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Happy Memorial Day: In remembrance of our country’s patriots who gave the ultimate sacrifice

FAA Reauthorization Bill Enacted by Congress and Headed for President Biden’s Signature—NAAA Language Ensuring Safety of Manned Aircraft From Drone Activity in BVLOS Airspace and Urging FAA to Promulgate Tower Marking and Logging Included
Yesterday, after Senate enactment last week, the House of Representative enacted the FAA reauthorization bill, H.R. 3935. The bill is now headed to President Biden’s desk for signature, which is expected to be completed no later than tomorrow. NAAA is pleased to announce, after much advocacy over the past two years to influence the bill to protect manned ag aircraft in low-altitude airspace, it has secured that FAA ensure the safety of low-altitude manned aircraft from drones, or uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) operating beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS). In addition, the NAAA also secured language in the bill that within a year the FAA promulgate the marking and logging of towers in rural areas between 50-200 feet with a width of 10 feet or less—a provision that was included, again, from NAAA advocacy. That same timeline for the FAA to promulgate the tower marking and logging provisions was included back in the 2016 FAA Reauthorization Extension bill. The tower marking language in the agreed upon FAA Reauthorization reads as follows:

Last week at Ag on the Mall, NAAA CEO Andrew Moore provided Deputy Admin. Thomson with a photo and article showing an ag pilot’s difficulty seeing unmarked towers while flying.

SEC. 355. TOWER MARKING NOTICE OF PROPOSED RULE MAKING.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall issue a notice of proposed rulemaking to implement section 2110 of the FAA Extension, Safety, and Security Act of 2016 (49 U.S.C. 44718 note). (b) REPORT.—If the Administrator fails to issue the notice of proposed rulemaking pursuant to subsection (a), the Administrator shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress an annual report on the status of such rulemaking, including—(1) the reasons that the Administrator has failed to issue the rulemaking; and (2) a list of fatal aircraft accidents associated with unmarked towers that have occurred during the 5-year period preceding the date of submission of the report.

Last week during a meeting with FAA Deputy Administrator Kathryn Thomson, NAAA was informed that the FAA hopes to have the proposed marking and logging of towers out for comment by as early as this summer.

The protections of low-altitude airspace for manned aircraft from UAS operating BVLOS in the agreed upon reauthorization reads as follow:

§ 44811. Beyond visual line of sight operations for unmanned aircraft systems
(a) PROPOSED RULE.—Not later than 4 months after the date of enactment of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, the Administrator shall issue a notice of proposed rulemaking establishing a performance-based regulatory pathway for unmanned aircraft systems (in this section referred to as ‘UAS’) to operate beyond visual line of sight (in this section referred to as ‘BVLOS’).
(b) REQUIREMENTS.—The proposed rule required under subsection (a) shall, at a minimum, establish the following: (6) The safety of manned aircraft operating in the national airspace system and consider the maneuverability and technology limitations of certain aircraft, including hot air balloons.
(c) FINAL RULE.—Not later than 16 months after publishing the proposed rule under subsection (a), the Administrator shall issue a final rule based on such proposed rule.

NAAA wishes to thank Congressman Sam Graves (R-MO), chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee that has jurisdiction over the House bill, and Congressman Bruce Westerman (R-AR) and Rick Crawford (R-AR) for their hard work in ensuring these protections to manned aircraft were included in this bill, and to Senator John Thune (R-SD) for his work to include similar protections in the Senate.
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Fire Boss Air Tractor 802F Equipped with Wipaire’s Amphibious Floats Flies Over Washington, DC National Mall in AOPA Flyover Event

This past Saturday, May 11, a Fire Boss—an Air Tractor 802F equipped with Wipaire’s amphibious floats—was one of 55 aircraft to participate in the National Celebration of General Aviation DC Flyover, organized by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) to celebrate their 85th anniversary. The single engine scoops water from nearby water sources for aerial firefighting. Air Tractor is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. The Fire Boss was in the Public Service Flying category in the flyover.

View the event on AOPA’s YouTube channel here (watch from 58:07 until 58:32, and the commentators speak more about the Fire Boss at 59:17 until 59:50 ). Leading up to the event, AOPA also filmed a short segment on the Fire Boss here (watch from 45 seconds until 2:17). AOPA’s Tom Haines and veteran aviation journalist Miles O’Brien commented on the live video streamed event.

The National Celebration of General Aviation DC Flyover aircraft highlighted the roles and eras of general aviation aircraft since 1939 and commemorated the first proclamation of Aviation Day by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the creation of AOPA 85 years ago. Some of the additional aircraft that participated in the flyover were the Beechcraft Staggerwing, Cessnas, Pipers, Husky, Kodiak, Vans, Grumman, Pitts, Douglas DC-3, seaplanes, homebuilt aircraft, and Robinson and Enstrom helicopters. The event concluded with the Titan Aerobatic Team (formerly AeroShell) flying over the National Mall with smoke. NAAA Pilot member Steve Gustafson is a member of the Titan Aerobatic Team. View all aircraft that participated in the event here.

The flyover event began at Frederick Municipal Airport (FDK), and the aircraft followed the Potomac River to the National Mall. The aircraft flew through airspace that has been closed to anything but military and emergency aircraft since September 11, 2001, and through the ultra-secure P56 airspace, which has been sealed off for decades.

Fire Boss departs Frederick Municipal Airport to fly over the National Mall.
Fire Boss flying over the National Mall. The Fire Boss and Albatross were the only two aircraft featured in the Public Service Flying category.
Map of the aircraft flyover route.

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Join us for the 2024 Ag Aviation Expo in Fort Worth, TX, Nov. 18-21. Sponsorship sales are open for this year’s convention. Branding at the Ag Aviation Expo is a great opportunity to get your message in front of the agricultural aviation industry and reach a targeted and nationwide audience of aerial applicators in North America—an audience responsible for applying 28% of crop protection products to commercial cropland in the U.S. View sponsorship opportunities here.

Get your company name in front of the expected 1,500-plus operators, ag pilots and other attendees directly related to the agricultural aviation industry through an Ag Aviation Expo sponsorship. Six reasons why you should be a sponsor at the 2024 NAAA Ag Aviation Expo:

  • A targeted audience will see your company’s name and/or logo.
  • Sponsorship enhances your company’s credibility and rapport.
  • You will gain brand awareness and recognition.
  • You will generate new sales and/or leads and potential business partnerships.
  • You can drive attendees to your booth and message through your sponsorship.
  • According to a post-convention survey, 75% of aerial applicators stated that they would be “very likely” to use the products and services of a company that sponsors an event at the Ag Aviation Expo.

    By becoming a sponsor, attendees will:
  • Remember your company’s services and/or products.
  • See you as a supporter of the ag aviation industry.
  • Recognize your brand.
  • See you as a partner and industry visionary.
  • Hold you above others in purchasing decisions.

For more information, contact Lindsay Barber by email or phone at (202) 546-5722.
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Bell 204/205/210 – Revising a 2022 proposed AD, and prompted by events involving failure of the tail boom attachment structure, a new proposed AD would require revising the existing Rotorcraft Flight Manual (RFM) for your helicopter and repetitive inspections of structural components that attach the tail boom to the fuselage. Depending on the results of the inspections, this proposed AD would require removing certain parts from service or re-bonding the structure. Comments on the new proposed AD are due June 26, 2024.

Bell 212/412 – Prompted by reports of cracked tail boom attachment nuts (barrel nuts) involving Model 412EP helicopters, a new proposed AD would require replacing all steel alloy barrel nuts with nickel alloy barrel nuts and, replacing or inspecting other tail boom attachment point hardware and depending on the results, replacing hardware, stabilizing torque, and applying torque stripes. This proposed AD would also require repetitively inspecting torque and, depending on the results, corrective action. This proposed AD would require repetitively replacing the upper left-hand tail boom attachment bolt and repetitively inspecting the other tail boom attachment point bolts. Lastly, this proposed AD would prohibit installing steel alloy barrel nuts. Comments on the new proposed AD are due June 24, 2024.

NAAREF to Host Fourth Annual In-Season Safety Session on June 3; Register In Advance

NAAREF will host an in-season safety session on June 3 at 8 p.m. CDT with a small panel of PAASS presenters. The topics will include current trends in ag accidents, good mentoring practices, and other topics of interest to participants. The safety session will be presented via a Zoom webinar. Please attend the NAAREF safety session and spread the word to others. As we enter the busiest time of the season it’s critical to keep safety at the forefront of everyone’s thoughts.

NAAREF held the first in-season safety session in 2021 after the ag aviation industry had suffered five fatal accidents by the end of May. The safety sessions are intended to bring safety to the forefront of ag aviators’ minds just before the busy part of the spraying season occurs. Past topics covered include avoiding wire strikes, mentorship, helicopter operations, and avoiding mid-air collisions. You can view recordings of prior NAAREF Safety Sessions, as well as other great safety videos, on NAAA’s Safety and Education Videos webpage.
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