NAAA Recruiting the Next Generation of Ag Pilots at EAA’s AirVenture 2019 is a Drenching Success

This week, NAAA’s presence exhibiting and participating in the Experimental Aircraft Association’s annual expo and airshow, AirVenture, has been awash in kudos. Its drenching success to date is attributed to Air Tractor and its chief test pilot, Mike Rhodes, who coordinated to have Michael Hutchins of Custom Air in Roe, Ark., fly his firefighting-equipped AT-802 during Tuesday and Wednesday’s afternoon airshows.

 

Aerial firefighting is a major theme at this week’s show and Hutchins’ precision aerobatics and bullseye water drop left attendees’ mouths agape; a once active fire, smoldering; and raised the Single Engine Air Tanker’s reputation into high-altitude airspace. The AirVenture show, celebrating its 50th year in Oshkosh, Wis., includes NAAA members Air Tractor, Thrush Aircraft, AG-NAV and AgAir Update in booths #446, 457, 458. Come visit us at the “world’s greatest aviation celebration.” AirVenture continues until 4 p.m., Sunday, July 28.

 Aerial applicator Michael Hutchins performs an aerial firefighting demonstration during one of the daily airshows at AirVenture.

 

During the week, there are over 1,000 forums on aviation topics and hundreds of exhibitors including NAAA. NAAA is working to actively recruit pilots or pilots-in-training with a genuine interest in pursuing an ag pilot career. On Monday morning, NAAA Executive Director Andrew Moore gave an educational presentation to AirVenture attendees on how to pursue a career in ag aviation, along with NAAA Operator member Lynn Carlson, Eric Rojek of Thrush Aircraft and Mike Rhodes of Air Tractor.

NAAA Comments to EPA to Support Aerial Use in the Reregistration of 10 Active Ingredients

Last week NAAA submitted comments to the EPA as part of the re-registration review process of pesticide active ingredients. The EPA is required by FIFRA to review the registrations for all crop protection products every 15 years. The active ingredients commented on were a group of ALS inhibiting herbicides and Trifluralin. The nine ALS inhibiting herbicides included Bispyribac-sodium, Diclosulam, Florasulam, Flucarbazone-sodium, Imazamox, Imazapic, Imazaquin, Imazethapyr, and Penoxsulam. All the comments submitted were on proposed interim decisions. Interim decisions are being used by the EPA instead of a full reregistration of a product because Endangered Species Act and pollinator protection assessments still need to be completed for most products.

 

NAAA largely agreed with the proposed requirements for aerial application in the interim decisions. The drift mitigation language showed EPA has been listening to previous comments from NAAA. Prior proposed interim decisions for products reviewed earlier had capped wind speeds for aerial applications at 10 mph. The proposed drift mitigations strategies for the ALS inhibiting herbicides and Trifluralin increased the limit on wind speed to 15 mph. The only additional requirement for applying in wind speeds of 11 to 15 mph is that boom length be reduced to a maximum 65 percent of wingspan for fixed wing aircraft and a maximum of 75 percent of rotor diameter for helicopters. For applications at wind speeds at 10 mph or lower, maximum boom length would be 75 percent of wingspan for fixed wing aircraft or 90 percent of rotor diameter for helicopters.

 

Additional drift mitigation language included not making applications during an inversion and a half swath displacement would be required on the downwind edge of fields. Maximum aircraft height would be limited to 10 feet unless safety required a greater height. For the ALS inhibiting herbicides, a medium droplet size (based on the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) Standard S572.1 for droplet size classification) was proposed for post emergence applications and a coarse droplet size for preemergence applications. The proposed droplet size for Trifluralin was coarse.

 

NAAA will continue to monitor the pesticide registration review process and comment accordingly to the EPA. We will fight to make sure aerial applicators have access to the pesticides their customers need in order to control insects, diseases, weeds, and other pests. In 2019 so far, NAAA has commented on reregistration documents from the EPA for 44 active ingredients.

NAAA Signs Industry Letter Supporting Passage of the PLANE Act

General aviation advocate Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK) this week introduced the Promoting the Launch of Aviation’s Next Era (PLANE) Act of 2019. This bill would expand the Pilot Bill of Rights by empowering the voices of pilots, investing in airport infrastructure and expanding opportunities for aviation vocational training.

 

The aviation community quickly voiced support for the legislation by issuing a letter signed by over a dozen different aviation organizations including NAAA, the Helicopter Association International (HAI), and the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA).

 

The PLANE act improves pilot protections by clarifying that pilots facing an FAA investigation can appeal to a federal district court and ensures pilots can re-apply for a medical certificate without unnecessary wait periods. It also requires the timely resolution of investigations by limiting FAA inquiries to a maximum of two years.

 

The legislation would also mandate all taxes collected from aviation fuel be deposited into the airport and airways trust fund and not diverted to other non-aviation uses.

 

Lastly, the bill would ensure Air Traffic Control training classes would not be interrupted by a government shutdown.

 

You can read more about the PLANE Act here.

 

EPA Denies Activists' Petition to Ban Chlorpyrifos; Expedited Reregistration Considered Instead

The EPA announced last week it will not ban the use of chlorpyrifos, a critical crop protection product used on more than 50 fruit, nut, cereal and vegetable crops in response to activist groups’ petition to remove the product from the market. Instead, the agency said it will expedite the registration review process under the Federal Insecticide Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) that requires pesticides to be reregistered with the EPA every 15 years. An EPA spokesperson said the reregistration should now “be completed well before the 2022 statutory deadline."

 

Corteva, the manufacturer of chlorpyrifos, released a statement saying, “Completion of Registration Review will provide needed certainty to growers who rely on chlorpyrifos and needed reassurance for the public that labeled  uses will not pose unacceptable risk to public health or the environment… Chlorpyrifos is one of the most widely studied crop protection products in the world. Labeled uses of chlorpyrifos rest on five decades of experience in use, health surveillance of manufacturing workers and applicators, and more than 4,000 studies and reports examining the product in terms of health, safety and the environment.”

 

The original petition to remove chlorpyrifos from the market was filed in 2007 by the Pesticide Action Network North America and the Natural Resources Defense Council. As a result, the Obama administration’s EPA proposed to revoke all food tolerances for chlorpyrifos. NAAA met with EPA to discuss its proposed decision on the chlorpyrifos ban and submitted comments to keep chlorpyrifos on the market for aerial application. Numerous farm and application groups also petitioned to keep the long-time insecticide on the market. 

 

After a slew of court battles, the U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit, issued a ruling in April of this year giving the EPA 90 days to make a determination on the petition. You can read the EPA’s full determination announcing a denial of the petition here.

 

CropLife America, a national trade association that represents the manufacturers, formulators and distributors of pesticides, released a statement saying, “The availability of pesticides, like chlorpyrifos, is relied upon by farmers to control a variety of insect pests and by public health officials who work to control deadly and debilitating pests like mosquitos. To address these essential needs, CropLife America is encouraged that EPA has chosen to expedite the regulatory review. A decision that reinforces the integrity of the registration process, protection of consumers and the needs of farmers and health officials who rely on this vital tool.”

 

The California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA) announced last May it plans to totally ban the use the chlorpyrifos at some point in the near future. California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed budget requested $5.7 to "support the transition" to other pest control measures and is proposing a working group to identify and recommend alternatives. A final date for the use of chlorpyrifos in California has not been determined. The agency said the process could take up to two years.  A significant concern about removal of the product from the market that is not commonly mentioned in the media is the likelihood that a significant amount of another type of insecticide may have to be used in larger quantities if chlorpyrifos were to be removed from the marketplace.

NAAA Calls on Journalists to Give Full Story when Reporting on Aerial Applications Using UAVs

Last week NAAA sent a letter to CropLife Media Group urging the organization to give readers a more well-rounded perspective on the capabilities of manned aerial applicators when reporting on UAVs used for aerial spraying.

 

The letter was in response to a July 11 article titled “Rantizo Approved for Agricultural Drone Spraying in Iowa” written by CropLife magazine staff.  NAAA believed that the article was missing some vital information about manned aerial application operations. The article did not explain the UAV used by Rantizo, the DJI Agras, can spray only 7-10 acres an hour. NAAA wrote readers should be aware that during a 10-hour day of applications, this equates to only 70 to 100 acres treated per UAV, while a single manned aircraft can spray upwards of 2,000 acres a day. “This is one of the benefits of manned aerial application that is unmatched by current UAV technology,” the letter stated. “In future articles we feel it is vital to include this information, so readers have an accurate basis for comparing the two application methods.”

 

The letter went on to explain all the technologies used by UAVs, such as GPS, flow control systems, and onboard weather monitoring, have all been used by manned aerial applicators for years.

 

Furthermore, the letter explained there is a concern that existing pesticide labels don’t necessarily allow for UAVs to make aerial applications. This is because the AgDRIFT™ model used by the EPA to register pesticide products for aerial use predicts spray drift for only single propeller fixed-wing and single rotor aircraft applications. This spray drift model does not apply to UAVs with two, four, six or in the case of the DJI Agras, eight rotors. The model also doesn’t apply to the lighter weight characteristics of a small UAV that doesn’t have the higher air pressure wake to push the applied material deep into a crop’s canopy. Without similar models for the various types and sizes of UAVs a proper spray drift risk assessment cannot be performed.

 

The letter concluded by stating, “NAAA agrees that aerial application is indeed the superior way to treat crops for a variety of reasons. We do feel, however, that growers need to be aware of the capabilities of manned agricultural aircraft in addition to learning about emerging UAV technologies, and their fallbacks. Only the manned aerial application industry has and will continue to treat 127 million acres of cropland in the U.S. this growing season.” A letter similar to NAAA’s was sent to CropLife Media Group by Bill Lavender of AgAir Update.

 

After receiving the letter, CropLife Media Group published it for its readers. You can read the full letter here.

Former Delta Executive Steve Dickson Confirmed as FAA Administrator

This week the Senate confirmed Steve Dickson for a five-year term as the head of the FAA by a vote of 52-40. Dickson was most recently Delta's senior vice president of flight operations before retiring in 2018.

 

Dickson takes the reigns at the FAA from Acting Administrator Daniel Elwell who took on the position when former administrator Michael Huerta’s term expired in January 2018.

 

House Transportation Committee Ranking member Sam Graves released a statement saying, “Having a confirmed leader in place at a federal agency as important as the FAA is vital to ensuring the safety and improvement of the national aviation system, and I commend the Senate for confirming Steve Dickson as the next Administrator of the FAA. I also want to praise Dan Elwell, who has served as the Acting Administrator for the last year and a half, for his stalwart leadership and professionalism during very difficult circumstances.  I look forward to working with both of them as we move forward to attract more Americans to careers in aviation, improve our aviation infrastructure across the country, and maintain the safest aviation system in the world.”

We Love Our Members! Check Out All Your Support Has Helped Us Accomplish

Renewals are now open! You will soon receive your renewal form in the mail, but there is no need to wait! You can renew online today. As a member of NAAA, you associate with the best and brightest in the agricultural aviation industry and your support is imperative in helping us accomplish our initiatives. We’d like to remind you of just a few new offerings NAAA has recently released such as:

• NAAA is now offering legal services on Federal Transpiration Laws to Operator and Pilot Members
• Receive the 2019 NAAA Operator and Pilot Survey Report which is chockful of key statistics providing a healthy status of the U.S. aerial application industry. 
• The legendary Sean D. Tucker will be speaking at the Ag Aviation Expo in Orlando, Nov. 18-21, 2019. It's 4 days packed full of educational sessions where you can earn CEU's. Registration opens July1!
• Our 2019 NAAA Membership Directory has been mailed out. It’s your one-stop shop where you can find members and allied services in the industry.
• Stay up-to-date on the latest issues affecting your profession through the NAAA eNewsletter, Agricultural Aviation magazine and exclusive member resources online such as our Media Relations Kit.
• Don’t forget to take advantage of financial incentives such as our Operation S.A.F.E. Rebate Program and our Recruitment Rewards Program.
  

NAAA Ag Aviation Expo Registration Now Open

We look forward to seeing you at the 2019 NAAA Ag Aviation Expo in Orlando, Nov. 18-21 You can now register online for the NAAA Ag Aviation Expo. Attendee registration is now open!  If you’re an ag pilot with less than five years of experience or you’re interested in becoming an ag pilot, we are offering a special price to attend the NAAA Ag Aviation Expo for pilots with less than five years of experience. Click here for further details.

 

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 Sean D. Tucker, champion aerobatic aviator
• General Session – Aerial Imaging Diversification for your Business & Trends in Global Crop Protection Products.  The 2019 General Session will explore the future of the aerial application industry by examining trends in the global crop protection product industry and across agriculture. After that big-picture assessment of the global marketplace in the first half of the session, NAAA will take a closer look at aerial imaging as a diversification option for aerial applicators.
• NAAA Trade Show – featuring five aircraft and an expected 150+ exhibitors. Floor plan will be available in mid-July.
• Aerial Application Research Technology Session and more than a dozen educational sessions where you can earn potential CEUs(additional details will be posted as they become available and CEUs will be available this Fall)

Additional details for the 2019 NAAA Ag Aviation Expo

• Dates: Nov. 18–21, 2019 (NOTE THE NOVEMBER DATES)
• Location: Rosen Shingle Creek, Orlando, FL
• Schedule of Events: Current schedule here. Subject to change.
• Attendee Registration: Now open 
• Exhibitor Booth Sales: Now Open
• Auction Donations: Thank you to Pratt & Whitney Canada for donating a PT6-34AG engine to this year’s NAAA Live Auction. While we’re still several months away from the Ag Aviation Expo, but it’s never too early to donate an item for the Live and Silent Auction. The earlier you inform us of your auction donation, the more advertising you’ll receive on the NAAA website and in NAAA publications. Click here for donation details. 
  
• Sponsorship Opportunities: View sponsorship opportunities here.

Hotel Details

• Rate: $139/night + taxes (no resort fee and includes basic internet access in your room and complimentary fitness center access)
• Reservations: Book online here or call (866) 996-6338 and refer to NAAA convention. All reservations are two double beds. If you'd like a king room, please state that when calling or in the comments section when making the reservation online. 
• Hotel Block Cut-off Date: Thursday, Oct. 24 at 5 p.m. ET
• Hotel Address:  9939 Universal Blvd., Orlando, FL 32819 | Hotel Phone: (866) 996-9939 | Reservations: (866) 996-6338
• Cancellation & One Night's Charge Policy: Cancellation required by 4 p.m. at least five (5) days prior to arrival to avoid a charge of one night’s room + tax. All reservations are required to be guaranteed with a valid credit card. Please be advised that five days prior to your arrival, an authorization equivalent to one night's room + tax charge will be processed on your card. Authorizations on a debit card will place a hold on funds within your bank account at the time of authorization. 
• Check In & Out: Check in is 3 p.m. and check out is 11 a.m.
• Parking: Daily self-parking is $18; valet is $26.
• Universal Orlando Hotel Partner, where guests enjoy complimentary scheduled daily transportation from the hotel to and from Universal Orlando Resort exciting theme parks and to SeaWorld® Orlando and Aquatica. Contact the hotel directly for further details at (866) 996-9939

$20K in Scholarship Aid Available for Aspiring Ag Pilots

How does $5,000 sound to help someone pursue their dream of becoming a professional ag pilot? Thanks to the generous support of BASF and Thrush Aircraft, $20,000 in aid is available under the 2019 NAAA “Ag Wings of Tomorrow” Scholarship Program to assist four aspiring ag pilots in their journey.

 

NAAA awarded $5,000 scholarships to four aspiring ag pilots at the 2018 Ag Aviation Expo. From L–R, NAAA “Ag Wings of Tomorrow” Scholarship recipients Parker Gore, Walter Meise, Will Souther and Emory Lobley, with Thrush Aircraft VP of Sales Eric Rojek and BASF’s John Sabatka, respectively. BASF and Thrush co-sponsor NAAA’s pilot training scholarship.

The goal of NAAA’s “Ag Wings of Tomorrow” Scholarship Program is to strengthen the aerial application industry by helping operator members bring new pilots into the profession and help fund their training. Applicants must be sponsored by an NAAA Operator member, and scholarship recipients may use the proceeds for flight training or aviation or ag-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. The scholarship program is administered by NAAA and funded by educational grants provided by BASF and Thrush.

 

This year, NAAA will award up to four scholarships valued at $5,000 each. This is a win-win for NAAA Operator members and individuals seeking training funds to support their pursuit of becoming a professional ag pilot.

How to Apply

To be considered for the 2019 scholarship, 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 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.

NAAA will award the recipients of the 2019 “Ag Wings of Tomorrow” Scholarships in November at the Ag Aviation Expo in Orlando. Last year NAAA awarded $5,000 scholarships to four young individuals who represent the future of ag aviation: Parker Gore of Cleveland, Miss.; Emory Lobley of Dalhart, Texas; Walter Meise of Moses Lake, Wash.; and Will Souther of Douglas, Ga.

 

To learn more about the 2019 NAAA “Ag Wings of Tomorrow” Scholarship, please review the instructions included with the 2019 application. Please contact NAAA at (202) 546-5722 or information@agaviation.org for clarification about any of the application requirements.

 

While the applicant must be sponsored by an NAAA Operator member, NAAA membership is not a prerequisite for the person applying for the scholarship. Becoming an NAAA Associate member, however, is a great way for candidates to learn more about the industry and augment their training.

 

The deadline to apply for a 2019 “Ag Wings of Tomorrow” Scholarship is Aug. 31.

NAAA Pilot Survey Report Released to Members

NAAA is excited to announce that its 2019 NAAA Pilots Survey Report is finished and now available for members to download. The survey revealed that the average age for a pilot is 47 years old. In the 2012 survey, the average age of a hired agricultural pilot was 50 years old. The reduction in age for pilots from the 2012 to the 2019 survey was also reflected in the percentage of pilots in the 20-29 year old age group. In the 2012 survey, 7 percent of pilots were 20-29 years old. In the 2019 survey, that had doubled to 14 percent of pilots. Pilots 30-39 years old increased from 19 percent of all pilots in the 2012 survey to 25 percent in the 2019 survey. The percentage of pilots in both the 50-59 and 60-69 year old age classes decreased between the 2012 and the 2019 surveys.

 

The 2019 NAAA Pilots Survey Report is a companion to the 2019 NAAA Operators Survey Report, which was released in May 2019. This second report is based on the responses collected from hired pilots, while the earlier Operators report is based on responses from operators.

 

To download a copy, login as a member on NAAA’s webpage (agaviation.org) and go to the Resource Center on the top menu bar. Just over half way down the page is the listing for “NAAA Industry Surveys”. Select the link just to the right that says “Publications (5).” The 2019 NAAA Aerial Application Industry Survey: Pilots is the second link on the next page. The 2019 NAAA Operators Survey Report as well as older industry surveys are also available on this page.

Putter Over to NAAA Expo NAAREF Fundraiser, It’s a Hole Lot of Fun

Help us raise money for NAAREF and PAASS by wearing your loudest golf pants and participating in Putting for PAASS, a fundraiser for the ag aviation industry’s premier educational safety program. This fundraising bowling event will take place on Sunday, Nov. 17 from 6 - 9:30 p.m. at Rosen Shingle Creek.

 

Registration is now open and is required; the minimum donation is $110 per person. Each person must register separately and your team can have four people! Have fun with your friends during our nine-hole scramble. This event is fun no matter your skill set, whether you’re an avid golfer, a miniature-golfer or you’ve never held a putter! When registering, you’ll choose the tee time block of 6:30, 7:00, 7:30, 8:00 or 8:30. We will open a 9 p.m. slot if the other time slots are full of golfers. During each tee time block, nine teams (four people each) will compete and you’ll have 30 minutes to finish the nine holes. If there are ties, there will be a sudden death hole(s) at the end of the tournament.

 

Each of the four people on the winning team will receive $100 gift certificates to purchase merchandise at the 2019 NAAA Support Fundraising booth on the NAAA Trade Show floor on Tuesday and Wednesday.

 

Help us raise funds to continue the highly regarded PAASS Program, working to reduce the number of aviation accidents and drift incidents each year.

Summer Sale: Get Free Shipping on NAAA’s Online Store with Promo Code FREESHIP

Stay cool this summer with some NAAA gear. We’re sliding into summer with a bang and offering members FREE SHIPPING on every item online. Use promo code FREESHIP at checkout for summer savings. Sizes and quantities are limited so hurry and take advantage of this offer. Show your pride and support NAAA by going online today at Shop.AgAviation.org and purchase your NAAA merchandise.

 

 

2019 Ag Aviation Golf Tournament Oct. 19–20

NAAA members are invited to join your Arkansas brethren for a fun weekend of golf and fellowship Oct. 19–20. The Red Apple Inn and Country Club in Heber Springs, Ark., is hosting the 2019 Ag Aviation Golf Tournament. This year’s proceeds will benefit the Miracle League of Arkansas, a baseball league for children with intellectual and/or physical disabilities.

 

The $150 entry fee covers two rounds of golf, happy hour and dinner at the Red Apple Inn on Saturday evening and a complimentary T-shirt. The tournament starts at 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 19, with a two-man scramble format. The final round tees off Sunday, Oct. 20, starting at 8:30 a.m. (A dinner-only fee of $35 is available for non-golfers.)

Inn rooms, two-bedroom condos and three-bedroom condos are available at the Red Apple Inn for $135, $215 and $260, respectively. Call the Red Apple Inn at 1-800-733-2775 and use the reservation code “AG AVIATION” to reserve your room.

To register for the Ag Aviation Golf Tournament, complete the registration form and mail a check to:

Brenda Watts

102 Norris Lane

Watson, AR 71674
(please include T-shirt size on the check)

The tournament organizers, a small group of Arkansas aerial applicators, decided to donate proceeds from this year’s golf tournament to the Miracle League of Arkansas to help the organization repair its flood-damaged ballfield. On June 7, the Miracle League’s specially equipped ballfield was flooded with water from the overflowing Arkansas River. More than 24,000 tiles were damaged in the flood that must be removed, cleaned, sanitized, repaired, reinstalled and repainted. The nonprofit organization launched the Flood the Field with Love campaign to raise funds to repair the field.

 

For more information, please contact the 2019 Ag Aviation Golf Tournament organizers. Contact information for members of the tournament committee is available here.