10 Tips from NAAA and NAAREF to Keep You Flying Safe

NAAA INSIGHTS

National Agricultural Aviation Association

Nearly a quarter-century ago the poignant phrase “Upon the Performance of Each Rests the Fate of All” was coined as an expression of responsibility and solidarity among aerial applicators. If you’ve ever attended the PAASS Program—the flagship educational program of NAAA and NAAREF—at a state convention, then you have heard those words uttered more than once. NAAA and its sister organization NAAREF take that motto seriously and ag pilots should too, particularly now that the summer flying season is in full swing and all eyes are upon us. With that in mind, here is a daily checklist to follow to ensure your season is safe and productive.

Establish Personal Minimums: NAAA encourages each pilot to establish personal minimums and make them hard and fast rules to live by. In your desire to get the job completed quickly and still do a good job for your customer, it can be very easy to justify an action “just this one time.” Spur-of-the-moment decisions can bite you. Establish your own personal minimums after considering all conceivable hazards and evaluating mitigation measures for those hazards. Once established, the safety bar should not be lowered just because you were able to get away with something once.

Watch Out for Obstructions: Obstructions have always been hazardous to low-level pilots’ health, but the number of telecommunications towers, GPS differential signal towers, meteorological evaluation towers, wind turbines and other obstructions erected in agricultural regions has increased significantly over the past several years. Each year NAAA tracks Part 137 accidents investigated by the NTSB. A review of 2019’s Part 137 accidents reveals that wires were the most common object hit in controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) accidents last year. Wire strikes accounted for 61% of all CFIT accidents and 75% of the fatal CFIT accidents in 2019.

NAAREF feels it is imperative to remind pilots of these potentially deadly hazards and present some suggestions for coping with these in-flight dangers. The foundation produced an obstruction awareness video titled “Wires and Obstructions” to do just that. The video discusses obstructions such as wires, trees and towers that are a hazard to pilots operating in the low-level airspace on a daily basis, as well as UAVs. NAAA and NAAREF encourage pilots to review the “Wires and Obstructions” video as often as necessary to keep these obstacle-avoidance lessons in mind. Watch it at AgAviation.org/safetyeducationvideos.

The Human Factors module of the 2019- 2020 PAASS Program took a closer look at CFIT accidents. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, a CFIT accident is one where an airworthy aircraft under the control of a qualified pilot is flown into terrain. While terrain implies the ground, it encompasses all other obstacles that originate from the ground such as trees, wires and towers—even water. Five CFIT accidents were discussed in the module. A refresher on the CFIT module and the rest of the 2019-20 PAASS Program is available in the Spring 2020 issue of Agricultural Aviation at AgAviationMagazine.org.

Monitor Medications: The FAA has issued new guidance to pilots regarding which overthe-counter medications are safe to fly on.

The list is broken down into two categories: “Go” and “No Go.” The list includes antihistamines, decongestants, cough and pain medicines, as well as medications for rashes and gastrointestinal issues. This information is vital to all pilots, as sedating antihistamines are frequently detected in fatal accident toxicology reports.

Just because a medicine is available without a prescription does not mean it is safe to mix with flying. NAAA strongly encourages pilots to review the FAA’s go/no go list of medications and consult it frequently when taking over-thecounter medications. The full FAA advisory is available at tiny.cc/OTC-meds-for-pilots. It is best to review all of the medications you are taking to determine if and when you can safely fly while taking them.

In addition to the list of medications, the FAA guide lists a series of questions pilots should ask themselves to determine their fitness for flight. If a pilot has taken a “no go” medication, the FAA recommends waiting at least five dosage intervals after the last dose is taken before flying again. For example, wait at least 30 hours before flying if you are directed to take the medication every four to six hours and at least 60 hours if directed to take it every 12 hours.

Guard Against Fatigue: Increased activity leads to longer flying days and less time off for rest. Many times pilot error accidents are the result of poor decision-making that can be traced directly to the effects of fatigue. Fatigue is not always easy to recognize, but when tasks normally completed with ease require extra concentration, chances are the effects of fatigue are starting to seep in. It is a known fact a person is a very poor judge of his or her own physical or mental condition.

For an excellent refresher on the effects of fatigue and fatigue mitigation tips, watch NAAREF’s fatigue video at AgAviation.org/safetyeducationvideos. The fatigue video features advice from Dr. Mark J. Ivey, a recognized expert in sleep medicine and a senior air medical examiner. NAAREF’s “Combatting Fatigue in Ag Aviation” brochure also offers suggestions on ways to identify and mitigate fatigue. To view or download the brochure, visit AgAviation.org and scroll down to the Key Resources section of the homepage.

Drink Plenty of Water: Dehydration sets in quickly when the heat index rises and can lead to more severe heat-related illnesses. Keep yourself and your crew hydrated by providing plenty of fresh water to replace what gets lost during the day through perspiration, urination and respiration. Early symptoms of mild dehydration are headaches, chronic pains in joints and muscles, lower back pain and constipation. Urine with a strong odor along with a yellow or amber color indicates the need for more water. Thirst is the most obvious sign, but people typically don’t realize they are thirsty until well after the shortage of water occurs. Rehydrating is another reason to take frequent breaks.

Ferry Above 500 AGL: When ferrying, remember the PAASS safety phrase “Ferry Above Five and Stay Alive” to keep yourself above power lines, unmarked towers and other ag aircraft conducting spray operations. Another important consideration in many parts of the country is ferrying at or above 500 feet is required by FAA regulations. Flying at a higher altitude has the additional advantage of allowing more reaction time in the case of an aircraft or engine malfunction.

Check FieldWatch (if available): FieldWatch (fieldwatch. com), the online registry created to help reduce drift incidents, is now being used in 22 states and one Canadian province. Thirty-four different specialty crops have been registered on FieldWatch at more than 20,000 sites. FieldWatch operates several online mapping tools. DriftWatch is where specialty crop growers can register their crops. BeeCheck is for registering apiaries, and CropCheck is for row crop producers to register their crops. FieldCheck is the tool applicators can use to interface with these various registries to avoid making applications that would put the registered sites at risk. FieldWatch is smartphone friendly. FieldCheck and BeeCheck apps are available for iOS and Android operating systems.

Check Temporary Flight Restrictions: As the presidential campaign kicks into high gear, so too will the number of VIP Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs). Checking TFRs before you fly is always important, but you should be even more vigilant about checking VIP TFRs until the elections are over. The FAA recommends obtaining TFR NOTAMs from your local flight service station (FSS). For the latest information, call your local FSS at 1-800-WX-BRIEF. Make sure you have proof you made the effort to comply as verified by briefing records at your flight service station.

Beware When You Have Low Time in Type: Agricultural aviation accident statistics have revealed that pilots who have low time in the type of aircraft they are flying are at significantly higher risk of having an accident. Of the total number of accidents from 2006 to 2015, 39% occurred with pilots having less than 500 hours in the accident aircraft. Pilots with less than 100 hours in the aircraft made up 14% of those total accidents. This increase in accidents is seen for both new and experienced pilots. While overall experience is always a positive thing, you will still be at a disadvantage when you start in a new aircraft no matter how many hours you have. Even if you have 10,000 hours of ag time but are starting the season in a different type of ag aircraft, you are in a high-risk category. Regardless of your experience level, taking the time to ease into the season is the prudent course.

This can especially be true when the new aircraft you’re flying is faster and heavier than your previous aircraft. Differences in how controls are laid out can take time for your mind to adjust to. Muscle memory doesn’t develop overnight, so when you first transition to a new aircraft you will need to think more about where things are located in the cockpit. If the aircraft has a GPS system with which you are unfamiliar, that too can increase the time it takes to get familiar. It can also cause a distraction if you are forced to break your concentration in order to figure something out or fix an issue with the GPS. When you switch aircraft or key equipment, concentrate harder and give yourself more time to react. If something is especially distracting, gain some altitude or better yet land, before you attempt to resolve the issue.

Fly Safe! These are but a few of the safety reminders NAAREF sends to operators and pilots through ongoing Fly Safe alerts. Fly Safe messages are shared with NAAA members and non-members—specifically, all operators and pilots with a valid email address on file with NAAA. These important safety alerts are sent every other Monday in April, May, June and August and every Monday in July, which historically has been the peak month for ag accidents. Additional safety reminders are issued whenever aviation activity warrants them. If you are a Part 137 operator or ag pilot who has not been getting Fly Safe, please contact NAAA’s Scott Bretthauer at (202) 546-5722 or sbretthauer@agaviation.org to be added to the recipient list.

Although this advice is free, the resources to produce it is not. Funding for NAAREF services and programs, such as PAASS, the Fly Safe campaign and Operation S.A.F.E., comes from NAAA and other donors willing to invest in the future of agricultural aviation. We invite you to join the cause of preserving and protecting the aerial application industry, your livelihood and your life by joining NAAA if you aren’t a member already. To join, call (202) 546-5722 or visit or visit AgAviation.org/membership to join online.