Saskatchewan Aerial Applicators
Update Nov 25/2020
2022 Membership available online January 1 2022
To renew your CAAA Membership, please contact CAAA
2021 Operator Map
Are you Graduating from Aerial Application Training?
2019 & 2020 Graduates are eligible for a free one-year SAAA membership!
Contact: saaa.administration@sasktel.net
Presidents Message
Saskatchewan Fall/Winter 2021
Greetings fellow aerial applicators from Saskatchewan!
For readers that do not know me, I am the incoming president of the Saskatchewan Aerial Applicators Association. A quick background: I was born into this industry and I started from the ground up mixing at 15 yrs. old and getting into a seat for 8 years becoming our families 2nd generation Ag pilot! I’m one of the last to start small and make my way up starting with flying a Pawnee, Weatherly, AT 401, Thrush S2R, and finally Turbo Thrush. I have been attending industry shows from a very young age and I have first-hand experience on how important our respective Provincial associations including the CAAA are to not only the advancing Pilots and operators professional development but to the ground and office staff and most importantly spouses who attend our educational seminars.
I’m very excited to be the SAAA President and want to thank my fellow directors and membership for believing in me and my want to continue to bring value to our associations so we are all better next season then we were last season.
2021 was one of the worse years on record for most operations in Sask, but pre-harvest application continues to grow in Saskatchewan! If it wasn’t for the CAAA working relationship with PMRA in the past our aerial application industry would look very different today. This continues to be a very strong example of how important our associations are for everyone in our industry.
Yes, Water Volumes are currently under the microscope and the CAAA is actively working with Registrants to produce updated data to help our current labeling. This will take time and funds to bring our field equipment and spray clinic to Ottawa to display our industry maturity and pass on to the Government of Canada all the testing and professional practices we’ve adopted to remove common stereotypes that Aerial Application Market is labeled with.
I cannot stress enough how important it is to support our associations, not only in tough times but it’s important we have a constant strong membership that gives us weight when we approach new challenges that arise in our industry that we all love!
We are all in this together and I truly believe our industry is ready for challenges that will present themselves in the future!
I’m very excited to continue sitting on the CAAA board and continuing the growth of the SAAA! I’m always available for any concerns or questions any members may have and please do not hesitate to contact me!
I’m looking forward to and hope everyone can make it to Montreal this this year, I will see you there!
Sincerely,
Tanner Denesowych, 2022 SAAA President
News
Ag Aviation Adventures
Share The Air Awareness Posters
June 24, 2020
Saskatchewan Aerial Applicators have developed a Share The Air posters to bring awareness of the increasing number of low-level ag aircraft flying throughout the growing season. SAAA has asked Saskatchewan Aviation Console (SAC) and Canadian Owners and Pilots Association (COPA) to circulate these posters to all members and ask their members to hang both poster at their local airport terminal/clubhouses to help bring awareness and educate fellow aviators flying through Saskatchewan skies this summer.
Awareness Posters are available for download. Please help spread the message!
Welcome to DriftWatch
Communication + Cooperation + Collaboration = Successful Co-existence
DriftWatch ™ was designed by staff from the Purdue University Agricultural and Biological Engineering and Agricultural Communications departments with input and support from Purdue University Cooperative Extension Specialists. It is now operated by FieldWatch, Inc, a non-profit company created by Purdue in collaboration with interested agricultural stakeholder groups. For more information, visit www.fieldwatch.com.
This DriftWatch registry tool is meant to help pesticide applicators and specialty crop growers communicate more effectively to promote awareness and stewardship activities to help prevent and manage drift effects. Our data set is overseen by state-appointed stewards who verify each area submitted to the registry. The boundaries on the map are not property lines, but user-submitted specialty site designations. Furthermore, DriftWatch is not intended to be a registry for homeowners or for sites less than half an acre in size.
This site features a powerful map interface that clearly shows applicators the locations of registered specialty sites so they can use the information in their ongoing stewardship activities before they spray.
In addition to user-submitted sensitive crops, the map interface provides other data layers that give further insight into sensitive and protected areas, as well as help, identify county/township/section jurisdictions.
Crop Spray Challenge
May 2020
To help offset immediate fundraising shortfalls at STARS due to Covid-19, Colin Bevan – Kindersley Air Spray is challenging all other Sask. Crop Sprayers to raise some extra funds for STARS.
STARS is a charitable, non-profit helicopter air ambulance organization that works with community partners to save lives through rapid and specialized emergency medical care and transportation. Throughout these challenging times, STARS’ air medical crews, pilots and helicopters continue to be mission-ready 24/7, available to fight for the life of the next patient in need.
Kindersley Air Spray is donating $0.10 per acre. What can you do?
If you wish to take part in this and would like to support STARS, please contact Tammy Beauregard at STARS tbeauregard@stars.ca 1(306) 659-1508
March Celebrates Women in Ag Aviation
Laura Lawrence, a Saskatchewan Aerial Applicator member was recently interviewed for AgAir Update March edition that Celebrates Women in Ag Aviation. Laura has been flying for Provincial Airways based out of Moose Jaw and has recently joined the SAAA board.
When it comes to aviation, it always helps if a parent is your aviation mentor. Canadian ag-pilots Laura Lawrence's father flew in the Royal Canadian Air Force as a flight instructor in the PC-9. He was a pilot for the Canadian Snowbirds Air Demonstration Squadron. He later became a captain fir WestJet. While Laura was growing up, she often flew "right seat" with him.
Laura got her chance at an aviation career by working at a local ag operators airport on the ground crew while earning her Commercial Pilots License and later flying a C-172 for aerial photography work. She decided to become an ag pilot and attended Battlefords Airspray school for her training. She started her first season in a C-188 Ag Wagon in 2017. in 2018, she flew the AT-401 and now has thee seasons completed.
Laura agrees on something that is very common for women flying as in: Growers arrive at the airstrip and ask her,
"Where is the pilot?" and she replies, "I'm the pilot."
Growers feel a little embarrassed and surprised. They are not used to seeing a woman flying a spray plane. It’s only a matter of time and the surprised faces are replaced with a more natural look, "Hi aviatrix! Are you the pilot spraying my field today?"
Unmarked Tower Update
November 1, 2019
We have been recommended to report any unregistered cell or meteorology towers that exceed 50' AGL to NAV CANADA.
In the past, creating a tower database was extremely challenging. New technology like ForeFlight has created the ultimate tool that every pilot should have in their cockpit.
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.
If Foreflight doesn't recognize a tower you have spotted. Nav Canada may be unaware of it.
"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."
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.
The hours of operation are from 8:00 to 18:00 EST, Monday to Friday.
There are several ways to contact NAV CANADA depending upon the nature of your question or concern. Please select one of the following:
Telephone
1-613-563-5588
North America
1-800-876-4693
Toll-free fax line
1-877-663-6656
HEAD OFFICE
Address
77 Metcalfe Street
Ottawa, ON K1P 5L6
Mailing Address
NAV CANADA
P.O. Box 3411 Station 'T'
Ottawa, ON K1P 5L6
Upcoming Events
DEC
6
DEC
9
Ag Aviation Expo
Savannah Convention Center
Savannah, Georgia
17
FEB
19
FEB
Virtual AGM Conference & Trade Show
TBA
Montréal, QC
