“For insecticides and fungicides, aerial applicators will want to choose a setup that delivers a finer droplet spectrum,” says Magidow. “Unfortunately, that carries a high risk of drift. With an herbicide application, you can use a coarser spray and still get good control. Applicators are always having to balance spray efficacy with drift management.” Several strategies can help applicators prepare for the expected changes to current regulations.
operation S.A.F.E. Administered by the National Agricultural Aviation Research & Education Foundation (NAAREF), Operation S.A.F.E. helps applicators fine-tune and recalibrate spray systems. At S.A.F.E. Fly-In clinics, applicators can have their equipment professionally analyzed for pattern uniformity and droplet size. S.A.F.E. analysts recommend changes to improve aircraft performance; then pilots can run immediate follow-up tests to ensure their systems are set up correctly. “Pilots who participate in S.A.F.E. clinics receive an evaluation of the droplet spectrum being delivered by their airplanes,” says Dennis Gardisser, Ph.D., P.E., president of WRK of Arkansas, which conducts S.A.F.E. clinics, and a licensed commercial agricultural pilot. “They can see whether they are producing fine droplets prone to drift or evaporation, or too many big droplets that hurt efficacy. We help them target droplet spectrum for a specific product or mode of action.”
take a PAASS Another NAAREF program is the Professional Aerial Applicators’ Support System (PAASS) program. Attendees learn about safety and drift minimization. The PAASS program works to reduce aviation accidents and drift incidents by improving aeronautical decision-making skills.
The PAASS program works to reduce aviation accidents and drift incidents by improving aeronautical decision-making skills. Scott Bretthauer, Ph.D., extension specialist with the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, University of Illinois, is a PAASS program instructor and S.A.F.E. analyst. “What we know about the new EPA regulations is certain application products are going to have a buffer zone and this zone can be reduced by using DRT,” says Bretthauer. “So far, there are more questions that are unanswered than answered, but we believe the new regulations will focus on nozzles and adjuvants to begin with.”
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June 2013
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