July 31, 2025 eNewsletter

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Table of Contents

Pesticide Litigation and Local Jurisdiction Efforts Advocated by Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ)

U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D‑NJ) introduced the Pesticide Injury Accountability Act of 2025 on July 17th.  The bill seeks to amend the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) by establishing a federal private right of action. This would allow individuals to sue pesticide manufacturers in federal court—regardless of existing state laws or federal approvals, posing a significant risk to the stability of the pesticide registration system. Although framed as a means to enhance accountability, the legislation opens the door to increased litigation and politicized decision-making, rather than relying on the science-based risk assessments conducted by EPA under FIFRA. Moreover, past proposals from Senator Booker have aligned closely with European Union-style pesticide bans and hazard-based decision-making models that NAAA has consistently opposed due to their departure from evidence-based regulatory principles.

Booker and twenty Senate colleagues also sent a letter urging Senate leadership to preserve state and local authority over pesticide regulation in the upcoming Farm Bill or related legislation. While framed as protecting community-level safeguards, the letter directly opposes efforts to include federal pesticide preemption in the Farm Bill, a longstanding priority for NAAA and other stakeholders working to ensure consistent, science-based pesticide oversight, rather than emotion-based, untrained decision-making that stems from local jurisdictions. Weakening federal preemption threatens to create a patchwork of conflicting local regulations, undermining applicators’ ability to operate effectively and predictably across jurisdictions. NAAA has been actively working towards solidifying federal and state preemption in Farm Bill legislation being discussed now in Congress, and will continue to advocate for policies that support practical, uniform, and scientifically sound pesticide regulation for aerial applicators and the broader agricultural community.
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Happy 104th Birthday Aerial Application Industry

On August 3, 2025, the aerial application industry turns 104 years old. It was on Aug. 3, 1921 when Lt. John A. Macready piloted a modified Curtiss JN-6 “Super Jenny” airplane while passenger Etienne Dormoy manually dispensed lead arsenate dust over catalpa trees in Ohio in a successful experiment to kill sphinx moth larvae. Less than 1% of the insects remained alive on the catalpa trees after six days of observation of the targeted area. The speed, efficiency and overwhelming effectiveness of the aerial dusting experiment spawned the birth of the agricultural aviation industry.

In preparation for the industry’s centennial, NAAA invested significant time and resources to raise agricultural aviation’s profile in the eyes of the public in unprecedented ways. Beyond educating the public about the industry’s essential work, NAAA emphasized how the industry evolved technologically over 10 decades and the exceptional ways in which aerial applicators help farmers provide a safe, affordable and abundant supply of food, fiber and bioenergy, and deliver lifesaving air support through public health spraying and aerial firefighting.  NAAA also developed a comprehensive book covering the industry’s amazing history which is available for you, your family, or your local library at www.agaviation.org/book.

Do your part in keeping the positive public relations from the centennial alive by attending local farm shows or school fairs and sharing more about the industry and showing the 9-minute version of the Aerial Applicators’ Growing Role documentary.

The future of agricultural aviation has never looked brighter due to its necessity, technological progression, and importance in maximizing yields while protecting the environment and preserving overall sustainability.
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FAA’s GA Survey Data Collection for 2024 is Coming to a Close

The FAA’s 47th annual General Aviation and Part 135 Activity Survey (GA Survey) will end soon. If you’ve received an invitation but haven’t yet completed the survey, now is the time to do so. 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 the 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. 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.

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.

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.
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NAAA Award Nominations Due Tuesday, August 5

Do you have a rising pilot within your ranks? Do you admire certain NAAA members’ outstanding service to the industry or their community? The NAAA awards nomination deadline is Tuesday, August 5. The aerial application industry is filled with exceptional people who go above and beyond the call of duty, often with little fanfare. Make someone’s day or year by nominating them for a 2025 NAAA Award. NAAA’s online submission form is easy and quick to use; nominate someone in just a few clicks here.

Who will be among this year’s awardees? There are nine NAAA Award categories and one NAAREF Award. Nominations are due Aug. 5.

NAAA Award Categories

  • Agrinaut Award: Honors an agricultural aircraft operator, operating organization, or allied member company that has made an outstanding contribution in the field of ag aircraft operations. The achievement cited shall have contributed to the “state-of-the-art” for the benefit of the agricultural aircraft industry as a whole.
  • Delta Air Lines “Puffer” Award: Recognizes an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the design of agricultural aircraft and/or related equipment.
  • Evans-Christopher Operation S.A.F.E. Award: Recognizes individuals or entities that have made outstanding contributions to the Operation S.A.F.E. program. (Presented by NAAREF.)
  • John Robert Horne Memorial Award: Honors a pilot with five or fewer years of experience in the agricultural aviation industry who has an exemplary safety record and has contributed to safety in ag aviation.
  • Larsen-Miller Community Service Award: Recognizes outstanding contributions by a member to his or her community.
  • Opal and Bill Binnion Memorial Award: Acknowledges those who contribute to NAAA in its efforts to educate the public about aerial application.
  • Richard “Dick” Reade Allied Memorial Award: Recognizes NAAA members or staff and/or an allied industry individual who has significantly contributed their efforts for the benefit of the allied industry and the aerial application industry.
  • William O. Marsh Safety Award: Recognizes significant achievements in safety, safety education or an outstanding operational safety program.
  • Zoren and Joan O’Brien Memorial Outstanding Service Award: Awards outstanding service to the commercial agricultural aviation industry or to its association.

The 2025 NAAA Award recipients will be honored at the Excellence in Ag Aviation Banquet on Nov. 19 in Reno, NV.
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AD Proposed for AStar Cargo Swing Emergency Release Control

The FAA has proposed to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Airbus Helicopters AStar and TwinStar helicopters.  

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has issued EASA AD 2025-0025, dated January 23, 2025 to correct an unsafe condition on AS 350 B2, AS 350 B3, AS 355 NP, AS 355 N, and EC 130 B4 helicopters, all serial numbers, equipped with ONBOARD systems 3500LB, having part number (P/N) 704A41811035. The EASA AD states that a report was received of a loss of cargo load during cargo swing operation on a helicopter. Subsequent investigation revealed an incorrect adjustment of the release cable of the cargo swing emergency release control. 

The FAA is issuing this proposed AD to address the adjustment of the cargo swing emergency release control. Comments are due September 5, 2025. 
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In Case You Missed Last Week’s NAAA eNewsletter

Click here for the July 24, 2025 eNewsletter to read:

  • Two Operators Report Aircraft Being Fired Upon – Response Checklist Available 
  • NAAA Meets with Corteva Agriscience on Aerial Registration Issues
  • 14,000+ Followers Strong: NAAA’s Facebook Community Keeps Growing!
  • Purchase Agricultural Aviation’s 100-Year Legacy Book: Agriculture’s Air Force
  • NAAA Award Nominations Due by August 5
  • Fraudulent Companies Trying to Book Hotel Rooms for NAAA Ag Aviation Expo

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