United States

by Jim Tise, as seen in March/April FAA Safety Briefing The FAA is reaching out to communities small and large across the United States to train their EMTs, firefighters, and other first responders on what to know when responding to aircraft accidents on and off airports. Since 2014, approximately 5,000...

William “Bill” Precht, son of Charles and Ella Mae Flourney Precht, was just a boy when he started helping work his father’s and uncles’ 1,200-acre rice and cattle farm in Sweetlake. “I knew a long time ago, I wasn’t going to be a farmer,” said the 84-year-old retired crop duster....

Aerial application is an important aspect of agriculture, and like farming, some people are born with a passion for it.

Tommy Anderson buzzes through the Delta morning sky, his yellow plane crisp and sharp against the wild blue yonder. Lining up an approach, he swoops across a field as spray flutters behind him, dispensed by nozzles lining his wings. In what feels like an instant, he’s covered the length of...

“Drift” is when the wind carries an herbicide application off-target and causes unintended damage to a nearby crop. An average of 400 drift complaints have been filed with the Arkansas State Plant Board each year since 2018 in Arkansas, according to Tommy Butts, assistant professor and extension weed scientist with...

by Clyde Kornegay via TAAA This past month TAAA had an opportunity to participate in a Texas Department of Agriculture training program. Every year TDA conducts training for all field inspectors from across the state, and this year's training was held on February 8 in San Marcos, Texas. This event...

NAAA launches the first certification program for aerial applicators to increase safety and application efficacy.  Aerial applicators, now more than ever, operate in an environment of competing interests. An ever-increasing demand for timely and effective applications is challenged by factors such as added regulatory burden, rising insurance costs, and stiffer...

LAMPMAN - Spitfire Air Service Inc., which is owned and operated by Rick and Lisa Vinck, is celebrating its 25th anniversary serving Lampman and area farmers. Rick was raised on a farm near Redvers and Lisa also grew up on a farm girl, but near Swift Current. They both ended...

Lonnie Dwain (Chick) Clark was a man who lived to tell a yarn. He was funny, never met a stranger, and fed every stray animal he could find. Chick passed away Saturday, March 11, 2023, two days after his 90th birthday. A private family service will be held at a...