The National Agricultural Aviation Research and Education Foundation introduces the Professional Aerial Applicators’ Support System (PAASS), a safety education program created to teach ag pilots the latest in aviation safety, security and environmental stewardship. The PAASS Program is offered at state and regional agricultural aviation conferences across the country each year.
The PAASS Program has been successful in helping reduce both drift and agricultural aviation accidents. Data from two Association of American Pesticide Control Officials (AAPCO) surveys, conducted before and after the beginning of the PAASS Program, found a 25.8% reduction in the number of drift complaints.
Agricultural aviation accident rates have decreased from an average of 9.64 incidents to an average of 7.22 incidents per 100,000 ag hours flown since the PAASS Program first hit the stage in 1998. This is a 25.1% reduction in the number of ag aviation accidents since the beginning of PAASS.