"No Guy Wire Left Behind" $1000 Contest Continued

Your chance to make a difference by ensuring guy wires are more visable to ag pilots was renewed by the NAAA Board of Directors in October! The new rules will permit another year to enter the contest with the chance to win $1000. The contest was extended to allow additional time to design, build and submit a guy wire marker that could be placed on any guy wire that is a hazard to agricultural aircraft. Additional points will be awarded for submitting a prototype for the judges to evaluate.

“No Guy Wire Left Behind” is an exciting challenge for anyone who would like a chance to make ag aviation safer. The contest was started last year to create a marker that would help aircraft applying crop protections products to see and avoid the hazards of guy wires. Guy wires have been a danger to ag aircraft for generations. According to statistics compiled by the NAAA, over the last 10 years, an average of 23 percent of ag accidents were caused by aircraft striking obstructions. Of those, 53 percent were collisions with wires. Obviously anything that can be done to mark the location of these obstructions needs to be done. Currently, a low cost marker has not been identified that could easily be attached and allow a higher degree of visibility to pilots for avoiding guy wires.

To get started:
All you have to do is follow the rules and provide the necessary information to enter. The winning marker must be low in cost, easily visible, weather resistant and have an attractive design appeal. The marker should be easily attached to the wire and be positioned approximately 10 feet off the ground to provide the greatest visibility to the pilot.

Here is the plan:
The winning design could either be furnished to the utility companies for their manufacture/use or manufactured in large quantities by a vendor and distributed on a local level to groups such as 4-H, Boy Scouts, and Girl Scouts. These groups, after receiving an order, would sell the guy wire markers to companies or individuals who placed the order. The order would be the result of a letter of notification described below.

Letter of notification:
This letter, the second stage of the program, will be sent to all aerial applicators nationwide for them to use to notify companies who have existing guy wires or propose to construct guy wires that will present a hazard to aircraft. The letter will recommend that they mitigate their hazard by equipping guy wires with markers from the winning design - a design that is low cost, highly visible and easily attached to any guy wire system. The letter will explain the procedure to follow to obtain the markers.

The top design prototypes or plans will be displayed at the NAAA Convention in Reno from December 7-10, 2009 where the winner will be chosen and awarded the $1000. (You need not be present to win).

The deadline for submitting entries for the contest is September 1, 2009. The contest instructions can be down loaded by clicking here. Please help by notifying anyone or group you think maybe interested in this exciting opportunity! The committee reserves the right to withhold the prize if none of the entries are selected. If you have any questions, please contact NAAA by phone at (202) 546-5722 or by email at information@agaviation.org.