UNITED STATES
manufacturing business that makes a John Deere seed boot mounting hole repair kit that Craig devised. Craft is back on NAAA’s Executive Committee after serving as NAAA’s treasurer in 2014 and its immediate past treasurer in ’15. He also is a past president of the North Carolina Agricultural Aviation Association and was its representative on NAAA’s board in 2020 and ’21. There are plenty of good things happening in agricultural aviation, but the industry also faces serious challenges. In terms of what is going well, Craft said, “The technology is phenomenal. It’s only getting better. The tools we have to work with are getting better by leaps and bounds, allowing us to be more efficient. Using less crop protection materials. Using less manpower. Using less fuel. We’re really making strides in that part of the industry.” On the other hand, regulatory matters are a seemingly neverending challenge. “There’s almost a relentless push against our industry from Washington,” Craft said. “If it wasn’t for NAAA, I’m not sure we’d even still have an industry at all. We could very easily go the way of Europe and be regulated out of existence. NAAA can’t do it alone, however. All aerial applicators need to be mindful of matters and affecting the industry and willing to pitch in, Craft observed. “All of us to some extent are riding on the coattails of the efforts of others, but we all need to do more. People who are not members need to join and support their state and national organization, and the ones that are members we need to get them to step up and participate in the associations. Not just attend but participate.”
Secretary Ray Newcomb (New Hampshire) Ray Newcomb is the co-owner of JBI Helicopter Services in Pembroke, New Hampshire, with his wife, Donna. Ray grew up on a dairy farm and fell in love with aviation at an early age. He graduated from Hawthorne College in New Hampshire in 1983 with an associate degree in aeronautical engineering, a bachelor’s in business and a commercial helicopter pilot’s certificate to go with his commercial fixed-wing license. In late 1983, Ray joined Joe Brigham as the first employee of Joe Brigham Inc., the registered trade name of JBI Helicopter Services. Newcomb bought Brigham out in 1995. Since then, JBI has expanded from three helicopters to 13. JBI’s fleet includes Bell 206 Jet Rangers, Bell 206L LongRangers and B 4 | agairupdate.com
Bell 407s. The company performs pipeline patrol, mosquito abatement, forestry, cranberry and corn applications, cover crop seeding and aerial firefighting across the Northeast and throughout the country. The Newcombs have 70 employees between JBI Helicopter Services, Craig Avionics and T&M Aviation in Louisiana. Even though he had been a member of the Northeast Agricultural Aviation Association (NEAAA) for 20 years by then, Newcomb did not become an NAAA member until 2017. “I was aware of [NAAA]. To be honest, though, I was confused and didn’t quite understand what NAAA did,” he confesses. “Then once I found out, I wished I’d been a member a long, long time ago. It’s NAAA that is marching the effort forward to Washington and allowing us to do what we do.” Newcomb says he now has a much better grasp of how much NAAA does for the industry, including important ongoing work like ensuring that products are labeled and relabeled for aerial use. “We can put our blinders on and think about just flying and how we’re going to apply the product, but if you don’t have a product labeled for it, the helicopter and the airplane are useless,” Newcomb said. “Having NAAA and having people like [Government Relations Chairman] Damon [Reabe] that have taken an expressed interest in making sure that these products are labeled is just unbelievably important.” Newcomb is looking forward to serving as NAAA’s secretary and taking on a larger role with the association than he has for the past five years as the NEAAA representative on NAAA’s board. “Without the volunteers and the staff, we wouldn’t have an industry. I firmly believe that. When I talk to people that aren’t members, I try to educate them. I say, ‘You know what? I was in your shoes once also. So just join and come to a meeting. I think you’d be appreciative of what they do.’ These people are doing a job for our industry, and we should be appreciative of that and help in any way we can.”
Treasurer Darrel Mertens (Colorado) Darrel Mertens is entering his 39th season as the owner/operator of Aero Applicators Inc. in Sterling, Colorado. Aero SEAT Inc. is the aerial fire contracting arm of his company. Between them, Mertens has six full-time and four part-time employees and five turbine airplanes. Two Air Tractor AT-802Fs are used exclusively for fire work, while an AT-402 and 602 are reserved for full-time ag work. The fifth aircraft, an AT-802 with a Transland Switchback system, quickly converts from ag to fire work.
