August 10, 2017
NAAA eNewsletter

Near-Miss Between Drone and Ag Aircraft in Iowa

It is not unusual to read news reports of a UAV interfering with manned aircraft performing their aviation duties. These instances can become very critical when emergency response services like medical helicopters, police aircraft near accident scenes and forest firefighters are affected. Any potential collision between a manned aircraft and a UAV could be life threatening. This nearly happened to an ag pilot last week.

NAAA member Dallas Grimm, a pilot for Redline Aviation in eastern Nebraska, had just finished spraying a field across the river in western Iowa and was climbing out on his way back to the airport he was working out of. As he was passing through about 350 feet AGL, he caught a glimpse of white at the lower right side of his windshield. The object disappeared under his wing before he could take evasive action. As he passed the object he recognized it as a quadcopter UAV. Grimm turned to keep the UAV in sight and realized it was “parked” in a stationary location.

He made several circles around the UAV and looked around for the operator controlling it. A pickup truck was parked next to the field with two men inside the cab, but neither seemed to be observing the UAV. Soon the UAV proceeded to land in a grassy area near the field. The truck drove to the landing site, picked it up and drove away. Grimm and Redline Aviation operator Ryan Lihs believe it had been conducting a field survey for a crop scouting company and as such was not a hobbyist out pleasure flying.

Aviation personnel originally felt the greatest danger UAVs posed was from hobbyists who do not understand airspace rules and are unaware of their danger to manned aircraft. However, in this case, if assumptions are correct, a UAV operated for commercial purposes should be flown by a licensed operator that has passed a test on flight rules and procedures. Apparently, the operator was not keeping the UAV in visual sight, and the requirement to give way to manned aircraft was not being adhered to, as evidenced by the lack of effort to avoid the ag aircraft. The UAV operator was undoubtedly aware the ag aircraft was operating nearby since the pilot had completed the field less than a mile away.

 


Redline Aviation reported the incident to the FAA and local law enforcement agencies, but so far, the UAV operator has not been found. Lihs is using this opportunity to contact broadcast news and print media asking drone operators to use caution for other aircraft using the airspace and obey safety rules and recommendations. The above video is coverage of the near-miss by a Sioux City, Iowa, TV station, which Lihs hopes will capture the attention of UAV operators. 

NAAA to Congress: “Give the FAA the Ability to Regulate All Drones” Including Recreational Ones

NAAA joined in a letter to Congress last week urging members of the federal legislative branch to make needed changes to federal aviation statutes allowing the FAA to regulate model and hobby drone users. In 2012, as part of the last FAA reauthorization legislation enacted by Congress, language was included that prohibits the FAA from “promulgate[ing] any rule or regulation regarding a model aircraft, or an aircraft being developed as a model aircraft.”

 

This language has limited the FAA’s ability to fully regulate model and hobby drone users, putting manned aircraft users at risk. In fact, in May, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that FAA’s registration requirement for recreational UAVs contradicts the 2012 FAA Modernization and Reform Act. The registry was designed to better hold drone users accountable for their operations by having a system to determine the number of drones and their owners’ locations. The DC Circuit Court summarized its decision by stating, “Congress is of course always free to repeal or amend its 2012 prohibition on FAA rules regarding model aircraft. Perhaps Congress should do so. Perhaps not. In any event, we must follow the statute as written.”

 

NAAA currently serves on an FAA Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) advising the agency on drone identification and tracking policies. It is possible, because of this recreational drone regulatory exemption language in the 2012 FAA reauthorization bill that was enacted, that tracking and identification requirements would not be allowed for recreational drones, a significant portion of users within the entire drone user population, thereby continuing to keep manned aircraft users at risk.

 

In the letter NAAA joined in last week it stated and requested of Congress that “The current lack of ability to regulate model and hobby operations imposes a higher degree of risk to manned operations than is acceptable to our respective organizations. We are asking congress to give the FAA the ability to regulate all drones that weigh 0.55 pounds or more. We urge you to take action now, before we have an event that causes harm to the people that rely on air transportation.”

 

The FAA must be reauthorized by Sept. 30, 2017. If it is not the current reauthorization must be extended. The other aviation organizations that joined NAAA on the letter were Air Line Pilots Association, Airlines for America, Helicopter Association International, National Air Traffic Controllers Association, and NetJets Association of Shared Aircraft Pilots. To read the full letter click here.

The Pen is Mightier Than the Sword: NAAA Letters to the Editor Make Their Mark

NAAA has responded to a series of negative articles in recent months with letters setting the record straight about numerous misstatements and mischaracterizations about aerial application. Those efforts have paid off.

NAAA’s response to a less than humorous column titled “Airborne chemical attacks no laughing matter,” was published in Illinois’ The Dispatch and The Rock Island Argus newspaper last Sunday. Scroll down to the lower right-hand corner of the e-reader version of the paper to see our response.


Likewise, NAAA’s response to the Texas Observer’s April cover story on the alleged absence of ag aviation enforcement was printed in its June issue. A response from the author of the article appeared after NAAA Executive Director Andrew Moore’s letter. The author said he stood by his reporting but acknowledged, “I think we agree on two key points: Many crop dusters do follow the rules and pilots ought not to be judged until investigations are complete.” The full exchange is available here.

5,000 Thumbs Up: NAAA Reaches New Facebook/Social Media Milestone!

 

NAAA reached another milestone of sorts this week, surpassing 5,000 “Likes” on Facebook, after crossing the 4,000 “Likes” threshold in November of 2016. The exceptional thing about 5,000 “Likes” is that it exceeds the number of operators, pilots and allied companies in the industry, so we are reaching individuals outside of our trade.

NAAA posts substantive messages on Facebook that underscore the importance and professionalism of aerial application to U.S. agriculture, forestry and public health. The NAAA Facebook page has become a great resource for ag pilots, farmers, supporting industries and friends of aerial applicators to keep up to date with information regarding aerial application, modern agricultural production, the farming community and on NAAA events and legislation. Our followers have rated NAAA’s Facebook page 4.8 out of 5 stars and our social media presence continues to grow with every “Like” we get.

Liking NAAA’s Facebook page is an easy way for you to share the benefits of agricultural aviation with your Facebook friends. If you haven’t “liked” us already, visit NAAA’s Facebook page and give us the thumbs up. You can also ask your friends to “Like” the National Agricultural Aviation Association Facebook page. By doing so, they will receive ongoing updates in their news feed on what ag pilots do to put food on the table. Instructions on how to invite friends to “Like” NAAA are available here. Also, be sure to “Like” NAAA’s posts on Facebook that promote the professionalism and importance of the agricultural aviation industry.  When you do so, your friends see our posts and they can like them and so on, and so on. This can cause our messaging of the agricultural aviation industry to go viral.


Hotel is Booked, Now Complete Your Checklist and Register for the NAAA Ag Aviation Expo

We look forward to seeing you at the 2017 NAAA Ag Aviation Expo in Savannah, Ga., Dec. 4–7 at the Savannah International Trade & Convention Center and Westin Savannah. Besides the Ag Aviation Expo, experience Savannah by visiting old mansions, enjoying historical tours, ghost tours and great restaurants and bars. You can register online for the Ag Aviation Expo or you can print and mail a registration form.

We are continually updating the schedule of events for this year’s Ag Aviation Expo and we are excited to announce a few of our exciting events scheduled for this December:

  • Kickoff Breakfast speaker Shannon Huffman Polson, Former U.S. Army Apache Helicopter Pilot and Captain. She was the first woman to fly Apache combat helicopters in the U.S. Armed Forces, where she served on three continents and led two flight platoons and a line company. Kickoff Breakfast sponsored by BASF
  • 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. Further details will be available this fall. In addition, we’ll have an Insurance Mock Trial, presented by the NAAA Insurance Committee. Sponsored by Syngenta and AIG
  • NAAA Trade Show – featuring eleven aircraft and an expected 140+ exhibitors
  • Aerial Application Research Technology Session (formerly called ASABE Session), sponsored by Bayer CropScience, and more than a dozen educational sessions (additional details will be posted as they become available). Possible CEUs at sessions; CEU information will be available this Fall.
  • Excellence in Ag Aviation Banquet honoring individuals and companies in the aerial application industry who have gone above and beyond the call of duty. Award Nominations due by Sept. 8.

Potential Exhibitors: If you’re an allied company interested in exhibiting, you can purchase booth space here or you can contact Lindsay Barber at (202) 546-5722 for further details.

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.

Complimentary Transportation & River Taxis

Complimentary river taxis and bus transportation will be provided between the hotels, convention center and the downtown Savannah entertainment district for all exhibitors and attendees.

Write On! 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. Submissions for the 2017 Support Scholarship Essay Contest are due by 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.