About the Safety Requirement
Q: What is the safety requirement?
A: 6-02-02-04.1. Aerial applicator safety instruction: For the safety and protection of persons and property, each operator of a business engaged in aerial application must receive the information provided by the annual aerial applicator safety meeting or attend approved training by the North Dakota aeronautics commission. A chief pilot employed by an operator may attend the meeting in place of the operator. The meeting will be held in the first calendar quarter of each year and address aviation safety, business and operation security, and chemical storage. The commission will provide substitute instruction for operators and chief pilots who for good cause are unable to attend the annual safety meeting. An application for a license for aerial spraying under section 6-02-02-02 will not be approved by the commission unless the applicant's operator or chief pilot has attended the annual safety meeting in the calendar quarter preceding the date of the application or received substitute instruction or information provided by the commission.
Q: How can I meet the safety requirement?
A: PAASS is provided at the annual Tri-State Aerial Applicators Convention. Any PAASS meeting location is accepted, as long as it was attended in the calendar quarter preceding the date of the application.The Tri-State Aerial Applicators Convention is designated as the official annual safety meeting for the purposes of satisfying the annual aerial applicator safety instruction requirement. Review the Policy Memorandum regarding the updated Administrative Rules and the annual safety instruction and maintaining documentation verifying completion of the training that was approved by the Commission on August 11, 2026.
Q: What is PAASS?
A: The Professional Aerial Applicators' Support System (PAASS) is created and presented by ag pilots. New content on relevant topics each year covers key safety and drift mitigation issues important to flying, modern agriculture and crop protection. ND Administrative Code 60-03-01-5.1(4) requires that all applicators seeking recertification must show proof of attendance at a PAASS Program at least one time every three years before recertification may be issued.
Q: Do I have to attend both PAASS and an alternative safety meeting?
A: No, only one safety meeting is required annually for the Owner/Operator or Chief Pilot. (Unless otherwise directed by the Chief Pilot, a pilot only needs to have the FAA Pilot Certificate and a current ND Pesticide Applicator Certificate: Class - Air/Ground core, which may require attending PAASS [once every three years]. Contact NDSU.)
- If you have to attend PAASS to renew your air/ground core certificate, you do not need to attend an alternative safety meeting.
- If you do not have to attend PAASS to renew your air/ground core certificate, you need to attend an alternative safety meeting.
Q: Are there other training opportunities?
A: Yes. You can visit NAAA (National Agricultural Aviation Association) Education Center for valuable online courses (offered at no cost to NAAA members). The Flying in the Wire and Obstruction Environment Course is another great alternative. Unmanned operators can find training through sites like: Remote Pilots and Aerial Applicators Association (RPAAA), Drone Use in Agriculture, and U-PASS.The training must address aviation safety to qualify.
Who Needs What?
- All Pilots:
- Any pilot spraying in North Dakota needs to be listed on an aerial applicator's license and must hold a current FAA Pilot Certificate and a current ND Pesticide Applicator Certificate: Class - Air/Ground core from the North Dakota State University Extension Pesticide Certification Program per NDAC 6-02-02-04(7). Check your status here. Find information about reciprocity here.
- Chief Pilot and/or Owner/Operator:
- 6-02-02-04.1. Aerial applicator safety instruction. For the safety and protection of persons and property, each operator of a business engaged in aerial application must receive the information provided by the annual aerial applicator safety meeting or attend approved training by the North Dakota Aeronautics Commission. A chief pilot employed by an operator may attend the meeting in place of the operator. The meeting will be held in the first calendar quarter of each year and address aviation safety, business and operation security, and chemical storage. The commission will provide substitute instruction for operators and chief pilots who for good cause are unable to attend the annual safety meeting. An application for a license for aerial spraying under section 6-02-02-02 will not be approved by the commission unless the applicant's operator or chief pilot has attended the annual safety meeting in the calendar quarter preceding the date of the application or received substitute instruction or information provided by the commission.