April 11, 2024
NAAA eNewsletter
NAAA Participating in Ag on the Mall in Early May
NAAA will be exhibiting at Ag on the Mall, May 6-8, 2024, which offers the opportunity to educate policymakers and the public on the importance and environmental benefits of agricultural aviation. The event will take place on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., near the Smithsonian Metro stop between the Capitol building and the Washington Monument.
Ag on the Mall is a celebration of modern agriculture that will feature nearly 30 exhibiting associations and companies from grower to applicator groups to ag equipment manufacturers. The event is being organized by the Association of Equipment Manufacturers and they have themed the event “The Future of Food & Farming.” Ag on the Mall will feature hands-on displays of modern equipment and technology for the public to learn how the latest ag equipment, crop inputs, data and technology work together to drive agriculture’s tradition of producing more with less. Key policymakers from the executive and legislative branches will be attending the events and exhibits as well.
NAAA is excited to have a Bell OH-58 helicopter and staff from Helicopter Applicators Inc. in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania thanks go Glenn Martin and his staff. The NAAA booth will also feature panels on the history of the industry, environmental benefit fact sheets and Flying For Your Food brochures.
NAAA last participated in this event in March 2022 and spoke with the bypassing public and a multitude of policymakers, regulators, media members and everyday citizens, including Sens. John Boozman (R-Ark.) and Cindy Hyde-Sith (R-Miss.), EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs and EPA’s Office of Water.
ACRC Announces New Contractor Changes for Ag Container Collection & Recycling Services
The Ag Container Recycling Council (ACRC), the trade association of the ag chemicals industry responsible for supporting the collection and proper recycling of ag containers nationwide, has announced contractor changes for the southern United States. ACRC is creating several new service territories within the southern states and expanding its nationwide program. Below is a list of states and service providers for the states mentioned.
State(s) |
Contractor |
Primary Contact |
Phone |
|
NC |
Ag Plastic Solutions |
Justin Geisinger |
717-446-9917 |
info@agplasticsolutions.com |
AL, GA, SC |
E2A, LLC |
Hal Earnest |
229-726-5232 |
hearnest@e2allc.com |
LA, NM, OK, TX |
G. Phillips and Sons |
Stacey Bruinsma |
248-961-3360 |
sbruinsma@gphillipsandsons.com |
AR, MS, TN |
GCT Grinding |
Gary Woodsmall |
870-215-8586 |
gctgrinding@gmail.com |
FL |
Waste Optima |
Newt Collinson |
435-261-2595 |
info@wasteoptima.com |
ACRC stressed that container inspection and cleaning criteria followed by ACRC contractors, which is the EPA standard established in the EPA 2006 Container and Containment Rule, requires 99.99% removal of each active ingredient. A simple way to articulate this standard is “CLEAN means CLEAN, with NO residue seen.” Staining is fine, but residue is not. The most important tip for achieving this standard is proper rinsing techniques at the time of use, which can be viewed here. The ACRC website offers free training information, brochures and posters about inspection and rinsing of containers here.
The program currently operates in 46 states and collects ALL types of ag chemical containers, including pesticides, animal health, specialty pest control, micronutrients, biologicals, fertilizer, and/or adjuvant product containers. Over the past 32 years, the ACRC program has collected and recycled over 240,000,000 pounds of container plastic.
Exhibitor Details for the 2024 Ag Aviation Expo: Booth Sales for Aircraft & Large Booth Space Now Open
Join us for the 2024 Ag Aviation Expo in Fort Worth, Texas, Nov. 18-21. In addition to attending the NAAA Ag Aviation Expo, Fort Worth is full of great restaurants, bars, fun activities, and Texas hospitality! You can visit the Historic Stockyards for the world’s only twice-daily cattle drive, stop by Billy Bob’s, the world’s largest honkey tonk, or shop and dine in the 35-block Sundance Square entertainment district. The Fort Worth Aviation Museum is also a must-see.
Booth Sales for Aircraft & Large Booth Space Now Open: If you plan to bring an aircraft, need a 20’x20’+ island booth, a 10’x30’+ inline booth or plan to be a Diamond or Platinum Sponsor, please contact Lauren Henretty ASAP. To ensure the best placement on the trade show floor, we appreciate knowing about aircraft and large booth spaces by the end of April.
The NAAA Trade Show will take place Nov. 19, 12 p.m.–5:30 p.m. and Nov. 20, 9:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m. Review the NAAA Exhibitor Prospectus and exhibitor webpage for further details, pricing and dates. The full schedule of events is available here.
Details for the 2024 Ag Aviation Expo
- Dates: Nov. 18-21, 2024
- Location: Fort Worth Convention Center and Omni (across the street from Convention Center)
- Kickoff Breakfast Speaker: Kevin Humphreys, War Veteran, PTSD Counselor, Mental Health Ambassador
- Schedule of Events: See the current, tentative schedule here.
- Hotel: Details here.
- Attendee Registration: Opens in August.
- Exhibitor Booth Sales: Details here for large booth sales that opened in late March, and 10’x10’ and 10’x20’ booth sales that open on July 11. Please email Lauren Henretty if you would like to secure a large booth space (any booth size 10’x30’ or larger).
- Sponsorship Opportunities: View the sponsorships opportunities here. We have sponsorships available for all budget sizes. Please email Lindsay Barber if you would like to secure a sponsorship from last year or be contacted about 2024 opportunities!
- Auction Donations: Thank you to Pratt & Whitney Canada for donating a PT6-34AG to this year’s NAAA Live Auction. While we are still several months away from the Ag Aviation Expo, we are already accepting donations for the Live and Silent Auction. The earlier you inform us of your auction donation, the more advertising you will receive on the NAAA website and in NAAA publications. Support the aerial application industry by donating an item today. Email Lauren Henretty with your donation details.
NAAA Recommends EPA Remove Daily Acreage Restrictions for Aerial Applications of Paraquat
Earlier this week, NAAA submitted comments to EPA recommending they remove the restrictions that prevent aerial applicators from treating more than 350 acres per day when they apply paraquat for herbicidal purposes. These restrictions were put in place with EPA’s 2021 interim decision (ID) on paraquat. The ID allowed only cotton and soybean desiccation applications to be conducted on unlimited acres daily. This restriction was due to a concern over aerial applicators inhaling paraquat while applying it.
NAAA’s comments were in response to a court-ordered EPA public notice that reconsidered the 2021 ID. Soon after releasing the ID, EPA was sued by numerous anti-pesticide groups alleging that the ID failed to properly address the risk of Parkinson’s disease from paraquat. EPA’s reconsideration dismissed the claims, stating that there is no credible data to support that paraquat causes Parkinson’s disease.
The reconsideration concluded by requesting public comments relevant to the importance of paraquat and EPA’s required mitigations when using it. NAAA took that invitation to let EPA know how important paraquat is for applications as both an herbicide and a desiccant and that the 350 acres per day restriction for herbicide applications of paraquat can be catastrophic for growers battling resistant weeds, particularly in the South.
NAAA used EPA’s paraquat inhalation exposure data to suggest higher aerial application acreages based on the current paraquat application rate being used. These suggested higher acreages ensure applicator safety while also better meeting growers’ demands. NAAA also suggested that all crops should have unlimited daily acres for desiccation, not just cotton and soybeans. Click here to read NAAA’s full comments. NAAA will continue to follow EPA’s paraquat activities as lawsuits continue to threaten its registration.
NAAA Fly Safe Gets Sent Out by FAA Safety Team
Monday’s Fly Safe message was noticed by the FAA Safety Team (FAAST), who sent a notification out to all of their subscribers with a link to the Fly Safe. It will also be posted to FAAST’s Instagram account in a few days. Click here to see the FAAST posting and here to see the original Fly Safe. NAAA appreciates FAAST recognizing the importance of the Fly Safe message by sending it out to a broader audience.
NAAA Offering Three Scholarship Programs in 2024
NAAA, with the support of several Allied members, is offering three scholarship programs in 2024, totaling $29,000 in scholarship funds. Whether you’re a student, an aspiring ag pilot or an ag pilot interested in turbine training, we have scholarship funds for you! Please contact NAAA at information@agaviation.org or (202) 546-5722 for clarification about any of the scholarship program requirements.
NAAA’s ‘Ag Wings of Tomorrow’ Scholarship
Four $5,000 scholarships are available for aspiring ag aviators who are sponsored by an NAAA Operator. The NAAA “Ag Wings of Tomorrow” Scholarship is back again this year, thanks to the generous support of BASF and Thrush Aircraft. The scholarship program is offering $20,000 in aid to assist four aspiring ag pilots in their journey. All funds are in U.S. dollars.
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. 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 from BASF and Thrush Aircraft.
Investing in aspiring ag aviators 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 & Deadline
To be considered for the 2024 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 the applicant wants to pursue a career in agricultural aviation and how they would use NAAA’s “Ag Wings of Tomorrow” Scholarship to further their education and training.
- A one-page résumé or list of activities detailing all agricultural and aviation experiences, education and training.
Applicants must apply using the online application process. The deadline is Aug. 31, 2024. Learn more about the 2024 NAAA “Ag Wings of Tomorrow” Scholarship and review the instructions here.
While the applicant must be sponsored by an NAAA Operator member, NAAA membership is not a prerequisite for applying for the “Ag Wings of Tomorrow” Scholarship. Still, becoming an NAAA Associate member is an excellent way for candidates to learn more about the industry and augment their training.
Restrictions: Applicants can apply for the NAAA “Ag Wings of Tomorrow” Scholarship or the Charles Stokes Memorial Turbine Training Scholarship, but not both in the same year.
NAAA Operator members may only sponsor one NAAA “Ag Wings of Tomorrow” Scholarship applicant a year. They can also sponsor a Charles Stokes Memorial Turbine Training Scholarship applicant in the same year, but the applicants can’t be the same person applying for both scholarships in the same year.
Charles Stokes Memorial Turbine Training Scholarship
Two $3,000 scholarships are available to eligible NAAA Operator and Pilot members for turbine transition training through the 2024 Charles Stokes Memorial Turbine Training Scholarship. The NAAA scholarship program was established in 2023 and has been made possible thanks to a generous educational grant funded by Jim Mills of Turbines Inc., who established the scholarship in memory of Charles Stokes.
The Charles Stokes Memorial Turbine Training Scholarship was created to provide training funds to agricultural pilots with a minimum of 150 hours of ag time for use at a turbine transition course or program. The scholarship must be used for turbine flight training at a qualified flight school or turbine training facility. All funds are in U.S. dollars.
Eligibility
Applicants must:
- Have a minimum of 150 hours of ag time.
- Be a Pilot, Affiliated Operator or Operator member of NAAA.
- Be sponsored by an NAAA Operator member in the Operator dues category who will write a letter of recommendation on their behalf. (Operator applicants may not sponsor themselves; another NAAA Operator member would need to sponsor them.)
How to Apply & Deadline
Applicants must apply using the online application process. The deadline is Aug. 31, 2024. Further details and a link to the online application is available here.
Restrictions: Applicants may only apply for one NAAA pilot-training scholarship a year – either the Charles Stokes Memorial Turbine Training Scholarship or the NAAA “Ag Wings of Tomorrow” Scholarship, but not both in the same year.
NAAA Operator members may only sponsor one Charles Stokes Memorial Turbine Training Scholarship annually. They can sponsor an NAAA “Ag Wings of Tomorrow” Scholarship applicant in the same year, but the applicants can’t be the same person applying for both scholarships.
NAAA Support Committee Scholarship
The NAAA Support Committee will award a $2,000 scholarship as top prize, and Covington Aircraft Engines has generously agreed to sponsor a $1,000 scholarship. All funds are in U.S. dollars.
How to Apply & Deadline
Submissions must be an essay of at least 1,500 words or a 5-minute multimedia presentation. Submissions are now online. The deadline is Sept. 15, 2024. Learn more about the Support Committee Scholarship and review the instructions here.
2024 Essay Topic: What are the biggest obstacles to the ag aviation industry in your area? Discuss how they can be overcome.
The 2024 Support Scholarship Contest is open to any individual sponsored by an NAAA member. The scholarship is not restricted to individuals pursuing a “flying career” and can be used toward any educational pursuit beyond high school (at any age). Previous winners are not eligible to compete.
FLYING Website Publishes Article on the Brief Life of the Twin (Engined) Cat
FLYING website, which is also home to FLYING Magazine, published a great historical article on the short life of the Twin (engined) Cat, which was meant to be used for aerial application. Only three examples of the Twin (engined) Cat were rumored to have been completed and flown.
According to the article, “The Twin Cat Corporation targeted Ag Cat operators wishing for more easily serviceable engines with increased overhaul intervals and multiengine redundancy. One of the top priorities in designing the Twin Cat was to minimize asymmetric thrust in the event of an engine failure. The team did so by utilizing an unconventional engine layout in which the engines were mounted on either side of the nose with only approximately 3.5 feet between the propeller tips. The engines were also canted slightly outward to further minimize the effects of asymmetric thrust during single-engine operations.” Read the article here.
Photo Courtesy Twin Cat Corporation
Flying in the Wire and Obstruction Environment Course will be held Saturday, Nov. 16
After two years of popularity, NAAA and NAAREF are bringing back the Flying in the Wire and Obstruction Environment Course on Saturday, November 16 beginning at 7:30 a.m. in Fort Worth, Texas. This course will be taught on the Saturday before the start of the 2024 Ag Aviation Expo, Nov. 18-21. Registration will open in July, but if you plan to attend the course, please book your hotel room to arrive on Friday, Nov. 15. For hotel booking details, click here; contact Lauren Henretty with any questions or hotel booking issues.
Flying in the Wire and Obstruction Environment Course, acclaimed by professional airplane and helicopter operators worldwide. This year’s course will be a full-day course again. The instructors give low-altitude aviators the essential skills needed to safely operate an aircraft in wire and obstruction environments. This course is for both aircraft and helicopter pilots. Learn how to identify signs of wires and why ag aviators hit wires they already knew were there. This course may very well save your life – wire strike accidents continue to harm the ag aviation industry. The most common cause of accidents in 2023 were wire strikes. They accounted for 28% of the total accidents and 67% of the fatal accidents.
The course will be taught by Utilities / Aviation Specialists Inc. (UAS), a unique group of aviation safety practitioners who provide safety auditing, specialized training, installation of safety management systems, and technical aviation consulting. They provide mission-specific expertise in specialized applications that require skill sets above those found in most routine transport operations. Sponsored by Old Republic Aerospace
NAAA Endorses and Encourages Ag Aircraft GPS Data Collection Effort Protecting Manned Ag Aircraft from Drones
As the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) marches in lockstep with some corporate interests in the uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) space, it is becoming clear that green lighting and expanding UAS beyond visual line of site (BVLOS) operations may be being prioritized over safety.
First proposed in the 2022 BVLOS ARC Report, and later put out for public comment in 2023, the FAA is considering designating “shielded” areas wherein UAS would have the right-of-way over crewed aircraft. These areas are defined as the airspace within 100 feet vertically or laterally of an obstacle or critical infrastructure, such as power lines. According to the ARC Report this is based on “the limited likelihood of crewed aircraft operations in [these] areas.”
The current reality is that some of these UAS interests (think BNSF Railway, Google, Amazon), and in some cases the FAA, do not have a solid understanding of where and how we operate. It falls now to us, as an industry, to inform future rulemaking of the unique nature of aerial application operations. Using a data-driven approach, we can demonstrate our utilization of the low-altitude airspace and expose the safety threat presented by UAS not giving the right-of-way to crewed aircraft within it.
To this end, NAAA has a longstanding partnership with Mississippi State University (MSU) to collect GPS data logs donated by its members. Since the project’s inception in 2017, the data collected and analysis performed by MSU has fueled NAAA’s efforts in representing the safety interests of aerial applicators to regulators.
If you have donated logs in the past, Thank You.
If you have logs which you have not yet donated, please consider it. The data you provide can help shape policy on a national level and save lives. As a reminder, any data you submit is stripped of any personally identifiable information prior to inclusion in the larger dataset.
There are two options to submit your logs to MSU:
- Request a secure upload link for data uploads. Email Madison Dixon, Associate Director, MSU Agricultural Autonomy Institute
- Mail a flash drive or other storage device to the address below (The device will be immediately mailed back once data is received if a return address is provided):
Mail To: Attn: Madison DixonMSU Agricultural Autonomy InstitutePace Seed Technology BuildingMailstop #9812650 Stone Blvd.Mississippi State, MS 39762