NAAA Helps to Ensure COVID-19 Related SFAR and FMCSA Waivers are Extended

On June 29, 2020 FAA amended a Special Federal Aviation Regulation (SFAR) released in late April to address the many regulatory hurdles that have been difficult if not impossible to comply with during the COVID-19 pandemic. The amendment was released because even though some stay-at-home orders are being lifted, there are continued shutdowns of government facilities and limited access to CFIs, DPEs and AMEs.

 

The amended SFAR extends the validity of medical certificates that expire between March 31, 2020 and September 30, 2020 for an additional 3 months. The original SFAR only covered medical certificates that expired between March 31 and May 31, 2020. The amended SFAR, however, does not extend relief provided in the original SFAR – it provides 3 months of relief to a new group of pilots whose medicals were set to expire between June 30 and September 30, 2020. For example, if your medical expired on March 31, it is extended until June 30. If your medical expires on September 30, it is now valid through December 31.

 

Individuals with expiring FAA knowledge tests, flight reviews and instrument currency who were given an additional three months to complete requirements in the original SFAR will also have an extension for expirations through September 2020. Similar to the medical certificates, the amended SFAR does not extend the actual length of privileges – it adds pilots whose requirements were set to expire in July, August, or September. The amended SFAR, however, does not extend the grace period for flight instructor certificate renewals past June 30, 2020. See the rule itself for more details.

 

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) recently issued waiver extensions and a notice of enforcement policy that became effective on July 1, 2020. These actions included extending a waiver until September 30, 2020, for States, CDL Holders, CLP Holders and Interstate Drivers Operating Commercial Motor Vehicles that covers multiple items including CDL renewals, CLP holders and medical examination and certification.

 

FMCSA also extended a waiver for states regarding third party Commercial Driver License (CDL) skills test examiners in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This waiver allows third party CDL test examiners previously authorized by the State to administer the CDL skills test to also administer the CDL knowledge test without completing a CDL knowledge test training course. Finally, FMSA is extending its enforcement discretion until September 30, 2020 to not take enforcement action for certain expired licenses and medical certificates.

 

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, NAAA has been in frequent contact with the FAA and other regulatory agencies regarding the many issues related to regulatory compliance during the numerous shutdowns caused by the pandemic. You can get the very latest policy guidance on the COVID-19 pandemic important to agricultural aviators at agaviation.org/covidresources.

 

 

NAAA Asks EPA to More Accurately Model Today’s Modern Aerial Applications in Aerial Pesticide Application Risk Assessments

On Monday NAAA submitted a letter to the EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs requesting the agency reevaluate how they conduct modeling to calculate drift estimates for aerial applications of pesticides when they conduct risk assessments as part of the pesticide registration and re-registration process.

 

All current risk assessments are conducted by the EPA using the Tier 1 model in AgDRIFT. This model uses many inaccurate assumptions about how modern aerial applications are conducted that results in significant overestimates of drift. These include variables such as the application uses a radial powered aircraft, a smaller than commonly used droplet size, a swath displacement shorter than industry standards, a slight inversion during the application, wind speed measured at a height appropriate for ground applications instead of aerial applications, an application to bare ground instead of a standing crop, and the assumption that a second application would occur with a wind speed and direction identical to the first application.

 

NAAA has established a good working relationship with EPA and has commented on numerous risk assessments and proposed interim decisions. It has also met with key professional staff of EPA-OPP over the past number of years on this very topic which EPA been open to hearing.  Many of NAAA’s comments have focused on the inaccuracies of the Tier 1 AgDRIFT model which results in an over estimation of drift from aerial applications. These over estimations can then result in risk assessments that find potential hazardous risks to the environment, and human health which in turn can lead to stricter label requirements in order to mitigate the risks. NAAA feels the Tier 3 AgDRIFT model with more realistic assumptions should be used to estimate more realistic estimates of drift and thus more realistic risk assessments.

 

NAAA suggested the EPA use the more detailed Tier 3 model in AgDRIFT because it allows for many of the variables from the Tier 1 model to be changed to improve the model’s accuracy at estimating drift from aerial applications. NAAA recommended specific assumptions and settings to be used in the Tier 3 model. To start, NAAA suggested a turbine powered aircraft be used instead of one with a radial engine. NAAA suggested the wind speed be increased from 10 to 15 mph to reflect real world spraying conditions and the fact that many labels currently allow spraying in wind speeds up 15 mph.

 

NAAA suggested boom length be set at 75% of the wingspan and boom drop set at 1.3 feet lower than the current Tier 1 level to reflect the boom positioning commonly seen on agricultural aircraft today. Instead of a fine droplet size, NAAA suggested using a medium droplet size which is easily created by many of the commonly used nozzles on agricultural aircraft today. A swath displacement of half a swath displacement was suggested instead of only a 1/3 of a swath displacement on the downwind field edge. Settings for the atmospheric stability component of the model were recommended to accurately model applications not occurring during an inversion, as all labels already prohibit applications when an inversion is present. NAAA recommended a more appropriate height for measuring wind speed and direction such as at the location of where a  a smoker or Aircraft Integrated Meteorological Measurement System (AIMMS) would measure the conditions and to run the Tier 3 model assuming the presence of a crop instead of bare ground. Bare ground aerial applications are not nearly as common as aerial applications to a standing crop and the bare ground setting in AgDRIFT results in a much higher drift estimate.

 

Finally, NAAA urged EPA to use a component of the AgDRIFT model to reflect the unlikelihood that if more than one application of a single pesticide is made, both applications will take place under identical weather conditions with wind blowing in the exact same direction at the same speed. The full letter to EPA can be read here. The next step in the process to improve risk assessments for aerial applications will likely be for NAAA to meet with EPA staff involved in the using the AgDRIFT model to further discuss the request to more accurately model drift from aerial applications.

USAIG First to Support the Centennial Celebration of Aerial Application, Many More Sponsorship Opportunities Available

In 2021, the agricultural aviation industry is preparing to celebrate its first 100 years of service of providing food, fiber, and biofuel, in addition to protecting forestry and controlling health-threatening pests to our great nation. As NAAA prepares for this centennial celebration, we invite you to take part as a donor and participant in this once-in-a-lifetime anniversary. You are part of this industry and should be celebrated! 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you to our first sponsor, USAIG that has committed to this important event! 

We have four sponsorship levels available and your logo, advertisement and/or story can be seen for years in a book, documentary, in eBlasts and on our 100th anniversary website, which will launch later this year. 

August 3, 2021, marks the 100th anniversary of an experiment in Ohio when lead arsenate dust was spread over catalpa trees to kill sphinx moth larvae. In honor of this accomplishment, we are planning a major campaign to include a short documentary, a complete history book of the industry and a significant outreach campaign to the public and the media through media briefings, press releases, website and social media that showcase the proud history and promising future of aerial application.
 

Sponsoring the 100th anniversary is a great way to show your support of the industry's longevity and potentially showcase your contributions to the industry. Your level of support provides you the opportunity to be seen for years to come in the book, on the website and social media, at events and in the documentary.

Click here to view our 100th anniversary sponsorship brochure. This is an industry-wide celebration; we welcome your sponsorship ideas if there is a different way that you would like to support the anniversary and industry.

 
Our industry has a remarkable story to tell. It plays a crucial role in helping farmers feed, clothe and provide bio-fuel to the world. And we hope you will join us in supporting the 100th anniversary celebration of the aerial application industry.   

NAAA Ag Aviation Expo & Pitching in for PAASS Registration Now Open; Booth Sales Open July 9

We look forward to seeing you at the 2020 NAAA Ag Aviation Expo in Savannah, Dec. 7-10. You can now register online for the NAAA Ag Aviation Expo. Attendee registration is now open!  While the NAAA Ag Aviation Expo is months away, and an outstanding, substantive convention is planned, NAAA is also diligently working on plans to help with social distancing throughout our convention. We are also working with the city and our contracted facilities to understand their steps for additional disinfecting/sanitizing during our show. We look forward to seeing you in Savannah at the Ag Aviation Expo.

Low Time Pilot Registration

If you are an ag pilot with less than five years of experience or you are 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.

Booth Sales

Booth sales for the NAAA Trade Show will begin on July 9 at 12 p.m. ET online.  When it comes to agricultural aviation trade shows, it does not get any better than the Ag Aviation Expo, the World’s Largest Agricultural Aviation Trade Show. If your company is trying to get your products and/or services in front of ag pilots, the Ag Aviation Expo is the place to be!

Pitching in for PAASS

Pitching in for PAASS is a terrific social event with the added benefit of raising money for NAAREF and PAASS and the life-saving, environmental stewardship benefits those entities achieve. This is a fun corn-seed bag toss game, peculiarly known as Cornhole, where players take turns throwing bags of corn kernels at a raised board with a hole. Join us for this friendly competition on Sunday, Dec. 6 from 7 – 10 p.m. at the Savannah Convention Center. Registration is now open! Pitching in for PAASS will be a March Madness style tournament that will follow the American Cornhole Association rules. Learn more here.

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 James Bradley,  Author of Flags of Our Fathers and FLYBOYS, Inspirational Historian and World War II Scholar
• General Session –  Medical, Legal and Food Trends Affecting Ag Aviation, this session will feature substantive presentations about legal, medical and food trends occurring in the ag aviation nationally and how that might affect you and your business. Starting the session off will be aviation attorney John Wright, discussing a legal case he tried in Colorado between an aggressive state government agency and reputable, professional aerial applicators. Following rudimentary procedures resulted in a victory for our industry. Wright also provides complimentary legal services for NAAA. Next on the dais will be Dr. Stan Musick, aviator and AME who will address numerous medical topics from OTC drugs’ potency, fatigue and how to be granted a medical special issuance. Last, but not least, to take the podium will be Agri Marketing magazine’s Publisher Lynn Henderson to discuss fairly radical changes in consumer food trends and how that may affect the aerial application industry. This General Session will be chocked full of information for you whether you are an operator or an ag pilot or a supplier to the industry.
• NAAA Trade Show – featuring ten 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)
• Excellence in Ag Aviation Banquet honoring individuals and companies in the aerial application industry.

NAAA and NAAREF Board Meetings Oct. 8-10

We look forward to seeing you in Knoxville, Tenn. for our October NAAA and NAAREF committee and board meetings. Most meetings take place Oct. 9–10 with a couple of meetings beginning on Oct. 8. PAASS Train the Trainer will take place Oct. 7–8. All meetings are open to NAAA members. You can view a tentative schedule here.

NAAA is continually monitoring federal and state health guidelines related to protections from the COVID-19 virus. We are proceeding as is for our October Board Meeting and our December Ag Aviation Expo, yet simultaneously evaluating the health and safety of an in-person meeting, and/or a virtual format. We will keep you posted should any changes be made. The October Board Meeting will follow many of the same recommendations and procedures as our December Ag Aviation Expo. You can view NAAA’s procedures for a healthy and safe meetings at https://www.agaviation.org/healthyexpo. Additional information on protections will be provided to attendees of the October meetings.

Location

Crowne Plaza Knoxville Downtown University
401 W Summit Hill Dr SW
Knoxville, TN 37902
Phone: 877-834-3613

Rate: $138/night plus tax (upgrade to King for $158/night)

Reservations: Book online here or call (865) 522-2600 and provide code: NAA.

Room Block Closes: Sept. 13, 2020. We cannot guarantee room rates or room availability once the room block closes. If you have issues booking a hotel room, please contact Lindsay Barber (please do not book outside the block).

Shine a Light on Our Unsung Heroes with NAAA’s Quick and Easy Online Awards Form

 

One of the highlights of each NAAA convention is the chance to honor a distinct group of the committed individuals and companies for their service to the agricultural aviation industry. Their stories are truly inspiring, making it a rewarding experience for the audience and award recipients alike. Receiving an NAAA Award is not a one-night or even a one-year honor, however. The significance doesn’t fade with time in the eyes of those members who have been fortunate enough to be honored by their industry peers for a job well done.

 

The aerial application industry is filled with exceptional people who go above and beyond the call of duty, often with little fanfare. So go ahead—make someone’s day, year or career by nominating him or her for a 2020 NAAA Award! Chances are you may have some extra time on your hands if you’ve been sheltering in place. Take advantage this unique interlude to help NAAA identify these unsung heroes. We’ve made the award nominations process even easier with NAAA’s new online awards submission form.

 

The new online submission form is the fastest and simplest way to nominate someone in just a few clicks, but the traditional PDF-based awards forms are also available options.

• 2020 Awards Nomination Online Submission Form (recommended)

• 2020 Award Nomination Form (Fillable PDF)

• 2020 Award Nomination Form (print version)

Completed entries using the traditional PDF forms may be emailed or faxed to NAAA at information@agaviation.org or (202) 546-5726 (fax).

 

There are nine NAAA Award categories and one NAAREF Award. The nomination deadline is Sept. 10, but early nominations are encouraged. The longer you wait, the busier you’ll be as the summer season approaches.

NAAA Award Categories

Agrinaut Award: Honors an agricultural aircraft operator, operating organization or allied member company that has made an outstanding contribution in the field of ag aircraft operations. The achievement cited shall have contributed to the “state-of-the-art” 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. This award no longer has carryover nominations from year to year; a new nomination must be submitted every year.

 

Larsen-Miller Community Service Award: Recognizes outstanding contributions by a member to his or her 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 2020 NAAA Award recipients will be announced in the fall and honored at the Excellence in Ag Aviation Banquet Dec. 10 in Savannah.

Received Your 2020 Membership Directory Yet? If Not, Let Us Know

By now all NAAA members should have received their copy of the 2020 NAAA Membership Directory. If you did not receive the new membership directory, please contact NAAA’s Marisa Beam at mbeam@agaviation.org to request a replacement copy.

 
NAAA is aware of a few instances where some members’ directory issues were misdelivered to another member in their state. The delivery mistakes were due to errors by the U.S. Postal Service in at least one regional processing center where workers neglected to separate at least a couple of bound stacks of directories grouped by members in the same state. Each copy was individually postmarked, but the delivery post office delivered the entire stack to the member listed on the top copy of the bound directories. Those members notified NAAA of the mistaken deliveries and graciously dropped off the individually postmarked directories intended for their neighboring members at their local post office for redelivery.

 

NAAA informed its printer of the delivery issues, which then notified the bulk mail center in Pennsylvania where the directory mailing originated. A USPS business service network representative acknowledged that the regional plant and local delivery offices appear to have processed the bundles in error. The USPS representative further stated that she had notified the regional plant and delivery office of the top recipients of the errors to address the issue of how to correctly process bundled pieces with their employees.

While these bundled misdeliveries appear to be limited to a few isolated instances, if you have not gotten your copy of the 2020 NAAA Membership Directory yet, please let us know and we will send a replacement copy. Although the delivery errors were beyond NAAA’s control, we apologize for the delay and want to ensure all members have access to this indispensable resource. Once again, if you did not receive the new membership directory, contact NAAA’s Marisa Beam at mbeam@agaviation.org or (202) 546-5722 to request a replacement copy.

Last Chance to Provide Accurate Data for Agricultural Aviation Industry, Please Complete FAA Survey

The Federal Aviation Administration’s 42nd annual General Aviation and Part 135 Activity Survey (GA Survey) is coming to an end. If you are selected to participate in this year’s survey, you will receive either an email or postcard invitation to complete the GA Survey soon. You may complete the survey online, or a survey form will be mailed to you along with a postage-paid envelope. There are only a couple of weeks left to submit responses. Please complete the survey if you received one.  It is important for us to collect valuable data about our industry to pinpoint our education and safety programs.

 

If you have three or more aircraft and have been receiving survey requests for each individual aircraft, the GA survey coordinators have created a shorter version of the survey that you can fill out for aggregate reporting to reduce the time required to submit a response.

 

Data from this survey are used by governmental agencies and industry to:

• Compute safety metrics, such as fatal accidents rates
• Understand the impact of the GA industry on jobs, economic output, and investments in aviation infrastructure
• Track the success of safety initiatives, including avionics recommendations
• Determine funding for infrastructure and service needs
• Assess the impact of regulatory changes

 

Of particular importance to the aerial application industry is using the GA survey data to calculate an accurate accident rate for our industry, which is valuable for demonstrating the continuously improving safety of aerial application. To do that, the FAA needs an accurate tally of the hours flown in 2019. It only takes 10-15 minutes to complete the survey, which you can do online or on a survey form that will be mailed to you with a postage-paid envelope. Or, call Tetra Tech toll-free at 1-800-826-1797. The information is confidential and will only be used for statistical purposes and will not be published or released in any form that would reveal an individual participant.