President

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Vice President

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Secretary & Treasurer

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Past President

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Director

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Director

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Director

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Director

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Director

Chad Vanderbyl

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Tanner Denesowych

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James Pottage

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Ted Anderson

George Giesbrecht

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Cory Sharpe

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Laura Lawrence

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Ryan Gidych

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Jeff Farr

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2019 SAAA Distinguished Award Of Performance

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Congratulations Gary Moffat

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It is my pleasure to present a very special award tonight 

It is the Distinguished Award for Performance in memory of Penny O’ Carroll 

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This award is meaningful because I know Penny is with us here tonight as she is very pleased to be remembered this way. She had a ton to contribute to our industry and our association. She was taken from us all too soon. 

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And I also know she is endorsing this choice, because this year’s recipients is a character, a fighter, a resilient person He is somehow likeable even when I think he is wrong – just kidding. 

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This year Penny and I are pleased to present the award to Garry Moffat of Specialized Spray Systems based in Lethbridge Alberta. 

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Lethbridge may be Garry’s base, but his real home has been airports, farmer yards, grass strips, the highway, gravel roads and his RV. 

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For many, many years Garry has been providing mobile, on site spray pattern testing and certification services. His start he says was in 1982 – a great majority of you ag pilots were not even in God’s plan just yet. 

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This certification work he did then, and even now is hindered by weather and it takes a great deal of planning and then patience to be ready to work when the weather opp presents. 

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However, you will never find Garry miserable. He has this “what can you do” demeanor, a cheeky smile and a hearty laugh. 

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There is hardly an operator, whether it be air or ground, in Western Canada that doesn’t know Garry and I know first hand how often Garry’s clinic has been called upon sometimes at the last minute to assist an operator with his setup. 

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Garry works very hard to keep up with the technology and he is often challenged, even by me! While it’s true that Garry and I have been in competing roles at times, our friendship is based on both of our intents to try and support the industry and help the industry to evolve. 

​But as a colleague of his, I can tell you Garry has taught me a lot. We have

collaborated on many projects together. I have immense respect for how hard he has worked, respect for his story and respect for his contributions over the years. 

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He has a sidekick named Chad, who happens to be Garry’s son, that is taking on more and more of the lead role at Specialized but he and Garry are very much a team. Succession planning at its finest. 

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Garry I know that your real love is not fast airplanes, it is Nascar racing 

so good on you for finding a way to make a living that allows an occasional pass through Vegas and Florida NASCAR roadways. 

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AS I’ve said, this world of pattern testing is continually evolving. And this ag air industry has evolved big time. 

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Garry we want you to know that we respect all you have done for our industry – whether it’s challenging us, introducing new spray methodology, being there for the parts call, making a difference in whether an operator could aerially apply or not, or just sharing laughs with you, 

I am honored to present you with this award tonight on behalf of Penny, your peers and the Saskatchewan Aerial Applicators

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Syngenta Leadership At Its Best 

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Congratulations to our Vice President Chad Vanydbyl who has been chosen as one of the NAAA participants in Syngenta 2020 Leadership At Its Best Conference (aka The NAAA Leadership Program). This is an invaluable experience that offers the prospect personal and professional growth  and the opportunity to make many new friends and contacts within the agricultural aviation industry.  

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The 2020 Leadership At Its Best Conference will start in Raleigh N.C Jan 27th - 29th and finish the second half in Washington D.C January 30th - 31st.

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LAIB has been training future leaders for more than 30 years —4,500 people trained so far, and counting.

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Each year, a diverse class of about 48 growers, processors and retailers attend LAIB to develop the skillsets required to be confident ambassadors of agriculture. LAIB alumni have gone on to be leaders in their organizations, spokespersons for American agriculture, and government officials.

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Unmarked Tower Update

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We have been recommend to report any unregistered cell or meteorology towers that exceed 50' AGL to NAV CANADA.

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In the past, creating a tower data-base was extremely challenging. New technology like ForeFlight has created the ultimate tool that every pilot should have in their cockpit.

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ForeFlight has the ability to filter and magnify low-level obstacles in your area and will for-warn pilots if they're approaching a low-level hazard. 

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If Foreflight doesn't recognize a tower you have spotted. Nav Canada may be unaware of it. 

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"NAV CANADA is committed to becoming the world's most respected air navigation service. Our main focus is operating a safe and efficient system, however to ensure that we are meeting your expectations we want to hear from you. NAV CANADA is listening."

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NAV CANADA Customer and Stakeholder Services provides customers with a single point of contact to express concerns or to obtain answers to your questions about NAV CANADA.

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The hours of operation are from 8:00 to 18:00 EST, Monday to Friday.

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There are several ways to contact NAV CANADA depending upon the nature of your question or concern. Please select one of the following:

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Email

service@navcanada.ca

​Telephone

1-613-563-5588

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North America

1-800-876-4693

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​Toll-free fax line

1-877-663-6656

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HEAD OFFICE 

Address

​77 Metcalfe Street
Ottawa, ON K1P 5L6

Mailing Address

​NAV CANADA
P.O. Box 3411 Station 'T'
Ottawa, ON K1P 5L6

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Presidents Message

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Saskatchewan New Horizons Fall 2019

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My term as president of the SAAA certainly has been an event full one. We saw the SEAT program finally become a reality after being a dream of many for decades, it is limited to a few Operators at this time, but it will only grow from here. We are in the process of reviewing and updating our bylaws which were outdated and need to reflect our members needs. We have had weather extremes of drought and flooding which has been trying for farmers and aerial applicators alike. Commodity prices have gone from highs to lows which has been trying for everyone in the industry. 

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We have had some younger board members take on leadership roles which is great to see. Chad Vanderbyl will be assuming the Presidents role at the SAAA AGM and is also now the CAAA Vice President. He has recently been accepted into the Syngenta Leadership Training Program. We have been guaranteed a candidate for the Leadership Training Program in the past but this year that was not the case but Chad was accepted, definitely a feather in his hat. I am sure he will be an excellent leader bringing new ideas and ensuring the longevity of our industry. 

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This year after two years of drought in the South West few have been busy however crops are looking better and next year should be better. Now we need a good fall to get the crops off which are late this year throughout the province. 

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Plans for the Wings of Saskatchewan Conference are coming together, and I am sure Marilyn will ensure that we have another great conference. Hopefully see you all in Regina!

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Ted Anderson

President

Saskatchewan Aerial Applicators Association

News 

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Local Company Pays it Forward​ to STARS

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A local company, who has been a part of the community since 1971, is giving back to STARS, in more way than one.

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Kindersley Air Spray, which is owned and operated by the Bevan family in Kindersley, had a goal of giving back this season as they pledged to make a donation per application. They started tallying donations in June and ended up raising $14,500 for STARS Air Ambulance.

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Colin Bevan, owner operator of Kindersley Air Spray, said the idea to raise money for STARS came easily.

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“We have always thought of STARS as a highly valued service to the community and are thankful to have it and we just wanted to help out and give back.”

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The monetary donation is not the only way Bevan and his company pay it forward to STARS. As of last year, Kindersley Air Spray supplies jet fuel for the STARS fleet when they are called out to emergencies in the west central area.

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“Over a year ago, we started supplying jet fuel for STARS, which during the incident at Tervita last summer, having that fuel, they were able to get the man that was injured – they were able to get him to the hospital quicker and let him get the care he needed as soon as possible.”

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Bevan explained that moving forward, with STARS new fleet alignment, although the new aircraft may be better suited for the role, he said they are short on range. In turn, this creates a need to have local fuel available for when an Air Ambulance gets dispatched to our area, a need that Bevan said he is happy to fill.

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Bevan, on behalf of Kindersley Air Spray, said he will look to present the cheque for $14,500 to STARS in the coming days.

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Colin Bevan and his family business, Kindersley Air Spray, will be presenting a cheque to STARS Air Ambulance for just under $15,000, thanks to their per application donations this season. 

(Photo Courtesy: Kindersley Air Spray)

Flight

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Stories of Canadian Aviation

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Deana J. Driver and Contributors

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Wartime plane crashes, an airborne engine fire, a ramshackle air traffic control tower, and flights of fame with Canada’s Snowbirds aerobatics team are among the true stories in this fascinating new anthology. In their own words, or with the help of author Deana Driver, Canadian pilots and aviation enthusiasts share their stories of adventure, assistance, and sometimes failure in this salute to the Canadian aviation industry and its people.

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TO BE RELEASED OCTOBER 2019

'Early Bird' Pre-Order Form        Or Online at: www.driverworks.ca/shop.html

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If you or someone you know has a great story of Canadian aviation to contribute to the next volume of Flight, please send your submission by email or mail (below) to author-publisher Deana Driver or contact Deana to make arrangements for her to write the story.

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Deana Driver, DriverWorks Ink
110 N. McCarthy Blvd, Regina SK S4R 6A4
ddriver@sasktel.net    306-531-3171

For other inspiring Prairie stories, visit: www.driverworks.ca

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Upcoming Events

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Question or Concerns about Aircraft Flying around you?  Visit our Commonly Asked Questions, and Information Video Page.