Editorials

40 years of AgAir Update   AgAir Update has been bringing ag aviation news to ag pilots for a long time, at least 40 years. I have been involved with the publication for most of those years. It has been challenging to find the origin. The publication is probably older. I...

At Night With A Satloc   I had an AgAir Update reader email me about an article he had “dug” up from 1994. Gee, that was 27 years ago! I finally found the article stored away in the archives. It brought back many memories.   In the article, I visited...

The NAAA has gotten really good at hosting an international convention, and this year in Savannah was no exception. Starting Sunday, December 5 through Thursday, December 9, the 100th anniversary-themed Ag Aviation Expo was held at the Savannah convention center. To both Georgia and Savannah’s credit, there basically were no...

To be a professional ag-pilot, it takes experience in all elements of time. For me, I used only to log flight time annually. The FAA told me otherwise. However, logging every flight mission to comply with an FAA inspector didn’t last. It was never brought up again, so I returned...

An oft-quoted maxim is that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Although this has a literal meaning – picture those huge links on the anchor chain of a large ocean-going ship – the figurative meaning usually applies to the people, technology, or administrative steps in a...

AgAir Update and agriculture advocate Michelle Miller, aka “The Farm Babe” team up to bring readers a monthly column that sets the record straight on agricultural and environmental myths and misconceptions.  Each month, Michelle will highlight a hot-button topic common in agriculture misinformation, and expand on the truth. Every article will...

I am simply not going to preach in this editorial about the onslaught of fatalities thus far into this 2021 spray season. I’m sure that everyone is aware. However, it does bring up two topics that are indirectly related. Reports are that this year is probably one of the more...

Have you read the NAAA’s June 28 “Fly Safe Campaign” newsletter, “Fly Safe or Die?” If you haven’t, you should. Eight fatalities, all for the most part avoidable, is extreme. It appears that there are two primary causes, wire strikes and stall/spins. Oftentimes, wires will sneak up on a pilot....

As I’m writing this, an exceptional summer day in the northern hemisphere is starting. Three months of hot weather will be forthcoming, guaranteed for the southern U.S. states, that will stretch into early fall. I’m just elated to be “here”, hot or cold or whatever the weather. But, allow me...

In less than two months, on August 3, 2021, a milestone will be reached for ag aviation. The 100th anniversary of the first aerial application of a crop protection product will have arrived. According to the National Agricultural Aviation Association on their website dedicated to celebrating and bringing awareness to...