EPA Releases Proposed Aircraft GHG Emissions Rule

Currently, ag aircraft are outside of the rule

Large turboprop airplanes in production on or after Jan. 1, 2028, would be subject to the EPA’s proposed aircraft greenhouse gas emissions standards.

Last week after a review by the Office of Management and Budget, the EPA released its proposal to regulate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from jet and turboprop powered aircraft. The proposal will be listed in the Federal Register for comment.

In 2016 the Obama administration signed on to the U.N.’s International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) plan to reduce GHG emissions from jet and turboprop aircraft. The EPA’s current proposal is to regulate (among other types) turboprop aircraft with a takeoff mass greater than 8,618 kilograms (18,959 pounds). This weight puts all the current agricultural aircraft outside of the rule. The rule requires carbon dioxide (CO₂) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions to be mitigated by increased efficiency and carbon offsets.

The proposed GHG standards would apply to new type design airplanes on or after Jan. 1, 2020, and to in-production airplanes on or after Jan. 1, 2028. They would not apply to already manufactured airplanes currently in use. New type design airplanes are newly developed airplane designs that have not previously been type certificated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and are not yet being built or flown. In-production airplanes are new airplanes with designs that have already been type certificated by FAA and are already in production, and these airplanes will continue to be produced and sold after the effective date of the standards.

NAAA is watching this development closely. These rules have a way of expanding, as many environmentalists feel the ICAO aircraft standards are not rigorous enough. NAAA has the data that shows modern agriculture, of which ag aviation is an important component, is already doing a very good job in reducing GHG emissions. (Look for the Washington Report in Agricultural Aviation’s upcoming Fall issue for more on this topic.)

FAA Proposes Airworthiness Directive for All Air Tractor Models

The FAA proposes to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all Air Tractor Inc. (Air Tractor) Models AT-250, AT-300, AT-301, AT-302, AT-400, AT-400A, AT-401, AT-401A, AT-401B, AT-402, AT-402A, AT-402B, AT-501, AT-502, AT-502A, AT-502B, AT-503, AT-503A, AT-504, AT-602, AT-802, and AT-802A airplanes. This proposed AD was prompted by reports of cracks in the flap torque tube actuator attachment brackets that may cause the flap actuator to detach from the flap torque tube. For more information on the proposed AD, see the Federal Register announcement here.

There are differences between this proposed AD and Air Tractor Service Letter 347: Air Tractor SL #347, Rev A, provides an allowance (plus or minus 15%) for the 300-hour visual inspections, and this proposed AD would not. Air Tractor SL #347, Rev A, specifies performing the dye penetrant inspection within 900 hours time-in-service (TIS), and this proposed AD would require the initial dye penetrant inspection within 300 hours TIS. Air Tractor SL #347, Rev A, specifies replacing a cracked torque tube, while this proposed AD would require replacing a cracked torque tube with a torque tube that has zero hours TIS. Air Tractor SL #347, Rev A, specifies reporting any cracked welds identified during the inspections to Air Tractor, and this proposed AD would not.

Get Ready to Cast Your Ballot in the 2020 National Agricultural Aviation Association Proposed Bylaw Amendments Election

Get ready to cast your ballot in the 2020 National Agricultural Aviation Association Proposed Bylaw Amendments Election. The election will run from 12 a.m. EDT Aug. 21 through 12 a.m. EDT Sept. 21, 2020. The election is being administered by AssociationVoting.com, similar to last year’s Bylaw Amendments Election.

AssociationVoting will be sending an email to all NAAA eligible voting members Aug. 21 with instructions on how to vote, so be sure to set your email spam filter to accept email from both announcement@associationvoting.com and information@agaviation.org. The email will direct you to the election website https://vote.associationvoting.com/naaa/ and provide you with a Name and Password to use to log in to vote. Once you are in the system, you will be directed to the NAAA Bylaw changes, the reasoning and justification to the amendments, and instructions on how to cast your vote.

The three (3) proposed amendments are designed to augment the professionalism of the association membership (and the industry) with a Code of Conduct; augment membership and reduce unnecessary, administrative costs to the association; and broaden the electorate and validity of allied board member elections. These changes have been recommended and approved by the association’s counsel and will better provide the industry with policy advocacy, public relations, education, communication and networking services. More details on the proposals along with the specific changes may be found here. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Association Voting at support@associationvoting.com or NAAA at information@agaviation.org or (202) 546-5722.

Sixth Fatal Accident of 2020 Takes Terry Harchenko

NAAA staff and members extend our sympathies and condolences to the family and friends of longtime member Terry Harchenko. The 65-year-old pilot died in a helicopter accident July 17. He had been spraying Christmas trees when the Hiller helicopter he was piloting crashed into a field near Mehama, Oregon.

Terry was an experienced pilot and aerial applicator who was flying for Western Helicopter Services in Newberg, Oregon, this year. Western Helicopter Services, which specializes in forestry applications, purchased Terry’s former operation, Industrial Aviation Services in Salem, Oregon, in January. Terry’s father, Jerry Harchenko, founded Industrial Aviation Services, before Terry took over the business. Terry and Rick Krohn, the former owner of Western Helicopter Services, had been great friends.

 

Western Helicopter’s branch manager, Paul Washburn, told the Capital Press that Terry was humble, eager to serve and passionate about flying.

Andrew Moore, NAAA CEO, stated, “Terry, and his father before him, Jerry, were devoted advocates of the aerial application industry in both Oregon and nationally. His passing, Paul Gould’s in Oklahoma, Gene Kritter’s accident in North Carolina—all fatal accidents this year are quite tragic and are great losses for aerial application advocacy, especially at the state level.”

Western Helicopter Services has approximately 20 full-time employees, including five full-time pilots. “We are mourning for Terry, and will be for quite some time,” Washburn said, per the Capital Press. NAAA has been in contact with the Oregon Department of Agriculture since Terry’s accident and a number of their representatives were also mourning his passing.

Please keep Terry’s family and co-workers in your prayers as they mourn his loss. At the time of this writing there were no details on memorials.

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This story has been updated to include information about Harchenko’s former operation.  

Rest in Peace: Joe Varjassy, Prairie Aerial Applicators

NAAA and the ag aviation industry are saddened by the loss of Joseph “Joe” Varjassy, a longtime member. Varjassy, 75, passed away July 18 in Fort Myers, Florida, after a six-year battle with cancer and other health issues.

Joe retired as proud pilot who owned and operated Prairie Aerial Applicators Ltd. for 38 years. The aerial application business originated in Regina in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan until 1984 when Joe built a private airstrip in Riceton, 28 miles southeast of Regina. Joe was one of the founding members of the Saskatchewan Aerial Applicators Association in 1975 and the Canadian Aerial Applicators Association in 1986. He served as both organizations’ presidents at various stints. Joe joined NAAA in 1985 and was a familiar face at NAAA’s annual convention each year. He went through the NAAA/Syngenta Leadership Training Program in 2009–2010.

Flying was Joe’s passion and he enjoyed the many people he met because of his business. He was proud of his accomplishments and enjoyed traveling and meeting friends at the many aerial application conventions he attended over the years. When you met Joe, he considered you a friend. He was loyal and kept in contact with many over the years. Joe impacted many lives and will be remembered as ready to tell a joke, “politically correct or not.”

For many years he spent his winters in Florida and summers in Canada. Joe loved living in Florida and pursuing his second great passion of boating. He relished working on and cleaning his boat, intent on it always being ready to take family and friends out for a tour. That’s just the kind of guy he was.

Joe leaves behind his wife of 35 years, Emily, daughter Shannon (Bill), sons Ryan (Kim), Josh (Nikki), Eliaja (Angie) and Isaac, and 11 grandchildren. Joe’s full obituary is available here.

October NAAA Board Meeting & December Ag Aviation Expo Update: We’re Still a Go and Taking Precautions for Everyone’s Well-being!

The October NAAA and NAAREF Board Meetings and December Ag Aviation Expo are scheduled to take place in person. NAAA staff look forward to seeing our members at both meetings. We appreciate the support of all attendees and exhibitors who have registered and purchased booth space for the Ag Aviation Expo. More than 100 companies have purchased booth space and we have 11 aircraft. As we get closer to our planned events in late 2020, we wanted to provide you with an update on both meetings.

You are essential and so are our meetings! A lot of business is conducted at the NAAA and NAAREF Board Meetings and the Ag Aviation Expo. NAAA members not only conduct important association work, but you conduct important work for your business, your livelihood and your essential industry!

NAAA is working on plans to help with social distancing and safety, while at the same time accomplishing important business and enjoying each other’s camaraderie at both our upcoming board meeting and Ag Aviation Expo. We are working with the cities of Knoxville and Savannah and our contracted facilities to understand their steps for additional disinfecting/sanitizing during our events. Read more.

October NAAA & NAAREF Board Meetings

The Fall 2020 NAAA and NAAREF Board Meetings will take place in person in Knoxville, Tennessee, Oct. 8–10. You can view a schedule here. The state of Tennessee is currently allowing meetings of more than 50 attendees, if meeting space allows for attendees to maintain 6 feet of distance between themselves. NAAA has met with the Crowne Plaza Knoxville and confirmed that we can socially distance all our meeting rooms, which is required by the state of Tennessee. The state is currently in this phase until the end of August at which point precautionary protocols could relax to a degree.

December Ag Aviation Expo

The 2020 Ag Aviation Expo will take place in person in Savannah, Georgia, Dec. 7–10. The state of Georgia is currently allowing meetings of more than 250 attendees, if meeting space allows for attendees to maintain 6 feet of distance between themselves. NAAA has had several conversations with the Savannah Convention Center and Westin Savannah to confirm we can socially distance all our meeting rooms, which is required by the state of Georgia.

Savannah has already welcomed back conventioneers; the city successfully held its first 400-person convention last week when the Georgia Chiefs of Police convened in the city. Worth magazine recently published the following article about the resiliency of Savannah during these times. We look forward to the amazing Southern hospitality of Savannah during our December Ag Aviation Expo and the city is very excited to have us back.

Save the Date for the 2020 Ag Aviation Expo

NAAA Provides Proof of Distance Needed to Safely Turn an Ag Aircraft to Refute Claims Made by Wind Farms, Towers, Other Obstructions

NAAA has developed useful information to refute proposed setback distances from wind turbines and other tower-like obstructions. The information may be used by operators and state associations when dealing with wind farm and tower companies making claims that their obstructions do not hamper aerial application activities to crops. The basis for the information was a request from a public utilities commission to provide proof that agricultural aircraft need 1 mile or more to turn around safely at the end of a treated field. A wind farm sponsor in South Dakota had proposed a setback of a mere 500 feet, which is far too short a distance for making safe aerial applications with a fixed-wing aircraft in a field adjacent to a wind turbine or tower location site.

NAAA provided the information using two different methods. The first was a calculation using aircraft speed and average turn time to estimate the total distance required to make a turn. An AT-802A with a working speed of 145 mph was used as the example aircraft. The working speed was taken from the midpoint between 130 and 160 mph as denoted on Air Tractor’s specifications page for the AT-802A. An agricultural turn time of 45 seconds was used; this information was gleaned from operators’ experience and used in comments made to the EPA on several pesticide reregistrations. A speed of 145 mph is equal to 213 feet per second; 45 seconds to turn multiplied by 213 feet per second is equal to 9,585 feet or 1.82 miles needed to make the turn.

The second method NAAA used to provide evidence on the distance required to make a turn while conducting an aerial application was via GPS as-applied aerial application maps and Google Earth. Google Earth was used to measure the distance into the field that two turns required. The first was one of the shorter turns from the application from when the aircraft was lighter. This turn pushed 2,273 feet or 0.43 miles into the adjacent field. The second was from a longer turn made when the aircraft was fully loaded. This turn penetrated 9,147 feet or 1.73 miles into the adjacent field.

A Google Earth map showing an application made by an AT-802A. Green represents the flight path with spray on, while red represent the flight path with spray off. The yellow line is the ruler tool used to measure the total length into the field a longer turn required: 9,147 feet (1.73 miles).

You may find the above information helpful if you find yourself countering claims about the dangers wind turbines and other obstacles represent to the safety of agricultural aviators. For more public outreach tools on wind farms from NAAA, click here.

Richter Aviation First Operator to Support the Centennial Celebration of Aerial Application, Many More Sponsorship Opportunities Available

NAAA Membership Renewals Now Open: Your Support will Result in Continued Accomplishments

Renewals are now open for the NAAA 2021 membership year! 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 would like to remind you of just a few new offerings NAAA has recently released such as:

• Ensuring your aerial application business and job is ESSENTIAL during COVID-19 and extending license expirations due to quarantine shutdowns. Check out our COVID-19 Resources webpage. 
• Offering legal services on Federal Transpiration Laws to Operator and Pilot Members.
• Receive the 2019 NAAA Operator and Pilot Survey Report which is chock-full of key statistics providing a healthy status of the U.S. aerial application industry. 
• We have an awesome 2020 Ag Aviation Expo planned for you this year! Hear from James Bradley, author of Flags of our Fathers and Flyboys. It is four days packed full of educational sessions where you can earn CEUs. Registration is now open!
• Don’t forget to take advantage of financial incentives such as NAAA’s Recruitment Rewards Program.
• Our 2020 NAAA Membership Directory has been mailed out. It is your one-stop shop where you can find professional members that might be looking for help or offering help and a plethora of qualified 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.

NAAA is dedicated to protecting and advancing the needs of the industry by improving the public's perception of the aerial application industry and spearheading the industry's environmental stewardship and safety initiatives. If you haven’t gotten a chance to review all our accomplishments this past year in the 2020 NAAA Membership Directory, you can download our Annual Report.

 

We appreciate your membership as it will help us continue to fight and win to keep aerial application as an essential service during the current global pandemic and on important issues like unfair user fees and taxes; requiring tower marking requirements; and ensure the safe integration of drones into the national airspace; and advocating that EPA keeps a healthy inventory of crop protection products for aerial use without unnecessary restrictions. Your membership helps us better represent your interests.

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! 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).

 

The nomination deadline is Sept. 10, but early nominations are encouraged. The longer you wait, the busier you’ll get this summer.

NAAA Award Categories

There are nine NAAA Award categories and one NAAREF Award.

 

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.

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 to 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.