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- GRASSROOTS ALERT: Your Comments to FAA are Urgently Needed to Promote Traffic Deconfliction, Anonymity and an Aerial Applicators’ Right of Way in FAA’s Reopening of the Comment Period for UAS BVLOS, Specifically to Gather Information on ADS-B/EC
- Amelia Rose Earhart to Speak at 2026 Ag Aviation Expo Kickoff Breakfast
- Your Ag Aviation Industry Needs Your Information – Please Complete the NAAA Industry Survey, Coming to Your In-Box from [email protected]
- USDA-ARS Aerial Spray Nozzle Models Updates Now Online
- Last Chance to Update Your Information for 2026 Membership Directory
- NAAA & NAAREF Board Meetings Next Week, Feb. 12-14, in Alexandria, VA, All Members Invited; PAC Breakfast Details
GRASSROOTS ALERT: Your Comments to FAA are Urgently Needed to Promote Traffic Deconfliction, Anonymity and an Aerial Applicators’ Right of Way in FAA’s Reopening of the Comment Period for UAS BVLOS, Specifically to Gather Information on ADS-B/EC
The FAA’s 14-day reopening of its proposed rule allowing unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) to operate beyond visual line of sight of the UAS operator closes on February 11, 2026. The purpose of reopening the rule is for the agency to gather more information on the feasibility of using electronic conspicuity (EC) devices as a safety mechanism to deconflict collisions between crewed and uncrewed aircraft. EC acts as a more portable, less expensive, reduced-range ADS-B device that also provides anonymity to its user.
Details on the comment period may be found by clicking here. NAAA has developed these draft comments supporting the use of EC as a more portable, less costly, anonymous tool to help in air-to-air traffic deconfliction. NAAA is also emphasizing in its comments that use of these devices only works to avoid traffic deconfliction if all aircraft—manned and unmanned—are using this technology in the low-altitude airspace, including in shielded areas, and if the unmanned aircraft gives right of way to the manned aircraft. NAAA suggests agricultural aviation operators also comment to the FAA on the new comment period.
The FAA determined to open the comment period again after a series of meetings earlier this month with manned and unmanned organizations, including NAAA, where the FAA stated it heard “general support for ADS-B or alternate EC devices, though opinions on specific requirements varied…Some industry representatives raised concerns about the practicality of ADS-B for all environments, particularly at low altitudes and in complex operating conditions.” Click here for more about the January 6, 2026 meeting.
To comment on the rule, click here, then click comment and follow the prompts to either directly write comments or upload them. Please reference: Docket Number: FAA-2025-1908 in your comments. Again, a draft of NAAA’s comments may be found by clicking here.
Follow the NAAA format in drafting your own comments, such as using your own personal or company letterhead. PLEASE DO NOT COPY AND PASTE NAAA’s COMMENTS VERBATIM AND USE THEM AS YOUR OWN! Regulatory agencies give credibility to thoughtful, original comments and assign less to no weight to duplicative form letters. When drafting your comments, please emphasize the following points:
- Personalize your comments and elaborate on the geographical area in which you treat crops aerially, including acres treated, crops treated, number of farmer customers, value you contribute to agricultural production and public health protection, etc. in your local area (see pages 1-2 of NAAA’s comments on the scope, value and importance of the aerial application industry).
- Comment directly on the questions listed and emphasize how an EC system used for traffic deconfliction, due to its cost and anonymity would be a better option so to avoid issues such as bogus litigation and other unnecessary litigious situations you may have encountered.
- See response to question number 7 and the point that being detected is predicated on all UAS being properly equipped to detect manned aircraft in all low-altitude airspace environments, including shielded areas.
If you have questions while working on your response, please reach out to NAAA for assistance.
Amelia Rose Earhart to Speak at 2026 Ag Aviation Expo Kickoff Breakfast
NAAA is pleased to announce Amelia Rose Earhart as the Ag Aviation Expo Kickoff Breakfast speaker on Monday, Nov. 16, in Savannah, GA. Professional speaker, pilot, author and artist Amelia Rose Earhart was faced with the question, if you were given the name Amelia Earhart, would you learn to fly? She chose to go all in, completing her private, instrument and commercial flight training with the goal of someday flying all the way around the world, just like the incredible American hero she was named after, Amelia Mary Earhart.
In 2014, she completed her goal of circumnavigating the globe along a 28,000 nautical mile route – all in a single-engine aircraft.
This modern-day Amelia Earhart says the most important lesson she learned during her journey is that to truly succeed and grow along the way, we need to learn to love life’s turbulence by staying agile amid the storms that inevitably pop up along each of our paths.
Amelia has fifteen years of experience as a helicopter and breaking news reporter in Denver and Los Angeles, has sent numerous teenage girls to flight school during her ten-year stretch as president of the Fly With Amelia Foundation, hosts a tech podcast focused on the future of AI in business, and is now turning her aerial photos into original paintings.
In her recently published book, Learn to Love the Turbulence: “Flight Lessons” on becoming the pilot in command of your own journey, Amelia shares ways to think like a pilot to move through life with agility and confidence.
Your Ag Aviation Industry Needs Your Information – Please Complete the NAAA Industry Survey, Coming to Your In-Box from [email protected]
The aerial application industry was released a few weeks ago, but we need far more ag operators and pilots to answer the call for data. The participation rate for the last industry in 2018 was over 35% – it’s important that at the very least we match that response rate with this survey. The current survey has 25% fewer questions than the 2018 survey, so NAAA is hoping for an even greater response rate this time.
This survey will be used to document the acres treated by different aircraft types, including airplanes, helicopters, and drones. If you want the public and government officials to know the important role your operation and aircraft plays, you need to complete the survey. Your response can lead to having a greater inventory of pesticides for aerial use and protections from obstacles in the low-altitude environment.
For operators, the survey will ask you to confirm your operation’s Part 137 certificate number. Your certificate number will not be associated in any way with your responses to the survey. Your certificate number is being used to verify that we reach out to every ag aviation operation in the U.S. It also protects the accuracy of the data by preventing outside meddlers from entering false information.
NAAA is aware the survey is not a simple and quick series of questions. The questions asked are based on real data needs for promoting the importance of our industry. Remember that you can save your place and come back to complete the survey – this means that once you start, you’re not committed to finishing the whole survey right then and there.
Currently invitations are being emailed to every Part 137 operation and ag pilot that NAAA has an email address for. If you have not yet received an invitation, first check your email’s spam or junk email folder to make sure your invitation isn’t there. The email will be coming from the email address [email protected]. You may be able to set your email service’s spam filter to allow emails from this address to come through. The email header will look like this:
If you still can’t find your email invitation, click the button below to email NAAA to make sure we have your correct email address.
Thank you in advance for taking this important industry survey.
USDA-ARS Aerial Spray Nozzle Models Updates Now Online
The USDA-ARS Aerial Application Technology Research Unit (AATRU) has released its updated Aerial Spray Nozzle Models. As reported in the Fall 2025 issue of Agricultural Aviation, the updates include the addition of new nozzle types, more accurate data for a few older nozzles, an update to the latest droplet size classification standard, and combining the low-speed and high-speed models into a single model.
The updated spray nozzle models are currently available two ways, both of which can be found here. Scroll down and expand the section titled “Aerial Spray Nozzle Models.” The first option is a downloadable interactive Excel spreadsheet. This has been the traditional option for accessing the spray nozzle models. Users can download, enter their setup information, and save separate files for every nozzle configuration they use on their aircraft. A new option is a web-based version, which can be used on any web browser on computers, smartphones, or tablets. Still to come is a dedicated app for smartphones expected to be available in March.
The new web-based version is available thanks to the time and effort by AATRU partner Ayushi Shardi, who built the website from scratch based on the most current available models. Ayushi is a member of the “Cotton Crew”, a group of undergraduate and graduate student researchers, technicians, and project staff who work under the direction of the Cotton Chair in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering at Texas A&M.
Last Chance to Update Your Information for 2026 Membership Directory
To guarantee accurate inclusion in the 2026 NAAA Membership Directory, please make any corrections to your membership listing by February 9.
Have you moved or changed employers since you renewed your NAAA membership? Allied companies, have you reviewed your company description lately? Log in to your account to ensure your listing in the 2026 NAAA Membership Directory is correct by February 9.
You can provide your information by:
- Calling the NAAA office at (202) 546-5722.
- Updating your information online at https://agaviation.org/. Log in with your username and password, click My Account, and update your information under My Profile on the left-hand box.
- Emailing your changes to [email protected].
NAAA & NAAREF Board Meetings, Next Week, Feb. 12-14 in Alexandria, VA, All Members Invited; PAC Breakfast Details
The February 2026 NAAA & NAAREF Board and Committee meetings will take place next week at the Hilton Old Town in Alexandria, VA. Click here to view a schedule of meetings. 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
Hilton Old Town Alexandria
1767 King Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
Room Block: Closed January 20, 2026. For hotel questions, call 1-800-HILTONS and refer to NAAA & NAAREF Board Meetings or contact Lindsay Barber.
Board Books: All board books were provided electronically on Monday. The board book can be downloaded to your computer, tablet or you can print your committee items.
PAC Breakfast: Join us on Friday morning, Feb. 13th, at 7 a.m. at the Hilton Old Town for the AgAv PAC Breakfast. Congressman David Rouzer (R-NC) will speak. Deadline to register to attend is today; click here.
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In Case You Missed the Last NAAA eNewsletter
Click here to read the January 29, 2026 eNewsletter:
- FAA Reopening Comment Period for UAS BVLOS, Specifically to Gather Information on ADS-B/EC Practicality to Deconflict Traffic Between Manned and Unmanned Aircraft
- Save the Date for the Ag Aviation Expo Taking Place Nov. 16-8, 2026 in Savannah, GA
- Ag Aviation Industry Needs Your Information – Please Participate in NAAA Industry Survey
- Your 2026 Advantage: NAAA Membership
- NAAA & NAAREF Board Meetings Feb. 12-14 in Alexandria, VA, All Members Invited; PAC Breakfast Details