportunities were also promoted quite well by Thrush Vice President Eric Rojek on EAA radio 96.5 FM/1210 AM in Oshkosh, Wis. Click here to listen to the interview.
In addition to recruiting, NAAA also promoted the importance of agricultural aviation to food, fiber and biofuel production, as well as to forestry and public health protection, by distributing its “Flying for Your Food” brochure.
Many NAAA members contributed important manpower to equip and staff the NAAA booth at EAA AirVenture, particularly Air Tractor and Thrush Aircraft staff, as well as AgAir Update’s Graham Lavender, Lane Aviation’s Logan Lane and Transland’s Anthonie York. All NAAA representatives were awed by the attendance and well-roundedness of aviation present at AirVenture, whether it was aircraft from the WWII era, current military aircraft, home-built aircraft, sea planes, ultralights, rotorcraft, acrobatic or vintage aircraft.
Thrush simulator on display in the Redbird Simulators booth space
Highlights included the first full Blue Angel performance at EAA, a formation flight by the only two flying B-29 Superfortresses in the world, the B-2 Stealth Bomber, a tribute to the Doolittle raiders and several flights celebrating 70 years of the U.S. Air Force. AirVenture is an outstanding attraction for aviation enthusiasts, and it is likely NAAA will have an annual presence at the event to continue to recruit the next, great generation of ag pilots.
NAAA's booth at AirVenture 2017
NAAA Finds Little Humor in Laughable Column Objecting to Aerial Application
NAAA has objected to an over-the-top column in The Moline (Ill.) Dispatch, an ill-informed diatribe against crop dusters flying and treating fields in the vicinity of other area residents.
Writing under the headline “Airborne chemical attacks no laughing matter,” the column was written by a person who was put off by an ag pilot who flew by his house while servicing a nearby field, claiming a “mechanical roar assaulted” his dining room and shook the house. “Again and again, brief moments of peace were followed by a violent thunder that rattled windows and sent dishes sliding across tables,” the writer asserted. That prompted the author, a self-described former New Yorker who moved to his wife’s hometown of rural Aledo, Ill. (population 3,700), to go on an almost laughable rant carping about being subjected to “an aerial bombardment” and fretting about droplets of “aerosol death” wafting in his direction.
NAAA sent a letter to the editor to The Moline Dispatch taking issue with the columnist’s attack on aerial applicators. As NAAA makes clear in its response, the column was both ridiculous and offensive to aerial applicators, to the point, frankly, it’s surprising it merited published at all. NAAA Executive Director Andrew Moore’s letter is reprinted in full below.
August 2, 2017
The Dispatch and Rock Island Argus
Attn: Letters to the Editor
1720 Fifth Avenue
Moline, IL 61265
Dear Editor:
“Maybe I’m overacting,” Frank Mullen III suggested in his July 26 column alleging that an ag pilot treating a field near his residence was subjecting him to an “airborne chemical attack.” The New York transplant can be forgiven for not being fully acclimated to life in ag country, but there is no “maybe” about it: Mr. Mullen’s attack on agricultural aviation was way off base. The suggestion that agricultural pilots are dispensing “aerosol death,” perhaps unwittingly on farmers’ neighbors, would almost be comical in its naïveté if it didn’t besmirch ag pilots’ reputations so unnecessarily. Ag pilots are highly trained professionals who take their responsibility to protect the safety of their neighbors, employees, the public and the environment very seriously. The only thing the pilot in question was guilty of is performing routine, safe and legal aerial application work for a customer depending on him to provide it.
In Illinois and other agricultural-producing states, crop dusters are prevalent for good reason. When disease, weeds or insects threaten a crop or it needs nutrients or seeding, aerial application is by far the fastest and most economical way to aid farmers. Aerial application also translates to higher crop yields and is vital for combating pests that threaten public health, such as West Nile Virus carrying mosquitoes. The fact is pesticides play an important role in sustaining our food supply, even in organic agriculture.
NAAA believes the paramount method for respecting and protecting the viability of human health and the environment is through the efficacious and precise application of products. The EPA tests all products available for application to ensure its safety to human health and the environment. If it doesn’t pass those multitudes of tests, it never enters the marketplace. Aerial applicators mitigate drift by using cutting-edge drift reduction technologies and techniques, such as GPS, flow controls, half-boom shutoff mechanisms, real-time meteorological measurement systems and smokers to determine wind speed and direction, and precisely calibrated spray equipment.
Illinois’s aerial applicators deserve better than to be accused of attacking communities with “chemical weaponry” simply for providing a sorely needed service that helps farmers produce a safe, affordable and abundant supply of food, fiber and biofuel. Aerial applicators have been providing this service in the United States for 96 years.
Sincerely,
Andrew D. Moore
Executive Director
National Agricultural Aviation Association
FAA Reauthorization or Extension Delayed Until at Least September
The U.S. House of Representatives started its six-week recess last week without voting on the 21st Century AIRR Act—the bill that would reauthorize funding for the FAA and spin air traffic control (ATC) services into a non-government, non-profit entity, usually referred to as “privatization.”
A vote was most likely not taken because there was not enough support for the bill due to pressures from the general aviation community, which strongly opposes ATC privatization.
Although the Senate is still in session until Aug. 11, the Senate version of the bill is having trouble getting the necessary votes as well. While the Senate bill makes no mention of ATC privatization, there is a provision that would loosen the 1,500-hour requirement to obtain an Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) certificate. The 1,500-hour rule was instituted after the Colgan Air crash in Buffalo, N.Y., in February 2009.
Critics of the provision say loosening the 1,500-hour rule would compromise safety, while proponents say it is a small change necessary to alleviate the pilot shortage caused by the 1,500-hour rule.
Even if the Senate manages to pass its bill before leaving on Aug.11, this leaves practically no time for the House to pass its legislation, and then have both bills reconciled before FAA authorization expires on Sept. 30. This virtually assures another short-term FAA extension. An extension could reauthorize the FAA anywhere from a month to a year.
NAAA successfully worked with congressional staff to exempt ag aviators from aviation user fees and prevented communication infrastructure interests from being completely exempted from tower marking statutes that NAAA successfully lobbied to have included in last year’s FAA extension bill. Provisions in both the House and Senate versions do allow communication infrastructure interests to either mark or log their towers in a database, but unless/until a reauthorization bill is enacted the FAA must issue a rulemaking soon requiring them to do both.
The first four weeks of September will be critical in determining what goes into a short-term reauthorization. NAAA will keep members apprised of how FAA reauthorization proceeds and how any changes will affect their operations.
Want to Win Thousands in Educational Scholarships? Support Scholarship Entries Due Aug. 15
Attention, higher-education students: Don’t miss out on the opportunity to compete for a combined $3,000 in educational scholarships. The deadline for the 2017 Support Scholarship Essay Contest is Aug. 15. The NAAA Support Committee will award a $2,000 scholarship as top prize and Covington Aircraft Engines has generously agreed to sponsor a $1,000 scholarship.
The theme for this year’s contest is “Your Approach to Creating a Positive Image of Aerial Application in Your Community”. The competition is open to all NAAA members and their family members. (Allied industry company members can only sponsor one eligible family member per contest.) The scholarship can be applied to any educational pursuit beyond high school; it is not restricted to a “flying career.” More information about eligibility requirements and contest guidelines are available here.
Ag Wings of Tomorrow Scholarship Entries Due Aug. 31
From seeking a mentor to finding the funds for training, the road to becoming an ag pilot is fraught with obstacles, but having $5,000 in training money certainly helps. This year the odds of receiving a scholarship from NAAA are better than ever. Under its new “Ag Wings of Tomorrow” Scholarship Program, NAAA will award up to five flight training scholarships worth a combined $22,500. The deadline to apply for this year’s scholarships is Aug. 31.
Thanks to educational grants provided by BASF, GE Aviation and Thrush Aircraft, four $5,000 scholarships and one $2,500 scholarship have been established to support aspiring agricultural pilots in their training needs. Applicants must be sponsored by an NAAA Operator member. Scholarship recipients may use the proceeds for flight training or aviation-related coursework at a university, college, community college or other institution of higher learning. A stipend for a trainee in an NAAA Operator-sponsored apprentice program is also permissible.
Along with completing the two-part application, every applicant must submit:
- A letter of recommendation from the NAAA Operator member sponsoring the applicant.
- An essay of 250 words or less written by the applicant explaining why you want to pursue a career in agricultural aviation and how you would use NAAA’s “Ag Wings of Tomorrow” Scholarship to further your education and training.
- A one-page résumé or list of activities detailing all agricultural and aviation experiences, education and training.
All applications must be received or postmarked by Aug. 31, 2017, to be eligible for scholarship funds available for the following calendar year. Please contact NAAA’s Jay Calleja at (202) 546-5722 for clarification about any of the application requirements. The “Ag Wings of Tomorrow” scholarships recipients will be recognized at the 2017 Ag Aviation Expo in Savannah, Ga.
NAAA and NAAREF Board Meetings Oct. 6-7
The Marriott Plaza San Antonio will host the fall board and committee meetings of the NAAA and NAAREF Boards of Directors on Oct. 6–7 (some meetings, including PAASS Train the Trainer, will begin Oct. 4–5). View a tentative schedule of the board meeting here. All meetings are open to NAAA members; if you’re interested in attending, please email Lindsay Barber.
Board members and interested members should make their room reservations before Sept. 15 online or by calling (800) 228-9290 and refer to the NAAA Board Meeting to receive the $145/night room rate (single/double). Rate includes complimentary basic Wi-Fi in guest rooms and meeting space and self-parking is $25 per day. There is no airport shuttle; cabs are around $28 from the airport and you can also Uber from the airport.
The Marriott Plaza San Antonio is one block off of the Riverwalk. You can learn more about the Riverwalk here.
NAAA Award Nominations Due Sept. 8
Each year, NAAA recognizes a handful of members for outstanding contributions to the aerial application industry. The 2017 award recipients will be honored Dec. 7 at the Excellence in Ag Aviation Banquet, the closeout to the 2017 NAAA Ag Aviation Expo. This industry is filled with exceptional people who go above and beyond the call of duty, often with little fanfare. We need your help to identify these unsung heroes. There are nine NAAA Award categories and one NAAREF Award. Get your nominee in before the Sept. 8 nomination deadline.
NAAA Award Categories
Agrinaut Award: Honors an agricultural aircraft operator or operating organization that has made an outstanding contribution in the field of ag aircraft operations. The recipient for the award must be or have been actively engaged in commercial agricultural application with an agricultural aircraft and the achievement cited should be a “state of the art” contribution for the benefit of the agricultural aircraft industry as a whole.
Allied Industry Individual Award: Recognizes an NAAA member or staff and/or an allied industry individual who has significantly contributed their efforts for the benefit of the allied industry and the aerial application industry. (Presented by the NAAA Allied Industry Committee.)
Delta Air Lines “Puffer” Award: Recognizes an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the design of agricultural aircraft and/or related equipment.
Evans-Christopher Operation S.A.F.E. Award: Recognizes individuals or entities that have made outstanding contributions to the Operation S.A.F.E. program. (Presented by NAAREF.)
John Robert Horne Memorial Award: Honors a pilot with five or fewer years of experience in the agricultural aviation industry who has an exemplary safety record and/or has contributed to safety in ag aviation.
Larsen-Miller Community Service Award: Recognizes outstanding contributions by a member to his community.
Opal & Bill Binnion Memorial Award: Acknowledges those who contribute to NAAA in its efforts to educate the public about aerial application. (Presented by the NAAA Support Committee.)
Outstanding Service Award: Awards outstanding service to the commercial agricultural aviation industry or to its association.
Related Industry Award: Recognizes outstanding contributions by an allied industry member and his or her company.
William O. Marsh Safety Award: Recognizes significant achievements in safety, safety education or an outstanding operational safety program.
The Awards Nomination Form is available as print-only and fillable PDFs at AgAviation.org/awards. It is also in the 2017 NAAA Membership Directory.
To make a nomination, send completed entries by Sept. 8 to NAAA at (202) 546-5726 (fax) or information@agaviation.org.
NAAA Ag Aviation Expo Attendee Registration Open!
We look forward to seeing you at the 2017 NAAA Ag Aviation Expo in Savannah, Ga., Dec. 4–7! You can now register online for the NAAA Ag Aviation Expo.
We are continually updating the schedule of events for this year’s convention and we are excited to announce a few of our exciting events scheduled for this December:
- Kickoff Breakfast speaker Shannon Polson, U.S. Army Apache Helicopter Captain and Pilot & Author, The Grit Project
- General Session – NAAA’s own Shark Tank, modeled after the popular ABC TV show where technology innovators will present their aerial application inventions to “Sharks” (in our case, experienced applicators) who will ask the innovators some tough questions related to suitability to the ag aviation industry.
- NAAA Trade Show – featuring eleven aircraft and an expected 150+ exhibitors
- Aerial Application Research Technology Session and more than a dozen educational sessions (additional details will be posted as they become available)
- Excellence in Ag Aviation Banquet honoring individuals and companies in the aerial application industry. Award Nominations due by Sept. 8.
Attendees registration is now open! Register today for the Ag Aviation Expo!
Book Your Hotel Room
2017 NAAA Ag Aviation Expo housing is coordinated through the Savannah Area Convention & Visitors Bureau Housing office. Please do not call the hotels directly; use the link and/or phone number below to book your room.
Rooms are available at the Westin Savannah Harbor (directly next to the convention center), Hyatt Regency Savannah and Savannah Marriott Riverfront hotels (across the river from the convention center and Westin—transportation provided).
Book your room today by clicking here or calling the housing bureau at (912) 644-6465. Please note that reservations are taken Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. If you cannot call during those hours, please book your room here.
PLEASE NOTE THE CANCELLATION POLICY FOR THE WESTIN FOR 2017. For each reservation canceled after Nov. 1, a non-refundable one-night room and tax will be charged to the credit card on file. Guests who check out early (prior to the reserved check-out date) will be assessed one full night's room charge, plus applicable taxes. This was put in place in 2015 due to many people cancelling rooms at the Westin a few days before the NAAA Ag Aviation Expo, leaving dozens of rooms unfilled at that hotel.