5 decades of North Carolina's aerial fire protection Several western states in the United States administer dedicated fire prevention programs that include aerial firefighting aircraft. Very few forestry services in the Eastern United States have aerial resources; one of the exceptions is the North Carolina Forest Service (NCFS). Originally formed in 1960 with two Navy N3N aircraft, then operating within the North Carolina Department of Natural Resources, the NCFS Aviation Program is the oldest, continuous running Single Engine Air Tanker (SEAT) aerial firefighting service in the United States. In 2011, the program was transferred to the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and is based at the Ralph Winkworth Forest Center, North Carolina Forest Service on the Kinston Regional Jetport NTSB reports recap for 2013 AgAir Update has been evaluating NTSB reports for many years. The reports seemingly repeat themselves every year, as far as make and model aircraft involved in accidents and pilot error versus mechanical problems. For many successive years after the Professional Aerial Applicators Support System (PAASS) was implemented, the fatality and accident rate declined. Then, in more recent years, the industry took a significant upswing in the number of hours being flown, as well as the number of new pilots entering the business, negatively affecting the number of accidents and fatalities. However, overall the industry is much safer than it was 20 years ago. | Digital editions of AgAir Update Spanish and AgAir Update Portuguese available! NAAA holds spring board meeting in Washington, D.C. The 2014 Spring Board Meeting for the National Agricultural Aviation Association was held February 14-16, 2014 at the Hilton Old Town, in Alexandria, Virginia. This location is a staple for the spring meetings, as it is very close the NAAA’s offices and gives attendees the chance to interact with their congressmen at the Nation’s capital. Wintertime in Washington D.C. is not for the faint of heart, and this year proved especially challenging to coordinate the first board meeting of the year. |
