Download the Flight Risk Assessment Tool to Enhance Agricultural Aviation Safety
NAAA released a Flight Risk Assessment Tool (FRAT) specifically designed to enhance the safety of agricultural aviation pilots. It was created to assist agricultural pilots by quickly but thoroughly evaluating the risks involved with each flight. It is the result of several years of effort from the FRAT subcommittee, working under NAAA’s Safety & Federal Aviation Regulations Committee. The goal is to improve safety in the ag aviation industry by providing a tool to focus attention on items that directly impact the safety of the current mission.
In addition to the FRAT, two documents have been generously shared by JBI Helicopters, owned and operated by NAAA’s 2024 President, Ray Newcomb. Both are designed for use in the cockpit, where they can serve as constant reminders of the threats faced during aerial application. One is a reminder about flying in the wire environment, and the second is a reminder to keep scanning, with a wheel of mission-critical items that an ag pilot must keep looking at during an aerial application.
Download these items for your operation and aircraft.
The Ag Aviation FRAT differs from a traditional FRAT in that each risk is posed as a question, answered with a simple yes or no. Ultimately, the pilot is instructed that if they answer ‘no’ to any question, they must reconsider the flight or find mitigations to reduce their risk. Contacting an experienced ag pilot mentor is specifically mentioned. If a pilot is unsure what to do, they should talk to someone with experience who will put the pilot’s safety first. No one wants to be told no, but in some cases, especially for new ag pilots, no is the correct answer.
Ag pilots can utilize the Ag Aviation FRAT however they choose. A complete FRAT can be filled out for the annual and monthly questions and left on their desk or posted in a visible location at the operation. The daily and before each flight questions can be printed and kept in the aircraft. If pilots want to create a laminated FRAT for specific sections, they can easily copy and paste portions of the FRAT into a new document for printing.