2024-2025 PAASS - Tri-States

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.”

Scott grew up on a farm in northern Illinois before attending the University of Illinois, where he received his Ph.D. He spent 14 years an Extension Specialist in Application Technology with the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Scott’s work focused on providing technical assistance on pesticide application equipment, nozzle selection and usage, drift reduction technologies, and sprayer calibration.

Since 2017, Scott has served as the Director of Policy, Education and Safety for NAAA. He assists with protecting aerial applications during the pesticide registration review process, creating the PAASS program, and other NAAREF safety efforts. Scott is an Operation S.A.F.E. analyst and conducts the fly-ins for Illinois as well as other locations. 

Scott has been involved with PAASS program development since 2004 and has been a PAASS presenter since 2008.  He is honored to help deliver the program. While he is not an agricultural pilot, Scott has a strong belief in the importance of the industry and is committed to helping enhance the efficacy and safety of aerial application.