The 2023-2024 PAASS Program will be four hours in length and cover several topics including preventing human factor related accidents, environmental professionalism for aerial applications, and the importance of having an operational security plan in place. The program will begin with a review of agricultural aviation accidents from the 2023 season. It will also include a discussion of accident trends seen over the 10-year period from 2013 to 2022. Studying agricultural aviation accident trends allows participants to better understand the causes of accidents, information they can use to prevent similar accidents from occurring at their operations.

For the human factors segment, PAASS will take on the subjects of stall spin accidents and overly aggressive flying. Participants will hear from a variety of sources, some with advice on how to safely turn an aircraft and others with a cautionary tale of what can go wrong when an ag pilot turns too aggressively. Fran de Kock of Battlefords Airspray in Canada provides both classroom and cockpit instruction on how to turn an agricultural aircraft safely, training to learn how an aircraft feels as it approaches a stall, and why agricultural aviation is not aerobatics. Segments from an updated version of the Turn Smart video will display the four left-turning tendencies that impact a fixed-wing aircraft in a turn and how they can lead to a stall in an unsafe turn. A survivor of a stall spin accident will provide a glimpse of how severe the consequences can be when an aircraft is turned aggressively. For those pilots who feel they must fly fast and turn hard in order to get their work accomplished, one pilot explains how he learned that slowing down can speed you up. The subject of how to safely turn a helicopter will also be covered.

PAASS will go back to the basics in environmental professionalism – discussing the importance of droplet size and boom length. Using larger spray droplets and reducing the length of the boom are both proven techniques for reducing drift. The 2023-2024 program will use graphics based on the AGDISP spray drift model to visualize how various droplet sizes move once they are released from the aircraft and how the release point along the length of the boom further impacts their movement. The results of spray pattern testing conducted by the USDA-ARS Aerial Application Research Technology Unit will demonstrate how different droplet spectrums, based on nozzle selection, and boom length impact the effective swath width from an agricultural aircraft.

To reinforce the importance of security at ag aviation operations, the 2023-2024 PAASS program will provide details on an incident where a perpetrator attempted to steal an agricultural aircraft. By learning about this incident, operators and pilots can better assess their own security measures in order to prevent criminals from stealing or damaging equipment and contaminating fuel and agrichemicals. PAASS will also provide an update on FieldWatch, ADS-B usage in agricultural aircraft, and how technology designed to improve accuracy and safety can sometimes become a distraction. The PAASS 2023-2024 program will also include a question-and-answer session to improve aerial applicators’ knowledge.

NAAREF strongly recommends attending the PAASS Program in-person at your local state/regional convention. However, for those who were unable to do so, this virtual option to view the PAASS program will serve as the sole Alternative Method of Compliance (AMOC). Specifically, this is a Zoom webinar recording of the 2023-2024 PAASS Program given by two veteran PAASS Presenters.

Duration: Approximately 4 hours, however, you will have 7 days to complete the program once you start it.

Register for this course using the green Register button to submit payment. This course is available for NAAA members only.

The 2023-2024 PAASS Program will be four hours in length and cover several topics including preventing human factor related accidents, environmental professionalism for aerial applications, and the importance of having an operational security plan in place. The program will begin with a review of agricultural aviation accidents from the 2023 season. It will also include a discussion of accident trends seen over the 10-year period from 2013 to 2022. Studying agricultural aviation accident trends allows participants to better understand the causes of accidents, information they can use to prevent similar accidents from occurring at their operations.

For the human factors segment, PAASS will take on the subjects of stall spin accidents and overly aggressive flying. Participants will hear from a variety of sources, some with advice on how to safely turn an aircraft and others with a cautionary tale of what can go wrong when an ag pilot turns too aggressively. Fran de Kock of Battlefords Airspray in Canada provides both classroom and cockpit instruction on how to turn an agricultural aircraft safely, training to learn how an aircraft feels as it approaches a stall, and why agricultural aviation is not aerobatics. Segments from an updated version of the Turn Smart video will display the four left-turning tendencies that impact a fixed-wing aircraft in a turn and how they can lead to a stall in an unsafe turn. A survivor of a stall spin accident will provide a glimpse of how severe the consequences can be when an aircraft is turned aggressively. For those pilots who feel they must fly fast and turn hard in order to get their work accomplished, one pilot explains how he learned that slowing down can speed you up. The subject of how to safely turn a helicopter will also be covered.

PAASS will go back to the basics in environmental professionalism – discussing the importance of droplet size and boom length. Using larger spray droplets and reducing the length of the boom are both proven techniques for reducing drift. The 2023-2024 program will use graphics based on the AGDISP spray drift model to visualize how various droplet sizes move once they are released from the aircraft and how the release point along the length of the boom further impacts their movement. The results of spray pattern testing conducted by the USDA-ARS Aerial Application Research Technology Unit will demonstrate how different droplet spectrums, based on nozzle selection, and boom length impact the effective swath width from an agricultural aircraft.

To reinforce the importance of security at ag aviation operations, the 2023-2024 PAASS program will provide details on an incident where a perpetrator attempted to steal an agricultural aircraft. By learning about this incident, operators and pilots can better assess their own security measures in order to prevent criminals from stealing or damaging equipment and contaminating fuel and agrichemicals. PAASS will also provide an update on FieldWatch, ADS-B usage in agricultural aircraft, and how technology designed to improve accuracy and safety can sometimes become a distraction. The PAASS 2023-2024 program will also include a question-and-answer session to improve aerial applicators’ knowledge.

[Note: This course does NOT provide credit toward C-PAASS]

NAAREF strongly recommends attending the PAASS Program in-person at your local state/regional convention. However, for those who were unable to do so, this virtual option gives you another chance to view the PAASS program. Specifically, this is a Zoom webinar recording of the 2022-2023 PAASS Program given by two veteran PAASS Presenters.

You will have unlimited access to this course for 1 year after purchase.

Register for this course using the green Register button to submit payment. This course is available for NAAA members only. 

The 2022-2023 PAASS program will focus on the main goals of PAASS – to reduce agricultural aviation accidents and improve the industry’s environmental professionalism. PAASS has been acknowledged by the U.S. EPA, FAA and the Association of American Pesticide Control Officials (AAPCO) and is also presented in Canada. PAASS will be four hours in length and time will be allowed during the program for attendee discussions and sharing of experiences involving issues and practices related to their own operations. PAASS will begin with a review and analysis of agricultural aviation accidents that occurred during the 2022 application season.

The 2022-2023 PAASS program will then move to education aimed at reducing wire strike accidents. Over the five-year period from 2017 to 2021, there have been 51 wire strike accidents involving agricultural aircraft. These wire strike accidents represent 16% of these total agricultural aviation accidents and 24% of the fatal accidents during the five years. PAASS will teach participants about vision science and why it is often difficult, if not impossible, to see the actual wires during an application. Because of this, wires need to be treated as an invisible hazard. Agricultural aviators will learn how to identify support structure and hardware to determine the location of wires. It is critical that situational awareness is maintained at all times while working the wire environment, and that pilots know how to react correctly in their situation. From 2017 to 2021, in 61% of the wire strike accidents for which is could be determined the pilots were aware of the wire they struck. PAASS will therefore train pilots how to keep wires and other obstacles in the forefront of their mind so they do not forget about or lose track of them. Classroom and cockpit instruction from an agricultural aviation school will provide additional lessons on how to scout for wires and apply safely around them. Reducing wire strike accidents will save lives and reduce potential spills associated with agricultural aircraft accidents.

The environmental professional program will discuss the use of large spray droplets for reducing the risk of drift while also maintaining efficacy. PAASS will focus on an operator who is successfully making applications using a droplet size larger then commonly used in the aerial application industry. There are several ways that an agricultural aircraft can be set up to make larger droplet sizes, including nozzle selection, operating the spraying system at higher pressure, and reducing aircraft speed while still maintaining flight safety. Participants will see how the impact of using the larger droplets reducies the risk of drift. Just as importantly, they will also see how the application setups are being used to make efficacious applications. A concern for many aerial applicators is that the use of larger droplets can reduce coverage and thus negatively impact the efficacy of the application. Examples of pest control from the operator as well as results from a research study conducted by the USDA-ARS Aerial Application Research and Technology will document success in making effective applications with a large droplet size.

The security segment of the 2022-2023 PAASS program will discuss an intentional fuel contamination incident that occurred at an operation causing one accident and one near miss. The incident is a reminder to all agricultural aviators that security is essential for their safety as well as that of their customers and the public. PAASS will also talk about the importance of inspecting nozzles for correct alignment and include a question-and-answer session to improve aerial applicator’s knowledge.

[Note: This course intended solely for C-PAASS applicants needing to make up 2022-2023 PAASS]

NAAREF strongly recommends attending the PAASS Program in-person at your local state/regional convention. However, for those who were unable to do so, this virtual option to view the PAASS program will serve as the sole Alternative Method of Compliance (AMOC). Specifically, this is a Zoom webinar recording of the 2022-2023 PAASS Program given by two veteran PAASS Presenters.

Duration: Approximately 4 hours, however, you will have 24 hours to complete the program once you start it.

Register for this course using the green Register button to submit payment. This course is available for NAAA members only. 

Contact information@agaviation.org if you require username/password assistance.

The 2022-2023 PAASS program will focus on the main goals of PAASS – to reduce agricultural aviation accidents and improve the industry’s environmental professionalism. PAASS has been acknowledged by the U.S. EPA, FAA and the Association of American Pesticide Control Officials (AAPCO) and is also presented in Canada. PAASS will be four hours in length and time will be allowed during the program for attendee discussions and sharing of experiences involving issues and practices related to their own operations. PAASS will begin with a review and analysis of agricultural aviation accidents that occurred during the 2022 application season.

The 2022-2023 PAASS program will then move to education aimed at reducing wire strike accidents. Over the five-year period from 2017 to 2021, there have been 51 wire strike accidents involving agricultural aircraft. These wire strike accidents represent 16% of these total agricultural aviation accidents and 24% of the fatal accidents during the five years. PAASS will teach participants about vision science and why it is often difficult, if not impossible, to see the actual wires during an application. Because of this, wires need to be treated as an invisible hazard. Agricultural aviators will learn how to identify support structure and hardware to determine the location of wires. It is critical that situational awareness is maintained at all times while working the wire environment, and that pilots know how to react correctly in their situation. From 2017 to 2021, in 61% of the wire strike accidents for which is could be determined the pilots were aware of the wire they struck. PAASS will therefore train pilots how to keep wires and other obstacles in the forefront of their mind so they do not forget about or lose track of them. Classroom and cockpit instruction from an agricultural aviation school will provide additional lessons on how to scout for wires and apply safely around them. Reducing wire strike accidents will save lives and reduce potential spills associated with agricultural aircraft accidents.

The environmental professional program will discuss the use of large spray droplets for reducing the risk of drift while also maintaining efficacy. PAASS will focus on an operator who is successfully making applications using a droplet size larger then commonly used in the aerial application industry. There are several ways that an agricultural aircraft can be set up to make larger droplet sizes, including nozzle selection, operating the spraying system at higher pressure, and reducing aircraft speed while still maintaining flight safety. Participants will see how the impact of using the larger droplets reducies the risk of drift. Just as importantly, they will also see how the application setups are being used to make efficacious applications. A concern for many aerial applicators is that the use of larger droplets can reduce coverage and thus negatively impact the efficacy of the application. Examples of pest control from the operator as well as results from a research study conducted by the USDA-ARS Aerial Application Research and Technology will document success in making effective applications with a large droplet size.

The security segment of the 2022-2023 PAASS program will discuss an intentional fuel contamination incident that occurred at an operation causing one accident and one near miss. The incident is a reminder to all agricultural aviators that security is essential for their safety as well as that of their customers and the public. PAASS will also talk about the importance of inspecting nozzles for correct alignment and include a question-and-answer session to improve aerial applicator’s knowledge.

[Note: This course does NOT provide credit toward C-PAASS]

NAAREF strongly recommends attending the PAASS Program in-person at your local state/regional convention. However, for those who were unable to do so, this virtual option gives you another chance to view the PAASS program. Specifically, this is a Zoom webinar recording of the 2022-2023 PAASS Program given by two veteran PAASS Presenters.

You will have unlimited access to this course for 1 year after purchase.

Register for this course using the green Register button to submit payment. This course is available for NAAA members only. 

Contact information@agaviation.org if you require username/password assistance.

The 2021-2022 PAASS program will once again deliver high-quality pesticide application education developed specifically for aerial applicators. PAASS has been acknowledged by the U.S. EPA and the Association of American Pesticide Control Officials (AAPCO). PAASS was also presented to Canadian aerial applicators in 2021, further recognizing the quality of both the program itself and the results it delivers. PAASS will be the normal four hours in length and focus on reducing drift incidents and agricultural aviation accidents and securing agricultural aviation operations. Time will be allowed during the program for attendee discussions and sharing of experiences involving issues and practices related to their own operations. PAASS will begin with a review and analysis of agricultural aviation accidents that occurred during the 2021 application season. Studying accidents enables attendees to learn from other pilots’ experiences and increase safety.

PAASS will cover content developed by Dr. Brad Fritz from the USDA ARS Aerial Application Technology Research Unit (AATRU) on the relationships between spray droplet size and the spray pattern (uniformity of droplets and width of each aircraft’s application across the field). Spray droplet size has a critical impact on both the efficacy of the application and the potential for drift. The spray Droplet Size Models developed by AATRU allow aerial applicators to select a nozzle type, orifice size, operating pressure, and deflection angle to achieve both the spray application rate and spray droplet size as dictated by the label. Dr. Fritz’s research looks at how spray droplet size is distributed across the entire spray pattern of an agricultural aircraft, and how in-wind versus crosswind impacts that droplet size distribution. A crosswind can result in an aircraft’s spray pattern having a greater proportion of larger droplets deposited on the windward portion of the aircraft’s spray pattern and a greater proportion of smaller droplets being deposited on the leeward side of the spray pattern, as opposed to a more uniform distribution of sizes across the whole pattern when the aircraft is flown in-wind. 

The 2021-2022 PAASS program also covers inadvertent instrument meteorological conditions, or IIMC. Instrument meteorological conditions are those weather conditions with low visibility, particularly fog, that require use of cockpit instruments for safe flying. Inadvertently flying into these instrument conditions occurs when a pilot, not rated or equipped to fly with instruments, finds himself flying from clear weather conditions into non-visible conditions requiring instruments.  From 2011 to 2020 there were a total of six agricultural aviation IIMC accidents, five of which were fatal. IIMC results in a degraded visual environment followed by spatial disorientation, which likely leads to an accident. Fog can be an indicator that an inversion exists and avoiding applications during an inversion is a key factor in drift mitigation. The best strategy for IIMC is to avoid flying in such conditions and PAASS will go over the factors that aerial applicators need to consider before taking off. PAASS attendees will hear from several fellow agricultural aviators who survived IIMC encounters and learn first-hand from their incidents.

The 2021-2022 PAASS program will conclude with a real-life security example where property was stolen from an aerial application business. Participants will hear from the owner and learn how to better secure their operations to prevent pesticide theft and vandalism.  There will also be a short segment on using a gate seal to improve dry application accuracy and a question-and-answer session that will test attendees on their aerial pesticide application knowledge.

[Note: This course intended solely for C-PAASS applicants needing to make up 2021-2022 PAASS]

NAAREF strongly recommends attending the PAASS Program in-person at your local state/regional convention. However, for those who were unable to do so, this virtual option to view the PAASS program will serve as the sole Alternative Method of Compliance (AMOC) for satisfying the respective C-PAASS component requirement. Specifically, this is a Zoom webinar recording of the 2021-2022 PAASS Program given by two veteran PAASS Presenters.

You will have 24 hours to complete the program once you start it.

The estimated duration is 4 hours.

Register for this course using the green Register button to submit payment. This course is available for NAAA members only. 

Contact information@agaviation.org if you require username/password assistance.

The 2021-2022 PAASS program will once again deliver high-quality pesticide application education developed specifically for aerial applicators. PAASS has been acknowledged by the U.S. EPA and the Association of American Pesticide Control Officials (AAPCO). PAASS was also presented to Canadian aerial applicators in 2021, further recognizing the quality of both the program itself and the results it delivers. PAASS will be the normal four hours in length and focus on reducing drift incidents and agricultural aviation accidents and securing agricultural aviation operations. Time will be allowed during the program for attendee discussions and sharing of experiences involving issues and practices related to their own operations. PAASS will begin with a review and analysis of agricultural aviation accidents that occurred during the 2021 application season. Studying accidents enables attendees to learn from other pilots’ experiences and increase safety.

PAASS will cover content developed by Dr. Brad Fritz from the USDA ARS Aerial Application Technology Research Unit (AATRU) on the relationships between spray droplet size and the spray pattern (uniformity of droplets and width of each aircraft’s application across the field). Spray droplet size has a critical impact on both the efficacy of the application and the potential for drift. The spray Droplet Size Models developed by AATRU allow aerial applicators to select a nozzle type, orifice size, operating pressure, and deflection angle to achieve both the spray application rate and spray droplet size as dictated by the label. Dr. Fritz’s research looks at how spray droplet size is distributed across the entire spray pattern of an agricultural aircraft, and how in-wind versus crosswind impacts that droplet size distribution. A crosswind can result in an aircraft’s spray pattern having a greater proportion of larger droplets deposited on the windward portion of the aircraft’s spray pattern and a greater proportion of smaller droplets being deposited on the leeward side of the spray pattern, as opposed to a more uniform distribution of sizes across the whole pattern when the aircraft is flown in-wind. 

The 2021-2022 PAASS program also covers inadvertent instrument meteorological conditions, or IIMC. Instrument meteorological conditions are those weather conditions with low visibility, particularly fog, that require use of cockpit instruments for safe flying. Inadvertently flying into these instrument conditions occurs when a pilot, not rated or equipped to fly with instruments, finds himself flying from clear weather conditions into non-visible conditions requiring instruments.  From 2011 to 2020 there were a total of six agricultural aviation IIMC accidents, five of which were fatal. IIMC results in a degraded visual environment followed by spatial disorientation, which likely leads to an accident. Fog can be an indicator that an inversion exists and avoiding applications during an inversion is a key factor in drift mitigation. The best strategy for IIMC is to avoid flying in such conditions and PAASS will go over the factors that aerial applicators need to consider before taking off. PAASS attendees will hear from several fellow agricultural aviators who survived IIMC encounters and learn first-hand from their incidents.

The 2021-2022 PAASS program will conclude with a real-life security example where property was stolen from an aerial application business. Participants will hear from the owner and learn how to better secure their operations to prevent pesticide theft and vandalism.  There will also be a short segment on using a gate seal to improve dry application accuracy and a question-and-answer session that will test attendees on their aerial pesticide application knowledge.

[Note: This course does NOT provide credit toward C-PAASS]

NAAREF strongly recommends attending the PAASS Program in-person at your local state/regional convention. However, for those who were unable to do so, this virtual option gives you another chance to view the PAASS program. Specifically, this is a Zoom webinar recording of the 2021-2022 PAASS Program given by two veteran PAASS Presenters.

You will have unlimited access to this course for 1 year after purchase.

Register for this course using the green Register button to submit payment. This course is available for NAAA members only. 

Contact information@agaviation.org if you require username/password assistance.

The 2020-2021 PAASS program will be different than previous year’s programs. PAASS will still be four hours in length and focus on the two major goals of PAASS: to reduce agricultural aviation accidents and drift incidents. The important topics of airfield security and a review of the 2020 ag accidents will also be covered. Instead of having four separate modules however, the 2020-2021 PAASS program will focus on the psyche of individuals who make decisions that could endanger themselves, their careers, and the professional reputation of the agricultural aviation industry. Risky behaviors can affect all aspects of the industry, and thus will be treated as a single over-arching subject that aerial application operators, pilots and crew need to be mindful of and on the watch for to prevent aviation accidents, environmental breaches and security compromises.

PAASS has sought the expertise of a psychiatrist familiar with aviation to help delve into the psychiatry behind certain behaviors in people that might compromise the professionalism of the agricultural aviation industry. He will help PAASS participants learn how to identify individuals who might behave in a manner that leads to negative consequences. In addition to recognizing certain behaviors, PAASS will provide insight if certain behaviors can be changed, and if so how.

Incidents will be used to help frame the discussion with our psychiatrist. When operators purchase larger, turbine powered aircraft, this might impact their decision making when it comes to selecting work and the weather conditions under which they are willing to work, thus increasing the chances of a misapplication. Some individuals negatively impact the industry’s insurance costs by relying on their insurance to handle drift incidents instead of doing more to reduce drift itself. Understanding these conditions and people’s thought process might help in convincing individuals that meet this profile to find other ways to reduce drift such as using different nozzles and shortening the booms.

PAASS has helped educate the industry numerous times over the years on how to turn safely. Some pilots continue to turn in an unsafe manner despite knowing the risks, and often end up in a fatal accident. Our psychiatric expert will help us understand why some individuals take these risks, and how we as an industry might be able to recognize and change this behavior. Another fatal accident that will be discussed involved a pilot spraying in foggy weather despite having had an accident in fog earlier in his career. Flying in fog can lead to both an accident and drift, as fog often occurs during a temperature inversion. PAASS will discuss what makes a person continue to take unnecessary risks despite already having experienced a negative outcome.

To help guide the discussions, the FAA’s five hazardous attitudes will be used. These include antiauthority, impulsivity, invulnerability, egotism, and resignation. Attendees will learn how these attitudes impact the decisions made by people who exhibit them. Identifying and mitigating risky behaviors can help augment operational security and reduce agricultural aviation accidents and drift incidents. As always in PAASS, ample time will be allowed during the entire program for attendee discussions and sharing of experiences involving issues and practices related to their own ag operations.

[Note: This course does NOT provide credit toward C-PAASS]

NAAREF strongly recommends attending the PAASS Program in-person at your local state/regional convention. However, for those who were unable to do so, this virtual option gives you another chance to view the PAASS program. Specifically, this is a Zoom webinar recording of the 2020-2021 PAASS Program given by two veteran PAASS Presenters.

You will have unlimited access to this course for 1 year after purchase.

Register for this course using the green Register button to submit payment. This course is available for NAAA members only. 

Contact information@agaviation.org if you require username/password assistance.