Savannah Ready to Welcome Ag Aviation Expo Attendees & Exhibitors

NAAA is making final preparations for the 2020 NAAA Ag Aviation Expo in Savannah Dec. 7–10 for a fun and productive event. The city of Savannah and Chatham County representatives optimistically responded to NAAA last Friday with a green light to proceed with the meeting and that they do not foresee any changes to government policy preventing the NAAA convention.

 

The Savannah Convention Center has successfully hosted many events and conventions since mid-July and will be hosting a circus following the Thanksgiving holiday. The center was one of the first this summer to receive their Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC) Star accreditation for cleaning, disinfection and infectious disease prevention; you can read more here. The city of Savannah, the Savannah Convention Center and host hotels are also focused on your health and well-being. NAAA has been in consistent communication with the city and our venues.

Health & Safety Precautions at NAAA Ag Aviation Expo

NAAA is laser-focused on hosting a safe and healthy event. NAAA’s Executive Committee sent correspondence Monday to all currently registered and prospective convention attendees asking for everyone’s cooperation in following the health and safety recommended precautions during travels to, during and from Savannah. All have the responsibility to take care of themselves and one another so all can enjoy the abundance of educational, networking and exhibiting opportunities and return home safely to have a healthy and joyous Christmas and New Year holiday season. So please follow the recommended protective policies put in place by the city of Savannah and convention facilities.

• Savannah currently has a mask mandate in place and all hotels require a mask in public spaces. We encourage you to wear a face mask at the Ag Aviation Expo when you are not eating, drinking, or socially distanced from other attendees/exhibitors.
• There will be a PPE station located in the registration area with neck gators sponsored by Bayer CropScience, 3-ply face masks and gloves. Hand sanitizing stations are available throughout the convention center.
  
• There will be 6 feet of space between people in our registration desk line. Please register online or over the phone at (202) 546-5722 until Dec. 3 to avoid standing in the registration line. If you have purchased a booth space, you do not need to register as an attendee.
• Meeting rooms will have sections of seating with chairs spaced apart for those that do not want to sit close to others and seats that are grouped together for those who have traveled together.
• We will create a social distancing flow on our NAAA Trade Show floor with arrows and distance marker stickers for foot traffic to follow to keep proper distancing.
  
• We encourage elbow bumping instead of handshakes.
• We will also be implementing changes with the food and beverage at our receptions, banquets, and coffee breaks so that multiple people are not touching banquet station handles.
  
• If you’d like more details on the Savannah Convention Center protocols, click here.

Many restaurants and bars are open in Savannah and they are seating at 50% capacity. We recommend making restaurant reservations. You can view a list of Savannah restaurants here.

Register for the 2020 Ag Aviation Expo to Network, Learn, Have Fun & See Your Friends!  

NAAA Comments in Favor of FAA’s Proposed Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Market Survey

NAAA recently submitted comments in favor of an unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) market survey the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is proposing. Currently, some unmanned aircraft systems’ operations are being allowed to operate beyond 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) part 107 through approved waivers and exemptions granted by the FAA. The FAA believes that to further integrate these expanded operations, further rulemaking will be necessary.

To support revisions to current regulations and the development of new regulations, the FAA plans to survey experts in industry and academia on UAS. The survey seeks to collect data from industry leaders on the common fatigue-related practices for the operation of UAS and the minimum knowledge, skills, abilities, testing and staffing procedures required for operating UAS. To view the FAA’s proposal or to comment, click here.

NAAA wrote to the FAA in support of the current survey proposal and urged the agency to survey pilots and operators involved in manned operations who operate in the same airspace as UAS. NAAA has long advocated for UAS operators to have the equivalent of a manned aircraft pilot’s license. Obtaining a pilot’s license is the best way to ensure that UAS operators understand the big picture of how they fit into the national airspace (NAS).

NAAA believes that expanding the survey to include those who are experts in manned aircraft operations around UAS would be a way for the FAA to enhance the quality, utility and clarity of the information collected and ensure the safest approach for all NAS users. This expanded survey should include pilots and operators of aerial application aircraft along with the other airspace users who fly at low altitudes below the 400-foot ceiling where UAS operate.

While acknowledging the potential uses of UAS, NAAA reminded the FAA of the importance of safe, reliable aerial application of crop inputs to U.S. food production and public health. NAAA’s comments are available here.

GarrCo Products Sponsoring Tuesday Breakfast at Ag Aviation Expo

Join NAAA and many members at the NAAA Ag Aviation Expo Dec. 7–10 in Savannah. Thank you to GarrCo Products for sponsoring the Tuesday, Dec. 8, breakfast from 7 to 8:15 a.m. Dr. Dennis Gardisser will present information on setup tips gained from recent characterization testing at Operation S.A.F.E. clinics and production field testing for both wet and dry operations. The focus will be on application uniformity, drift mitigation and other new information. Please join Dr. Gardisser and GarrCo Products for the latest information for improving applications with new setup tips. CEUs may be available; please check at the breakfast on Tuesday, Dec. 8. View the full schedule of events here. 

Register for the 2020 Ag Aviation Expo to Network, Learn, Have Fun & See Your Friends!  

Enjoy Text Bidding on NAAA Silent Auction Items On-site or from Your Home; Letter of Credit Required for PT6A-34AG Engine

Looking for fun aviation inspired trinkets and gifts? Look no further than the 2020 NAAA Silent Auction. You can bid in person in Savannah at the 2020 Ag Aviation Expo, online or on a bidding App.

Bidding is open Sunday, Dec. 6 at 12 p.m. ET until 2:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Dec. 9. There are two bidding options:

• Bid online at www.charityauction.bid/NAAA
• Download the App: Auctria Mobile Bidding and under Enter an Event, type in NAAA
  

From the website or App, click Online Registration (name and email are the only mandatory items). The system will send a confirmation to your email address that you are required to click on to participate in bidding. Click Catalog to view and bid on the auction items. You can also enter your credit card number for the software to immediately charge your credit card for the items that you win before you pick up your items.
 
On-site Bidders: If you win an item, please proceed to booth #147 for payment and pickup of your item before 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 9.

At-Home Bidders: If you win at item, contact Deana Burke at (202) 546-5722 or dburke@agaviation.org and your item will be sent to you, unless you make arrangements for a friend to pick up your item. At-home bidders are responsible for the costs for NAAA to ship the winning item (not guaranteed for Christmas delivery; expected delivery early 2021).
 
Live Auction Engine Bidders: Thank you to Pratt & Whitney Canada for its generous donation of a brand-new PT6A-34AG turboprop engine. The engine is valued at $535,661. The engine build specification (BS) is 1334, used on the Air Tractor, Thrush and Turbine Conversions STC. The winning bidder is required to pay $20,000 down on-site and remainder of payment is due within 30 days. Please provide a letter of credit from a financial institution to Lindsay Barber.

Register for the 2020 Ag Aviation Expo to Network, Learn, Have Fun & See Your Friends!  

Pitch Your Best Shot at Pitching In for PAASS, a NAAREF Fundraiser Taking Place at the Ag Aviation Expo

Help us raise money for NAAREF and PAASS by showing up with your pitching arm for Pitching In For PAASS, a fundraiser for the ag aviation industry’s premier educational safety program. The event will take place 7–10 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 6, at the Savannah Convention Center. Pitching In For PAASS is a corn-seed bag toss game, also known as cornhole, where players take turns throwing bags of corn kernels at a raised board with a hole.

 

The event will be a March Madness style tournament that will follow the American Cornhole Association rules. A bag in the hole scores 3 points, while one on the board scores 1 point. The first team to 21 points wins. Games will be capped at 20 minutes each. The scoring judges will call “last round” on any game that has exceeded 20 minutes. 

 

Registration is now open and is required; the minimum donation is $110 per person. Each person must register separately, and teams are made up of two people (if you’d like to register multiple people, please call the office at 202-546-5722). There will be 64 total teams, allowing for 128 participants.

 

Both people on the winning team will receive $125 gift certificates to purchase merchandise at the 2020 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. Register today!

NAAA Promotes Drone Safety Awareness Week, Including an Interview on RFD-TV

NAAA last week issued a press release for the second annual National Drone Safety Awareness Week, reminding UAV users they share low-altitude airspace with manned agricultural aircraft and to follow the law and professional operating practices by keeping a safe distant and allowing manned aircraft the right of way.

 
National Drone Safety Awareness Week, spanning Nov. 16–22, is an FAA initiative to help educate the public on drone safety by highlighting safety initiatives across various fields including agriculture, commercial package delivery and hobbyists.
 
The press release reminded UAV users agricultural aviators fly as low as 10 feet off the ground at speeds up to 140 mph. For this reason, the NAAA asked UAV operators to be aware of their surroundings and do everything they can to avoid ag aircraft doing important low-altitude work.

As part of NAAA’s Drone Safety Awareness Week initiatives, NAAA CEO Andrew Moore discussed the association’s UAV safety recommendations on RFD-TV on Nov. 17. Moore joined “Market Day Report” host Janet Adkison by phone from NAAA’s headquarters in Virginia.

Adkison asked about how hard small drones are to spot while a pilots are flying (answer: “very difficult”), who has the right of way between a manned pilot and a drone (answer: “drone operators do have to give the right of way to manned aircraft”), and if there have been any collisions between a drone and an ag aircraft (answer: Yes, with an ag helicopter in Israel in 2018, but 13% of U.S. operators encountered a drone during ag aviation operations in 2020).

Adkison began by asking if there have been any close calls between a crop dusters and drones. (Answer: Yes, three close encounters in the past few years.) The host also asked about steps UAV operators should take to ensure they are operating safely and not putting others at risk. Throughout the 3½-minute segment, several points from NAAA’s UAV safety press release were included in graphics overlaying b-roll material. Viewers were also encouraged to visit AgAviation.org/uavsafetycampaign to learn more about safe operations of drones in agricultural areas. Watch the full interview in the video below.

To ensure the safety of low-altitude manned aircraft, NAAA recommends UAS operators:

• Always give the right-of-way to a manned aircraft. It’s the law.
• Equip drones with tracking technology, such as ADS-B, so other similarly equipped aircraft can ascertain their positions.
• Get certified and well-trained in operating a UAS.
• Contact local agricultural aviation operations before flying by consulting AgAviation.org/findapplicator.
• Equip UAS with visible strobe lights.
• Land your UAS immediately when a low-altitude manned aircraft is nearby.
• Carry UAS liability insurance.
  

NAAA is a member of the Unmanned Aviation Safety Team (UAST). NAAA posted a link to its drone safety materials available on the UAST’s Drone Safety Awareness Week website.

Ag Aviation Career Advice Available on NAAA Website

NAAA has added an Ag Aviation Career Advice page to the Career section of its website. The Career Advice page contains links to several articles and resources that will give current and aspiring ag pilots information and advice about working in the agricultural aviation industry, including career-oriented content curated from Agricultural Aviation.

 

 

 NAAA’s Career Advice page is available at AgAviation.org/careeradvice.

NAAA Support Committee Events at Ag Aviation Expo

We look forward to seeing you at the 2020 NAAA Ag Aviation Expo in Savannah Dec. 7-10. The NAAA Support Committee has organized fun events at the Ag Aviation Expo for spouses/significant others, family members and office crew.

2020 Ag Aviation Expo Support Committee Events  

Monday, Dec. 7, 10 –12:30 p.m.

Wine & Paint Meet and Greet (RSVP required)

Please join us Monday morning immediately after the Kickoff Breakfast for our annual meet and greet event at the Westin. There’s no better way to get your 2020 NAAA Ag Aviation Expo started than by participating in our wine & paint meet and greet, headed up by NAAA member Stephanie Heyen. While sipping on a variety of specially selected wines (nonalcoholic beverages also available) and nibbling on tasty treats, Stephanie will guide each participant as they create their own work of art to show off and take home! Seats are limited to 75 at this RSVP event. Please RSVP to Tiffany Rivenbark at tiffanylane76@yahoo.com as soon as possible! Sponsored by GarrCo Products Inc.

Wednesday, Dec. 9, 9–11 a.m.

Athena Program: Personalities: Who Are You?

The Athena Program is designed by women for women involved in the agricultural aviation industry. We offer professional development along with much-needed support from our peers! The Athena Program offers inspiration and encouragement on better ways for women to serve our industry. Please join us for your chance to win door prizes, enjoy breakfast goodies and spirits, and revel in friendly camaraderie! Due to limited seating, please get there early to snag a seat! All are invited! Refreshments generously provided by Chuck Holzwarth of Chuck Holzwarth Flying Service.

Must-Attend Events!

We are continually updating the schedule of events for this year’s convention. Below are more must-attend events at the 2020 Ag Aviation Expo:

• Kickoff Breakfast Speaker changes: Kickoff Breakfast Speaker Damian Mason, Author of new book Food Fear: How Fear Is Ruining Your Dinner and Why You Should Celebrate Eating, Host of “The Business of Agriculture” and “Do Business Better” podcasts and Agricultural Comedian.
• 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.
  
• NAAA Trade Show – featuring seven aircraft and an expected 120+ exhibitors. View the NAAA Trade Show Floor Plan to review the companies that will be visiting with attendees on the NAAA Trade Show floor.
  
• Aerial Application Technology Research Session and more than a dozen educational sessions where you can earn potential CEUs. (Review the list of CEUs.)
• Excellence in Ag Aviation Banquet honoring individuals and companies in the aerial application industry.
  

It’s that Time Again: Renew Your Membership Today!

Renewals are now open for the NAAA 2021 membership year! Renew online or by mail 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.