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Lejeune Aerial Applications’ Crew, USA Rice and NAAA Team Up to Educate EPA and USDA on Aerial Applications Vital Role in Crop Production

Robert Lejeune (center) of Lejeune Aerial Applications in Basile, Louisiana, explains to USDA and EPA staff how maps and label instructions are generated by office crew once farmers place their application orders.

Earlier this week, the crew of Lejeune Aerial Applications in Basile, Louisiana, led by company owner Robert Lejeune, educated key USDA and EPA officials on the professional techniques, experience and technology used to aerially apply pesticides and other crop inputs needed for rice production.  The field day to Lejeune’s operation for these federal representatives was part of an educational trip led by USA Rice Federation—the global advocate for the U.S. rice industry from growing to milling the grain.   

The tour started with Robert Lejeune, along with his office crew member Jeanne Middlebrooks, showing the government representatives how map formation, label review and mixing instructions are developed once an order is placed for an aerial application. 

Lejeune and ag pilot Shane Hudson then provided a tour of the pesticide storage area, the mixing equipment, the different types of application equipment from spreaders to nozzles, and the sophisticated disbursal equipment and avionics of the ag aircraft ensure a targeted and effective application.

USDA and EPA officials were informed on the storage, mixing, loading and technical application of pesticides and other crop inputs that are applied aerially at Lejeune’s Basile, Louisiana location. 

Andrew Moore, NAAA’s CEO, also attended the tour and explained to EPA and USDA officials how the typical ag aviation fleet, such as the Lejeune operation’s Air Tractor 502 XP, has drop booms, more aerodynamic airframes, reduced boom length, GPS and precision application technology, etc. as the AgDRIFT Tier 3 drift model incorporates, providing justification for EPA to use that version of the model as their default drift calculation as opposed to the antiquated and unrealistic Tier 1 of the AgDRIFT model.  Lejeune and Moore also mentioned how rice levees and ag aircraft equipped with smokers and integrated meteorological equipment serve as a vegetative buffer and air movement indicator to prevent applied pesticides from moving off target.

USDA, EPA, USA Rice Federation and NAAA officials pose in front of Lejeune’s Air Tractor 502XP. Shortly thereafter, Lejeune was on an air mission to feed hungry rice plants with fertilizer.

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Fraudulent Companies Trying to Book Hotel Rooms for NAAA Ag Aviation Expo

NAAA received notification that an independent third-party company called Conventions Hub is contacting our NAAA Allied members to book sleeping rooms in Fort Worth for the 2024 Ag Aviation Expo. They may also go by other company names. This company is NOT associated with NAAA or any hotel in Fort Worth; your hotel room should only be booked through the information we provide. Ignore their emails.

Please remember that no one from (or on behalf of) NAAA or any of the hotels will contact you (by phone, email, etc.) to book a hotel room. NAAA recommends making your own hotel reservations using the information in our NAAA publications or at AgAviation.org/convention. Do not trust these companies; they will take your money, and you may not have a hotel room in Fort Worth.

The hotels in the NAAA room block for the NAAA Ag Aviation Expo Nov. 18-21 in Fort Worth are the Omni Fort Worth, Sheraton and Hilton. Booking details are at AgAviation.org/convention.
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2024 Ag Aviation Golf Tournament Oct. 19-20

NAAA members are invited to join your Arkansas brethren for a fun weekend of golf and fellowship Oct. 19-20. The Red Apple Inn and Country Club in Heber Springs, Arkansas, is hosting the 2024 Ag Aviation Golf Tournament.

The $175 entry fee covers two rounds of golf, happy hour and dinner at the Red Apple Inn and Country Club on Saturday evening. (A dinner-only fee of $45 is available for non-golfers.) The shotgun start tournament starts at 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 19, with a two-person scramble format. The final round tees off Sunday, Oct. 20, with a shotgun start at 9 a.m.

Inn rooms and two-bedroom condos are available at the Red Apple Inn for $150 and $235/night, respectively. Call the Red Apple Inn at 1-800-733-2775 and use the reservation code “AG AVIATION” to reserve your room.   To register for the 2024 Ag Aviation Golf Tournament, please complete the player registration form and mail it with a check payable to “Ag Aviation Golf Tournament” to:  
Brenda Watts
120 Norris Lane
Watson, AR 71674
(870) 377-5241  

Sponsorship opportunities are also available, including placing your name on a tee box or banner. Please refer to the sponsorship registration form for more information.   A small group of Arkansas aerial applicators organizes the annual golf tournament. Each year the organizers donate the tournament’s proceeds to a different organization of their choosing. Proceeds from the 2024 tournament will be donated to the William Austin Scrogin Agriculture Aviation Scholarship at Delta State University and the Scott Rainey Memorial Scholarship.
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Happy 103rd Birthday Aerial Application Industry

On August 3, 2024, the aerial application industry turned 103 years old. It was on Aug. 3, 1921, that 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.

Planning for agricultural aviation’s centennial began in 2018 and 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.

You can still support the centennial celebration from 2021, by:

  1. Ordering the 100th anniversary book for yourself, your family, or your local library, at www.agaviation.org/book.
  2. 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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NAAA Releases New Guide to the Part 137 Certification Process 

It is no secret that applicants for Part 137 Certification have been subject to long wait times for the processing of their application. This is, however, not unique to Part 137.  

Until this year, certification applicants were added to the Certification Services Oversight Process (CSOP) National Applicant List as soon as the FSDO received their application. In short, they were put in line to await available FAA personnel/resources to process their application. 

Early this year, FAA issued Notice 8900.687, noting an increased trend of certification applicants who were not ready to begin the initial certification process, typically due to a lack of prerequisite paperwork. These unprepared applicants have tied up FAA resources, slowing down the process for all. 

A new process has been initiated by FAA, seeking to remedy this situation. An Applicant Readiness Checklist has been created, outlining all required items to submit to (and be accepted by) the FSDO before an applicant is placed on the CSOP National Applicant List. 

In an additional effort to alleviate FSDO personnel workload and reduce wait times for applicants, FAA has charged industry organizations and associations, like NAAA, with providing education to applicants on what is needed for a successful initial certification process. 

NAAA recently released a new guide, Starting a Part 137 Operation, which serves this function and provides prospective operators with a more comprehensive overview of the Part 137 certification process. This guide also covers some of the murkier topics specific to Part 137, such as Chief Supervisor vs. Pilot-In-Command Knowledge & Skills and adding additional aircraft to an operator’s Letter of Authorization (LOA) A003. 

Prospective and Current Part 137 operators will also be interested in the new guide for its list of Part-137-specific titles of the Flight Standards Informational Management System (FSIMS), essentially the Aviation Safety Inspector’s handbook on certification, airworthiness, Knowledge & Skills and Surveillance. It can be quite handy, when in a debate with your FSDO over an issue, to point them to their own guidance for an answer. 

The new guide, Starting a Part 137 Operation, can be found in the Career page of the NAAA website, or directly linked here. 
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NAAA’s ‘Ag Wings of Tomorrow’ Scholarship

Four $5,000 scholarships are available for aspiring ag aviators who are sponsored by an NAAA Operator. The NAAA “Ag Wings of Tomorrow” Scholarship is back again this year, thanks to the generous support of BASF and Thrush Aircraft. The scholarship program is offering $20,000 in aid to assist four aspiring ag pilots in their journey. All funds are in U.S. dollars.

The goal of NAAA’s “Ag Wings of Tomorrow” Scholarship Program is to strengthen the aerial application industry by helping operator members bring new pilots into the profession and help fund their training. Applicants must be sponsored by an NAAA Operator member. Scholarship recipients may use the proceeds for flight training or aviation or ag-related coursework at a university, college, community college or other institution of higher learning. A stipend for a trainee in an NAAA Operator-sponsored apprentice program is also permissible. The scholarship program is administered by NAAA and funded by educational grants from BASF and Thrush Aircraft.  

Investing in aspiring ag aviators is a win-win for NAAA Operator members and individuals seeking training funds to support their pursuit of becoming a professional ag pilot. 

How to Apply & Deadline

To be considered for the 2024 scholarship, along with completing the two-part application, every applicant must submit: 

  • A letter of recommendation from the NAAA Operator member sponsoring the applicant.  
  • An essay of 250 words or less explaining why the applicant wants to pursue a career in agricultural aviation and how they would use NAAA’s “Ag Wings of Tomorrow” Scholarship to further their education and training. 
  • A one-page résumé or list of activities detailing all agricultural and aviation experiences, education and training. 

Applicants must apply using the online application process. The deadline is Aug. 31, 2024. Learn more about the 2024 NAAA “Ag Wings of Tomorrow” Scholarship and review the instructions here. 

While the applicant must be sponsored by an NAAA Operator member, NAAA membership is not a prerequisite for applying for the “Ag Wings of Tomorrow” Scholarship. Still, becoming an NAAA Associate member is an excellent way for candidates to learn more about the industry and augment their training.  

Restrictions: Applicants can apply for the NAAA “Ag Wings of Tomorrow” Scholarship or the Charles Stokes Memorial Turbine Training Scholarship, but not both in the same year.  

NAAA Operator members may only sponsor one NAAA “Ag Wings of Tomorrow” Scholarship applicant a year. They can also sponsor a Charles Stokes Memorial Turbine Training Scholarship applicant in the same year, but the applicants can’t be the same person applying for both scholarships in the same year.
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In Case You Missed Last Week’s NAAA eNewsletter

Click here for the August 1, 2024 eNewsletter to read:

  • FAA Approves Frequency 122.925 for Air-to-Air Communications Between Agricultural Aircraft Beginning Immediately
  • Senate Appropriations FAA Funding Bill with NAAA Advocated Language Urging Tower Marking and Logging
  • NAAA Submits Comments to EPA Opposing Bans for Two Pesticides—Acephate and Thiram
  • Ray Cottingham Fatally Injured in Ag Accident in Indiana
  • Uncrewed Aircraft Operators, Register for the “Pro Tips for Part 137 UAS Pilots and Operators” Webinar, August 6 at 8:00 PM EST
  • NAAA Award Nominations due by Monday, August 5
  • FAA Revises R22/R44 Special Training and Experience Requirements

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