Safety & Education Videos

This 22-minute video was produced by NAAREF to aid emergency first responders in the event they are called upon to respond to an ag aircraft accident and possible pesticide spill. Because time is critical for an injured pilot, emergency personnel must quickly protect themselves with the proper personal protective equipment (PPE) for the crop protection product onboard. Rapid identification of the product and information provided by the chemical label will ensure the proper PPE is used. The mixed product in the hopper may have been diluted many times from its original state, thereby reducing its hazard.

The following study materials can be downloaded as a PDF:
First Response Study Guide – An explanatory, companion guide to accompany the video.
Harmony® Extra SG Label – An actual chemical label which may be referenced during training.
Harmony® Extra SG MSDS – A chemical MSDS provided for the same purpose.
AmSafe First Responder Guide – A guide for handling undeployed inflatable seat restraints.
CoAAA 2017 First Response Safety Pamphlet  – Reference material to better facilitate better training methods between first responders and aerial applicators. 

NAAREF held its third annual in-season safety session in an effort to remind the ag aviation industry about the importance of focusing on safety throughout the season. While the 2023 season thus far has fewer accidents than in previous seasons, we cannot afford to let our guard down. Safety must remain a top priority. The session was conducted by a panel of PAASS presenters: Matt Hovdenes, Eric Klindt, Mike Rivenbark, Rod Thomas and Brian Townsend. NAAREF Executive Director Andrew D. Moore opened the session and introduced the panelists. The panel discussed several topics, including operating helicopters in the ag environment safely, avoiding wire strike accidents, and the importance of communication, proper ferrying height, and ADS-B for avoiding midair collisions and runway incursions.

The NAAREF in-season safety session held on June 6, 2022 was a great success. Over 100 people participated in the session. There were five PAASS presenters who served as panelists, including 2022 NAAA president Jim Perrin, 2022 NAAREF President Matt Hovdenes, 2017 NAAA President and Former NAAREF President Dominique Youakim, and longtime operators and ag pilots Craig Bair, and Brian Townsend. Cory Richtmyre joined Jim Perrin, whom Perrin is currently mentoring into the ag aviation industry. The panelist opened the discussion by reviewing accident trends from the 2021 and 2022 season, with key takeaways being high numbers of wire strike accidents and accidents involving helicopters. They then focused the discussion on the topics of wire strike avoidance, mentorship, and helicopter operations.

At the end of May during the 2021 season, there were already five fatal agaviation accidents. In an attempt to draw attention to these accidents and stress the importance of safety, NAAREF held its first ever in-season safety meeting. The safety meeting was held on Zoom and offered to anyone interested in attending. PAASS presenters Randy Hale, Brian Rau and Rod Thomas joined NAAREF president and fellow PAASS presenter Matt Hovdenes in the safety discussion. They were introduced by NAAA CEO Andrew Moore who explained this was the first ever safety meeting held during the season and was convened with the goal of getting ag aviators to have a safety reset for the season.

This video was produced for presentation at the 2015 NAAA Convention’s NAAREF Safety Session. Although the video was primarily a discussion of wires as a hazard to pilots operating in the low level airspace, it also addresses other obstructions such as trees, wind turbines and towers. This video also includes investigation into the new collision concern with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) which are difficult to spot and may be operating in the same airspace with ag aircraft.

This video from the 2020 NAAREF Safety Session features Fran de Kock of Battlefords Airspray in Canada. He graciously allowed NAAREF to film him instructing his students on emergency dumping procedures. In agricultural aviation the goal of course is to apply the load in the hopper to the intended target area. Situations can change, and it is important the pilots know how to conduct an emergency dump, and just as importantly how to safely practice doing it. Fran was filmed both in his classroom and in a dual-seat AT-504. He covers the topic in depth, including the difference between how dumping is typically practiced versus how it will occur during an actual emergency.

This second video from the 2020 NAAREF Safety Session also features Fran de Kock of Battlefords Airspray in Canada. In this video he describes how to land with a fully loaded aircraft. In agricultural aviation the goal of course is to apply the load in the hopper to the intended target area. Situations can change, and it is important the pilots know how to land with a fully loaded aircraft and just as importantly how to safely practice landing fully loaded. Filmed both in his classroom and in a dual-seat AT-504. Don't miss this chance to improve your knowledge about landing with a load.

This thought-provoking video was produced for presentation at the 2016 NAAA Convention’s NAAREF Safety Session. Each year we lose valued Ag Pilots to fatal accidents. Dealing with the tragic loss of a co-worker, close friend, or family member is very painful. Grieving is a natural process that helps us deal with the pain. Although there is no right or wrong way to grieve, there is one feeling that is universally shared and that is the feeling of isolation and of feeling alone during this process. There are healthy ways to cope with the pain, which in time can renew us and help us move on. Although we don’t like to think that something like this could happen to us, there are some things that we can learn. Two Ag Operators have agreed to share with us how they have dealt with a tragic loss in their operations.

This video was produced for presentation at the 2014 NAAA Convention’s NAAREF Safety Session at the request of conscientious operators that attempt to maintain high industry standards. Ethics explores the various components that make up ethical behavior and asks viewers to determine how ethics relates to the ag aviation industry. The goal is for each person to examine his or her own attitudes and operating practices to discover changes that are needed in order to exhibit the highest in moral standards to customers and the community.

This informative video was produced for presentation at the 2013 NAAA Convention's NAAREF Safety Session. Former NAAREF president and PAASS Presenter Rod Thomas moderated a round-table discussion between Wayne Handley, a former California ag operator and professional aerobatic pilot and John “Dusty” Dowd, a Kansas ag operator and aeronautical engineer. The discussion on flying techniques and aerodynamic forces at work on an aircraft in flight is very enlightening and entertaining. The discussion is guaranteed to make you evaluate your own flying practices while flying near the ground.

This timeless video focuses on fatigue, an issue that has been an ongoing problem for agricultural aviators. Aerial application often requires working long hours to complete crop protection operations before the opportunity is lost. In addition to working long hours, busy parts of the season can result in a continuous run of long working days, further increasing the likelihood of fatigue. The NTSB conducted a study on the safety of agricultural aircraft operations and identified fatigue management as an important threat to ag pilots. Dr. Mark J. Ivey, a recognized expert in sleep medicine and a Senior Air Medical Examiner, will present insights into the effect of fatigue on a pilot’s ability to perform tasks required to safely operate an aircraft. Suggestions are given about recognizing and coping with this potentially deadly threat to safety.

Adjuvants can have a big impact on many aspects of a pesticide application and choosing the right adjuvant is critical to making a successful application.Yet attendees of the 2015-2016 PAASS program reported that 44 percent of the adjuvant selection was made by someone other than the operator.Commenters responded that the adjuvant recommendation was frequently made based on the product the dealer sold rather than the one that works best with aerial application. In this informative video, Dr. Bryan Young from Purdue University’s Department of Botany and Plant Pathology explains the properties of the various adjuvants available to the agricultural industry and how they affect the application process.