2021-2022 PAASS - NOT FOR CREDIT
Recorded On: 04/19/2022
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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.
Registration/Pricing
- NAAA Members - Free Access
- Non-members - Unavailable
Credits
No credit or certificate will be provided
Course Details
This is a self-paced course, with a total duration of approximately 4 hours. It is provided for review only and permits free navigation of topics. The content was recorded from a PAASS program presented 19-Apr-2022.
Randy L. Hale
Hale Dusting Service Inc.
Randy grew up in the Ag Aviation industry. His father R.W. Hale began Hale Dusting Service in 1955 near Corpus Christi, Texas. The company moved to its present location in 1962 when the local law enforcement officers decided to stop the “crop dusters” from using the county roads as landing strips. Randy began flying during high school and earned a private pilot license in 1977. It was either drive a tractor on the farm or mess with the airplanes and, well, the tractors just weren’t fast enough. He started his ag aviation career in 1981 in a 600 Thrush and now flies the company’s Air Tractor 502. Randy became President of the company in 1991 after his father’s death.
Randy is a long time member of the Texas AAA and NAAA and has been active in both. He served on the TAAA Board from 1994 - 2006 and was TAAA President in 1999. Service to the NAAA came when he was named the TAAA representative to NAAA and also graduated from the Leadership Training Program class of 2000. Randy was elected NAAA Vice President in 2003 and was honored to serve as President in 2006. Since his term as president ended Randy has represented NAAA’s interests in front of a variety of audiences including government regulators, ag aviation groups, politicians and international organizations. He served as NAAREF President in 2009 and 2010 and has been a PAASS presenter since 2008.
Randy and his wife Renee have four children, Josh, Joey, Amy and Scott and four grandchildren, Aiden, Weston, Jayce and Summer. They are the reason he is sold on the PAASS training. “We need to do all we can to make sure every ag pilot has the resources to stay safe and make it home at night.”
Rod Thomas
High Desert Aviation, LLC
Rod Thomas is an Idaho farm boy who still lives just three miles from where he grew up. By age eleven, Rod and his older brother Dale were operating a custom hay-stacking business. With their background in custom farming and their passion for aviation, agricultural aviation was a natural fit.
In 1975, they founded Thomas Helicopters in Gooding, Idaho, starting with a single Hughes 300 helicopter and one truck. Over the years, they expanded to a fleet of up to five helicopters used for a wide variety of operations under Part 135, including coyote hunting, wild animal darting and netting, firefighting, heli-skiing, sling work, construction, and movie stunt work—all while continuing agricultural flying year-round.
In 1979, they established High Range Aviation, an FBO in Gooding, offering full maintenance and fueling services. The company has since grown to include hangar construction and hydraulic door installations nationwide. In 2018, they launched High Desert Aviation, a government contracting application company that continues to operate today. After selling Thomas Helicopters a few years ago, Rod and Dale shifted their focus to new directions. At that time, their fleet included three Air Tractors and one AStar helicopter. They currently own about half a dozen aircraft used for a variety of missions across their two companies.
Rod has been deeply involved with both the Idaho Agricultural Aviation Association (IAAA) and his local community for many years. He has held every office within the IAAA and has served as Idaho’s director to the National Agricultural Aviation Association (NAAA) for many years. His company was named Operator of the Year by the Pacific Northwest Agricultural Aviation Association in 1999.
Rod and Dale have hosted numerous agricultural aviation fly-ins and safety clinics while promoting the industry through print and television media. Their company has also partnered with local schools, using helicopters to support science projects and hosting airport field days that have introduced hundreds of students to the wonders of aviation.
Rod has long served on the NAAA and NAAREF boards and committees, contributing in many capacities. He is a past recipient of both the NAAA Falcon Club Award and the Outstanding Service Award, and he has served as Vice President and President of both NAAA and NAAREF in recent and past years.
A dedicated NAAA member since 1975, Rod strongly believes in the value of association membership and continuing education. He has been a PAASS Presenter since 2001.