NAAA issues safety warning for UA operators

Agricultural aviators treat 127 million acres of crop fields in the United States each year and perform a variety of services that help farmers increase productivity and protect their crops.

“With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine restricting a huge portion of the world’s food supply, we cannot afford even a small disruption in the nation’s food supply chain,” NAAA CEO Andrew Moore said. “Agricultural aviators deliver nutrients, seeds, and crop protection products to crops that will become consumers’ food and fiber supply in the US and around the world. Their work cannot be delayed because of an unmanned aircraft not yielding to them, as is required by law. 2021 was a big year for aerial applicators, and we expect demand for aerial application services to be even higher in 2022.”

Agricultural aviators fly as low as three meters above the ground, meaning they share airspace with UAs that are restricted to flying no more than 120 meters above ground level. For this reason, NAAA urges UA operators to do everything they can to avoid agricultural aircraft doing important low-altitude work.

NAAA recommends that unmanned aircraft operators:

• Give the right of way to a manned aircraft. It’s the law
• Equip drones with tracking technology, such as ADS-B In, so you will know ADS-B Out-equipped manned aircraft positions
• Get certified and sufficiently trained in the operation of unmanned aircraft
• Contact local agricultural aviation operations before flying, by consulting AgAviation.org/findapplicator
• Equip UAs with visible strobe lights and high visibility marking.

Small UAs can be virtually invisible – and potentially lethal – to agricultural aviators, air ambulance helicopters, law enforcement and other low-flying manned aircraft operating in the same airspace. In a test conducted by the Colorado Agricultural Aviation Association and other stakeholders, including manned and unmanned aircraft organizations, and the state of Colorado, no pilot operating a manned aircraft could continuously visually track a 28-inch-wide drone when flying at regular speeds. While they might be spotted for a second, UAs are not constantly visible to pilots, meaning it is up to the drone operator to avoid a collision.