General Session

NAAA  Annual Convention and Exposition

December 5–8, 2011 ♦ Las Vegas

Checking Our Vital Signs

Two Speakers With Their Finger on the Pulse of Pilots and
The State of Agriculture Sparkle at NAAA’s General Session

The General Session is the educational anchor on the second day of the convention, and this year’s session lived up to that billing. “Healthy perspectives” was the theme of the day for NAAA’s two speakers; those who attended left with a healthier outlook about their health and the future of agriculture, courtesy of two leading experts in their fields.

Jump Ahead on Air Medical Issues

Pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine specialist Dr. (Col.) Mark Ivey is the chief of flight medicine for the 110th Air Wing of the Michigan Army National Guard, one of a handful of consultants to the Federal Air Surgeons and a consultant to American Airlines. As NAAA's first General Session speaker, he addressed the importance of developing and maintaining healthy lifestyle habits. One habit he recommends is for pilots to plan their physical during their downtime, in case a condition is found that takes time to resolve.

Dr. Ivey also recommends all pilots preparing to take a flight physical first sign up with MedXPress at https://medxpress.faa.gov. MedXPress is a web-based version of the FAA Form 8500 that must be completed when taking a physical. The pilot must request an account and he/she will be emailed a password. The biggest advantage is you have three weeks to fill out the form before your scheduled physical, giving you plenty of time to look up medical history, doctor’s names and addresses, medications and so forth. You don’t have to finish it in one session, so you can log back in and complete the form later. After everything is filled out, you would submit it to the FAA and print a copy to take with you to your flight physical. As an added bonus, the information will remain in MedXPress for your next future physical.

Dr. Ivey offered a word of caution to any pilots tempted not to report medication they are taking, doctor visits or other things they are hesitant to tell the FAA about. Especially in the case of a serious accident, the FAA and your insurance company may be digging into your records. In today’s world with many databases ranging from insurance records, state driving records, a national clearinghouse of prescriptions and others, you will find it difficult to hide anything. Failure to report a medical condition is treated as fraud. The alternative to lying on the medical is reporting the condition even if it means getting your medical through a “Special Issuance.”

Dr. Ivey went on to discuss medical problems that raise a red flag with the FAA. Many of these are treatable or preventable by healthy living. With aging in our pilot population, we can expect a greater incidence of age-related illnesses. High blood pressure, diabetes, and others become more common. A new emphasis is being put on people suffering from Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) after several high-profile accidents and incidents were traced to OSA. FAA estimates OSA effects about 9% of the general population, but only about 1% is reported on flight physicals. FAA is encouraging flight surgeons to look for factors that may indicate sleep apnea such as obesity and large neck size.

Dr. Ivey’s overarching message is to take care of your body with the same care you devote to your aircraft and engine. In the long run, the benefits will make the effort pay many times over.

20/20 Foresight: How to Look Into the Future of Agriculture

No one can predict what will happen in the future with absolute certainty. For anyone who thinks otherwise, futurist Bob Treadway lives by a cardinal rule: “Don’t predict.” Predictions are fool’s gold, he explained; the business he and futurists like him are in is forecasting. The difference between the two is as wide as the gulf between a Hershey’s Kiss and a high-end chocolatier’s chocolate. Treadway defines forecasting as “foresight that accounts for uncertainty and adjusts with time and new information.”

In Part 2 of NAAA’s General Session, he delivered a fascinating analysis of what he foresees for the future of agriculture. Treadway is a consulting futurist and forecaster who has deep agricultural connections. The National Corn Growers Association, U.S. Soybean Export Council and Syngenta are among his numerous ag clients. He also provides strategy advice to some of the largest companies in the America, including ExxonMobil and Berkshire Hathaway.

As a futurist, Treadway has to have a broad perspective. Assessing agriculture from that lens, he focused on eight areas that will have an impact on the future of agriculture in some way: 1) the economy, 2) China, 3) long-term global demand for food, fiber and other agriculture products, 4) trade trends, 5) technology, 6) biofuels, 7) surprises, and lastly 8) “leverage,” such as opportunities that would allow agricultural interests to improve their reputation and change public perception.

Treadway is a student of long-term population projections, and the trends he cited provide a strong indication that demand for agriculture is only going to grow. Keeping up with demand will be the challenge. By 2028 we will have to feed another India; by 2050 we will have to feed two more Indias. “But we really would need to feed three Indias by 2050 in order to curb world hunger,” he pointed out.

Treadway believes productivity will increase and foresees new technologies coming to the fore that hold great promise. The economy will continue to hit some rough spots in the near future, but he feels aerial applicators will fare better than others during these economic fluctuations due to the recession-resistant nature of the profession.

When ag operators and pilots think about the future Treadway stressed the need to be cold and calculating. The point is to prepare for the future and to be ready to adjust as needed. Forecasts can be fun, but unless you can capitalize on them, they’re useless. That’s why Treadway adheres to another cardinal rule. It’s called the “Noah Principle,” an adage steeped in biblical lore. In other words, Just forecasting rain doesn’t count, building arks does.