Do you have a UAV? There are more than 1 million UAVs registered with the FAA. 

A vast majority of UAV users operate in a responsible manner, but since last year the aviation community has seen a number of incidents, including UAVs colliding with a military helicopter over Staten Island, N.Y., and a commercial aircraft near Quebec City, Canada. There was also a near miss between an ag aircraft and a UAV last summer in Iowa. As the ag pilot was passing through about 350 feet AGL, a quadcopter UAV flew under his wing before he could take evasive action.

Agricultural aviators fly as low as 10 feet off the ground, meaning they share airspace with UAVs that are limited to flying no more than 400 feet above ground level. For this reason, the National Agricultural Aviation Association (NAAA) is asking UAV operators to do everything they can to avoid ag aircraft doing important, low-level work. 

"It's incredibly difficult, if not impossible, for agricultural aviators to see UAVs because our members are doing precision agricultural work while flying at speeds of up to 140 mph," NAAA Executive Director Andrew Moore said. "That's why it's so important for UAV operators to be aware of agricultural aviation operations in their area and take precautions to protect individuals both in the air and on the ground."

In addition to lobbying Congress and the Federal Aviation Administration for UAV regulations that protect agricultural aviators and other low-flying manned aircraft, NAAA has enlisted its members and state association partners to help educate farmers, crop consultants, ag retailers and the public about safe and responsible UAV operations in rural areas.

NAAA recommends that UAV operators:

In a test conducted by the Colorado Agricultural Aviation Association and other stakeholders, including manned and unmanned aircraft organizations, and the state of Colorado, no pilot operating a manned aircraft could continuously visually track a 28-inch-wide drone when flying at regular speeds. While they might be spotted for a second, UAVs are not constantly visible to pilots, meaning it's up to the drone operator to avoid a collision. 

When birds hit an ag aircraft, they can break through an aircraft's windshield causing deadly accidents. A study conducted by the Alliance for System Safety of UAS through Research Excellence (ASSURE) showed UAV collisions with aircraft cause more damage than would a bird strike of similar size, due partially to UAVs' dense motors and batteries.

Source: National Agricultural Aviation Association