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- NAAA AGDISP Press Release Earns Media Coverage; NCGA Contributes to Project
- NAAA & NAAREF Board Meetings Oct. 9-11 in Flowood, MS, All Members Invited
- Thank You, NAAA Ag Aviation Expo Sponsors! Attendees, Register Today!
- GRASSROOTS ALERT: FAA Proposed Part 108 – Drones Given Right of Way Over Manned Aircraft – Your Comments Needed
- 2026 NAAA Membership Renewal Now Open
- AD Issued for AStar Throttle Twist Grip
NAAA AGDISP Press Release Earns Media Coverage; NCGA Contributes to Project
Last week’s press release highlighting ongoing efforts to modernize the AGDISP pesticide drift modeling software to ultimately facilitate more pesticide label flexibility for applicators utilizing drift reduction technologies, aided by a recent grant from The Cotton Foundation, garnered media coverage across U.S. agricultural news outlets. In addition to successfully modernize AGDISP, the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) made a generous contribution to aiding the AGDISP modernization efforts.
We thank NCGA for their contribution. Modernizing AGDISP is a $600,000 endeavor and $370,000 has been raised.
NAAA CEO Andrew Moore discussed AGDISP and the need for modernization of the pesticide drift software with RFD-TV’s Market Day Report last Thursday. He spoke with anchor Jennifer Vickery Smith from NAAA’s headquarters in Virginia. Market Day Report is RFD-TV’s most-watched weekly live news program broadcast to 48 million homes nationwide.
During the live television interview, Moore reiterated that the AGDISP software is written with an older code. He added that updating it will facilitate drift reduction technologies to be incorporated into the model that EPA uses to determine the movement of applied pesticides, resulting in possibly more flexibility for applicators who use such technologies. These improvements to AGDISP are essential to improve accuracy and make the model accessible to other software developers, so AGDISP can be further adapted to include modeling of other drift reduction technologies and application conditions to benefit all stakeholders across the pesticide industry, regardless of application type (aerial, ground, unmanned aerial, etc.).
The press release was also featured on AgriMarketing’s website and in their e-newsletter.
NAAA & NAAREF Board Meetings Oct. 9-11 in Flowood, MS, All Members Invited
The October 2025 NAAA & NAAREF Board and Committee meetings will take place in Jackson, Miss., the city of the National Agricultural Aviation Museum and Hall of Fame! Click here to view a schedule.
All meetings are open to NAAA members. If you are not a board or committee member but you’re interested in attending, please contact Lindsay Barber for more details.
Meeting Location
Sheraton Flowood – Refuge Hotel and Conference Center
2200 Refuge Blvd
Flowood, MS 39232
Hotel Phone: (601) 936-4550
The hotel room block is closed and hotel block is sold out. If you need a room, email Lindsay Barber for a list of hotels nearby.
Board Books: All board books are provided electronically. Board and Committee members will receive a link and directions to download the electronic board book approximately one week before the meetings. The board book can be downloaded to your computer, tablet or you can print your committee items.
Thank You, NAAA Ag Aviation Expo Sponsors! Attendees, Register Today!
NAAA sincerely appreciates the companies that support NAAA and the agricultural aviation industry by sponsoring the 2025 Ag Aviation Expo in Reno, Nevada, Nov. 17-19. Over the years, we’ve been grateful for the continued support of our Allied members who have generously sponsored convention programs and events. Their contributions not only enhance the experience for all participants but also provide valuable exposure to hundreds of potential customers in the agricultural aviation industry. We sincerely appreciate their generosity.
Sponsoring companies play a crucial role in ensuring the success of our annual Ag Aviation Expo, and we still have opportunities available! Seventy-five percent of attendees surveyed in a post-convention survey stated they would be “very likely” to use the products and services of a company that sponsors the NAAA Ag Aviation Expo.
Thank you to our 2025 Ag Aviation Expo sponsors:
- Diamond Sponsors: BASF, Pratt & Whitney Canada, Syngenta, Tylor Johnson Legacy Foundation, UPL North America
- Gold Sponsors: Ag-Nav, AgriSmart Information Systems/Flight Plan Online, Air Tractor, Bayer CropScience, Covington Aircraft, FMC, GarrCo Products, Old Republic Aerospace, Rotorcraft Repair & Manufacturing, Starr Insurance, Thrush, Transland
- Silver Sponsors: AgAir Update, AIG, Alligare, AssuredPartners, Atticus, CapstanAG, Chem-Man, Davidson Solid Rock Insurance, Insero, Kimmel Aviation Insurance Agency, Lane Aviation, Neal Aircraft, North Star Aviation, Packer & Associates, Precision Laboratories, Rokstone Global Aviation Risks LLC, Star-Flex, Turbine Conversions, US Specialty Insurance Company / Tokio Marine HCC, VT Insurance
- Bronze Sponsors: Aero-Mach Wilco, Pickett Equipment, Praxidyn, Southeastern Aircraft Sales & Service, The Andersons, VANE Specialty Ag Insurance Solutions
We recognize that sponsoring companies support numerous organizations, and we appreciate their support of NAAA. We still have sponsorships available for this year’s Ag Aviation Expo. Learn more about sponsorship here or contact Lindsay Barber at (202) 546-5722.
Attendee pre-registration is open until Oct. 17, and exhibitor booths are still available.
GRASSROOTS ALERT: FAA Proposed Part 108 – Drones Given Right of Way Over Manned Aircraft – Your Comments Needed
The FAA has recently released its proposed Part 108 which would enable routine beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) operating below 400 FT AGL. If adopted into a final rule as written, this would severely compromise the safety of manned aerial application operations. You can review the full Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) and/or FAA’s Fact Sheet, but NAAA has read it cover to cover and there are two headline takeaways:
- UAS Have Right-of-Way. Part 91 would be amended to give Part 108 UAS right-of-way over all other aircraft unless that other aircraft is broadcasting ADS-B or electronic conspicuity (EC). EC is a yet to be approved/standardized anonymous type of ADS-B to be available at an unknown date as a portable or installed unit.
- Shielded Areas. Part 108 would establish shielded areas wherein UAS do not have to yield right-of-way to any aircraft, regardless of ADS-B or EC. These shielded areas are defined as areas where no manned aircraft are expected to operate, including areas within 50 feet of powerlines and substations, railroad tracks, bridges and pipelines. FAA contends that there is only a “remote possibility” of an agricultural aircraft operating in a shielded area, and thereby a low collision risk with a UAS operating there.
If this sounds alarming to you, you are not alone and your voice is needed now. The FAA is seeking public comment on this NPRM through October 6, 2025. NAAA will be submitting comments – you can view NAAA’s Draft Comments to get a feel for how the association is responding. However, what is truly needed now is your individual, unique comments emphasizing your personal experiences to inform FAA of the extreme danger posed by the proposed shielded areas. This could be as short as a paragraph or as long as you find necessary. NAAA urges you to include the following in your comments:
- Scope of Your Operation. Specify geographical area, acres treated, crops treated, number of farmer customers, etc. Add any specific data that demonstrates further societal/economic value of your operation.
- Your Operations in Shielded Areas. Explain and quantify the regularity with which you fly in the proposed shielded areas (i.e. within 50 feet of powerlines and railroad tracks). Estimate the number of times you fly within 50 feet of a wire per day during the application season (considering each individual pass over/under/along wires). Estimate by how many feet you regularly clear a wire when descending into or climbing out of a field.
- Your Difficulty in Spotting Drones. Explain how the unique challenges of ag aviation, including low-altitude obstacle avoidance and focus on the application itself, make it impractical to be on the lookout for drones in shielded areas.
There is a LOT more to this NPRM than just shielded areas, but NAAA finds this issue to be of paramount concern to the lives of aerial applicators. Please consider commenting – the only way to effect change is for aerial application pilots and operators to comment in great numbers with fact-based arguments. You can submit your comments here, either by directly entering text or uploading a document. Be sure to reference Docket Number: FAA-2025-1908 in your comments.
Please do not copy and paste NAAA’s Comments – FAA gives credibility to thoughtful, original comments and assigns less weight to duplicative form letters. Use your own words and experiences to inform FAA of the realities of manned aerial application and make them understand the impact that these new regulations would have on your safety as a pilot and/or on the safety of your pilots as an operator.
NAAA is working diligently with other government agencies, industry associations and coalitions to also comment in representation of the aerial application industry’s real concerns with this NPRM. By educating and leveraging influential voices ranging from agricultural commodity groups and agencies to general aviation organizations and transportation safety agencies, NAAA will ensure that the safety concerns of manned aerial application are heard.
2026 NAAA Membership Renewal Now Open
Thank you for your support as a 2025 member of NAAA. We request your continued support by renewing your NAAA membership for 2026 today. While you have been busy aiding farmers to produce a safe, affordable, and abundant supply of food, fiber, and bioenergy, NAAA has been busy making sure low-altitude airspace is safe for your aerial application business to operate, as well as ensuring that you have the pesticide products you need to do your job. Several of NAAA’s accomplishments this year, on your behalf and to ensure your success, include:
- NAAA continues to lobby the FAA to include NAAA language ensuring the safety of manned aircraft from drones operating beyond visual line of sight. In response to FAA’s proposed rule on the topic, NAAA will provide evidence-based comments to the FAA defending crewed aircraft’s right-of-way over drones in all circumstances.
- NAAA has defended the use of ensuring sound scientific methods and application practices in the registration and use of pesticides to key administration officials of the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) commission via hands-on field demonstrations, White House meetings and comprehensive comments to MAHA officials.
- Since 2017, NAAA has submitted over 300 comments to the EPA to keep aerial application use on pesticide labels with great success, enabling you to keep a deep inventory of pesticide tools without unnecessary and burdensome restrictions.
- NAAA released an aerial applicator’s Flight Risk Assessment Tool (FRAT) to enhance agricultural aviation safety.
- NAAA has urged the Department of Commerce and other federal agencies to leave aircraft engines and related ag aviation parts free of tariffs.
- NAAA and NAAREF have grown the online education center, which includes educational videos and C-PAASS certification for aerial applicators who want to augment their safety and professionalism and be recognized and rewarded by their insurance providers, pesticide manufacturers, regulators, and customers. Learn more at education.agaviation.org.
- NAAA offers health and life insurance options for members. Visit agaviation.org/membership for details.
In 2026, your NAAA membership will continue to provide valuable benefits that support your business and that have protected the industry for nearly 60 years. Receive discounts for attending or exhibiting at the Ag Aviation Expo; access to the NAAA Membership Directory in both print and online formats to connect with fellow members; and stay informed through our publications, eNewsletters, social media updates, and in-depth online content at AgAviation.org. To renew, log in to your account at AgAviation.org and pay your 2026 membership invoice. Please make it a priority to renew your NAAA membership—the payoff far exceeds what you will spend in dues in the form of effective advocacy that reduces regulation and taxes and user fees affecting your aerial application business and trade association membership dues are tax deductible.
AD Issued for AStar Throttle Twist Grip
The FAA has superseded Airworthiness Directive AD 2020-24-07, issued December 8, 2020, which applied to Airbus Helicopters Model AS350B3 helicopters (among others), and required modifying and inspecting the pilot’s and co-pilot’s throttle twist grip for proper operation. Since the FAA issued AD 2020-24-07, Airbus Helicopters developed another modification of the twist grip and additional corrective actions for helicopters already modified.
This AD was prompted by reports of the engine remaining in idle when the twist grip was turned from the “IDLE” mode to the “FLIGHT” mode. This AD retains the actions required by AD 2020-24-07 and mandates an additional modification, which constitutes terminating action for the repetitive inspections. This AD also expands the helicopter applicability, adds additional requirements for certain helicopters, and prohibits installing affected microswitches or an affected twist grip with the affected microswitch.
European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Airworthiness Directives driving this AD:
EASA AD 2023-0133, dated July 5, 2023
EASA AD 2023-0187, dated October 27, 2023
EASA AD 2023-0187R1, dated March 20, 2025
This superseding AD, AD 2025-18-13 is effective October 23, 2025.
In Case You Missed Last Week’s NAAA eNewsletter
Click here for the September 18, 2025 eNewsletter to read:
- NAAA AGDISP Press Release Aims to Generate Additional Resources to Modernize Drift Model by Highlighting Recent Cotton Foundation
- GRASSROOTS ALERT: Your Comments to FAA are Urgently Needed to Oppose Requiring Manned Aircraft Provide Drones Right of Way
- Registration Open for 2025 NAAA Ag Aviation Expo in Reno
- Superseding AD Issued for GE Engine M601 Compressor Case