ber 12, 20

Click on the article title below to be taken directly to the article. After you’re done reading the article, click “Back to Top” at the bottom to be brought back to the Table of Contents.

Table of Contents

Membership Grace Period Ends Saturday—Renew Your NAAA Membership Today 

Thank you for your support as a 2024 member of NAAA. We request your continued support by renewing your NAAA membership for 2025 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 is now offering health and life insurance options for members. More details available here.
  • Due to NAAA’s advocacy, the FAA just issued a proposed rule to mark and log into a central database, meteorological towers between 50 and 200 feet.
  • Also due to NAAA’s advocacy, the DOT’s FMCSA, has issued a proposed rule allowing states to waive the HazMat requirement for Class A CDL holders hauling no more than 1,000 gallons of aviation-grade jet fuel for agricultural aircraft operations, thereby increasing the supply of available drivers to ag aviation operations.
  • After years of effort, the EPA finally accepted NAAA’s recommendations to improve the accuracy of the models used to estimate the amount of drift from aerial applications. This will result in mitigating aerial buffers and preserving aerial use language on pesticide labels.
  • NAAA worked with the FAA to secure the use of radio frequency 122.925 for radio communications between agricultural aircraft to safely operate.
  • NAAA successfully advocated that the enacted FAA Reauthorization Bill require FAA to ensure airspace safety for crewed aircraft as part of its soon-to-be-released policy for uncrewed aircraft to operate beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS).
  • Since 2017, NAAA has submitted over 300 comments to the EPA to keep aerial application use language on pesticide labels.
  • NAAA and NAAREF have grown the C-PAASS certification learning center to include online learning for aerial applicators who want to augment their professionalism and be recognized and rewarded by their insurance providers, pesticide manufacturers, regulators, and customers. Learn more at https://education.agaviation.org/

In 2025, you will continue to receive ongoing benefits such as discounts for attending or exhibiting at the Ag Aviation Expo, connect with members through the print and online NAAA Membership Directory and receive Association publications, eNewsletters, social media briefings and substantive web content at AgAviation.org. Log into your account on our website to pay your 2025 NAAA membership invoice. Details at AgAviation.org/membership.

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 affecting your aerial application business and trade association membership dues are tax deductible.

Back to top

NAAA Members Inspire Future Ag Aviators at California Aeronautical University Aviation Career Day

On Friday, Feb 7, 2025, Jon Slikker Jr, NAAA pilot member of Vince Dusters in Buttonwillow, CA and Dan Gudgel of Gudgel Aviation in Lemoore, CA (NAAA board member representing California), took part in Aviation Career Day at California Aeronautical University (CAU) at Meadows Field in Bakersfield, CA. Over 600 CAU students and high schoolers involved in the county FFA program attended the event exploring various aviation careers. They had the chance to get an up-close look at Vince Dusters’ Air Tractor 802A. Jon and Dan shared their passion for ag aviation through presentations that offered insights into the industry and various career paths for aspiring pilots. Great job, guys, on an amazing opportunity to inspire the next generation of ag aviators! 

Back to top

Congratulations to Newest NAAA/Syngenta Leadership Training Program Graduates

The NAAA/Syngenta Leadership Training Program—also known by Syngenta as Leadership at Its Best (LAIB)— has been shaping strong leaders in the agricultural aviation industry since 1995. This year’s intensive five-day training took place last week in the Washington, DC area. It equipped participants with the skills to effectively communicate the positive role aerial application plays in agriculture to the public, media, and government.

This year’s four participants included Jeremy Folden (AR), Kole Pederson (NE), Kris Peterson (IL), and Liam Zahm (MI). In addition to media training and learning leadership skills, they spent time on Capitol Hill lobbying important ag aviation issues, including tower marking and logging regulations, and opposing aviation user fees. Syngenta personnel commented that they were highly impressed with the four NAAA candidates recognizing their potential to shape the future of leadership in aerial application and agriculture. Congratulations to the four participants for doing their part and getting involved, working to make a difference and ensuring the voices of ag aviators are heard in the nation’s capital as well as in the public eye.

The LAIB program continues to play a vital role in shaping the next generation of agricultural leaders, ensuring that the voices of growers and agribusiness professionals are heard and respected across the globe. More than 400 individuals have completed this program through NAAA shaping the future of agricultural aviation leadership. NAAA will provide 2026 program details to state/regional associations this summer and information will be posted at the Leadership Training Program webpage.

Back to top

FAA’s GA Survey Data Collection for 2024 is Now Underway

The FAA’s 47th annual General Aviation and Part 135 Activity Survey (GA Survey) is now officially underway. The survey is for collecting aviation activity for the calendar year 2024. The GA Survey is the only source of information available that provides reliable data on the GA fleet, including number of aircraft and hours flown. The data is used by the FAA, other government agencies, and the aviation industry for a variety of things, including assessing safety and understanding the economic impact of aviation.

This year the launch of the GA Survey will proceed differently than in prior years. On Monday, February 10, 2025, the survey was launched for owners/operators of individual aircraft only. The survey for owners/operators of multiple aircraft (i.e., fleets) will not launch until mid-March.

Note that not everyone will be invited to participate – the survey reaches about 30% of GA aviators every year. If you are selected to participate in the GA Survey, you will receive an email or postcard invitation asking you to complete the survey online. Those who do not complete the survey online will receive a mail survey which includes a postage-paid return envelope. The information is confidential and will only be used for statistical purposes and will not be published or released in any form that would reveal an individual participant. It only takes 10-15 minutes to complete the survey. You may be asked to participate two or more years in a row. If you are contacted, please respond to the survey even if you did not fly your aircraft during 2024, sold it, or if the aircraft was damaged. If you own three of more aircraft, there is an abbreviated survey form you can use instead of needing to complete a survey for each aircraft.

The GA Survey is especially critical to the agricultural aviation industry. NAAA uses the results of the GA Survey, in conjunction with NTSB accident numbers, to calculate an overall accident rate and a fatal accident rate for Part 137 operations. This allows NAAA to track and document the safety of the agricultural aviation industry and provide evidence to the FAA and NTSB that PAASS and other safety programs are working to reduce Part 137 accidents.

If you have questions, please contact Tetra Tech, the independent research firm that conducts the GA Survey for the FAA, toll-free at 1-800-826-1797 or by email at infoaviationsurvey@tetratech.com. Results from prior surveys can be found here.

Back to top

The Last Pass Memorial Walk Needs Your Help!

The construction of the Last Pass Memorial Walk, located at the National Agricultural Aviation Museum in Jackson, Mississippi, is complete! Now, the project is moving into its next important phase—the engraving of names.

Currently, 319 of the 428 identified incidents have been documented, and those names are set to be engraved in the first round. However, there’s still work to be done, and they need your help.

If you know of any individuals or accidents not listed, now is the time to make sure they are included. You can easily view the entire list of incidents at lastpassmemorialwalk.org. Pay close attention to the lines where there is no name—these are the individuals who still need to be identified. If an incident is missing entirely, they would like that added as well.

To submit new information, visit lastpassmemorialwalk.org and follow the simple steps to contribute directly through the site. Your involvement will help honor the lives and legacies of those in agricultural aviation.

Back to top

NAAA & NAAREF Committee & Board Meetings in Montreal, Quebec, Canada Begin Next Week

NAAA & NAAREF Board & Committee meetings will be held at the Hotel Bonaventure in Montreal, Quebec, Canada next week, February 20-22, 2025.

NAAA & NAAREF are hosting the February 2025 meetings in Montreal at the same time and location as the Canadian AAA Convention.

All meetings are open to NAAA members. If you are not a board or committee member but are interested in attending, please contact Lindsay Barber for more details.

Committee assignments were emailed to board and committee members on January 6. If you did not receive this information, please contact Lindsay Barber. A schedule of events can be seen here.

Hotel:
Hotel Bonaventure Montreal
900 De La Gauchetiere West
Montreal, QC, H5A 1E4, Canada

The hotel deadline was January 30. For hotel questions call 1-800-267-2575 and refer to NAAA & NAAREF Board Meetings or contact Lindsay Barber.

Back to top

In Case You Missed Last Week’s NAAA eNewsletter

Click here for the February 6, 2025 eNewsletter to read:

  • NAAA Comments Opposing UAAS Exemption from Filing NOTAMs 
  • FAA Seeks to Ensure UAAS Operators Understand Regulatory Obligations 
  • NAAA Joins National Aviation Community Mourning Last Week’s Loss of Commercial and Military Crew and Passengers and to Emphasize the Safety of the U.S. Aviation System
  • Update Your Information for 2025 Membership Directory
  • Superseding AD Proposed for R44 Flex Plates and Clutch Yokes 
  • Start 2025 Strong—Renew Your NAAA Membership Today!

Back to top