History of the Oklahoma Agricultural Aviation Association
Specific information regarding the exact origins of OAAA seem lost forever to history. Several meetings were held at Texas A&M, at College Station, Texas as early as 1950. Several meetings were held more or less informally in Oklahoma in the 1950's but with no continuity until the present association was formed as Oklahoma Aerial Application Association, around 1960; Skid Henley may have been the first President. Records start in 1977 when the first annual meeting was held in Oklahoma City and WOAAA was formed with Jewell Horne as President. Jim Curtis was hired as Executive Director that year. The name was changed to Oklahoma Agricultural Aviation Association.
In 1980, the meeting was moved to Fountainhead Lodge to become independent of the Ag Chemical Association. Issues addressed that year were the Friends of the Earth petition to EPA, basically restricting aerial application to leaving buffer zones of 1000 feet from all boundaries of the field. In Oklahoma, legislation was introduced to require 30 day notice of all aerial application to interested parties, neighbors, etc. Also that year, the Super Sooner, a project, a project of OSU Aeronautical Engineering Dept, was introduced as a new tricycle gear, turbine powered ag aircraft. Larry Roth, Ag Engineering professor at OSU, requested support for buying a computer to operate a new swath deposition measuring system. The Silver tongued Dr. Roth walked away with $500 of OAAA money plus $1050 in individual contributions to fund his new development. Also in 1980, Skid Henley was awarded the first lifetime membership.
In 1982, the annual convention was held at Montego Bay Lodge in Lawton. 1983 returned the meeting to Oklahoma City at the Holiday Inn and included the first statewide retesting and recertification under the new pesticide application law. In 1984, Eldon Cleveland replaced Jim Curtis as Executive Director and the OAAA and OSU held the first pattern check fly-in at Chickasha, using Dr. Roth's new equipment.
1985 brought a controversy caused by the aerial overspray of test plots of Chickasha, destroying several research programs. Six fly-ins were held in 1986. The annual meeting was changed to January in 1987 and has been held in January in Oklahoma City as the most convenient location and time ever since.
1989 brought the media blitz from National Resources Defense Council and Hollywood actress Meryl Streep, concerning "poisoning" children with Alar contaminated apples. Eldon Cleveland resigned as Executive Director and was replaced by Max Craighead. In 1990, Ronnie Booker was President. It was during his term that the excise tax was lifted on agricultural aircraft.
NAAA and OAAA efforts in 1991 resulted in the exemption of ag pilots from a drug testing plan originally formulated to test for illegal drugs all commercial pilots and many others in the nations' transportation systems. In 1992, the many uses of pesticide parathion were cancelled and the remaining uses restricted. The OAAA's constitution and by-laws were extensively revised in the year also.
The FAA, in 1993, proposed greatly expanding the paper trail in maintenance records of every nut and bolt in all small aircraft. OAAA and NAAA devoted some effort to resisting that form of government overkill. In 1994, the first membership directory was published. The Legislative Calf-Fry was initiated in 1996 to better acquaint legislators and aerial applicators. Terry and Lola Mundell were volunteer suppliers, cooks, and entertainers. The annual convention was held at Metro Tech in Oklahoma City in January of 1997. Several revisions of the constitution were passed. In 1998, an expanded membership directory, which included advertising and the constitution and by-laws, was published. This year also brought the change of Executive Director from Max Craighead to A.L. "Punk" Bonner. The first PAASS program was held in 1999.
September 11, 2001, When Al-Qaida terrorists crashed 2 planes into the World Trade Center Towers & 1 plane into the Pentagon, this showed how world events can affect small local businesses in faraway rural America. At first the skies of America were cleared of all non-military aircraft, then several days later some were released to resume flying, including agricultural aviation. Evidence linking the terrorist to agricultural aviation caused the FBI and other authorities to shut down our industry two more times before the NAAA and state organizations convinced them to allow routine application to continue normally in most places.
At the January 2003 meeting, the OAAA elected it's first woman president, Ramona Floyd. July 2003 saw a transition in Executive Director from Punk Bonner to Jerry Sullivan, then July 2004 from Jerry Sullivan to Terry Mundell, and then in 2007 from Terry Mundell to Sandy Wells.
Written and compiled by Jim Floyd based on his research of old records and in visits with the surviving 'old timers' of the OAAA. Any additional information, insight or comments would be greatly appreciated.
Specific information regarding the exact origins of OAAA seem lost forever to history. Several meetings were held at Texas A&M, at College Station, Texas as early as 1950. Several meetings were held more or less informally in Oklahoma in the 1950's but with no continuity until the present association was formed as Oklahoma Aerial Application Association, around 1960; Skid Henley may have been the first President. Records start in 1977 when the first annual meeting was held in Oklahoma City and WOAAA was formed with Jewell Horne as President. Jim Curtis was hired as Executive Director that year. The name was changed to Oklahoma Agricultural Aviation Association.
In 1980, the meeting was moved to Fountainhead Lodge to become independent of the Ag Chemical Association. Issues addressed that year were the Friends of the Earth petition to EPA, basically restricting aerial application to leaving buffer zones of 1000 feet from all boundaries of the field. In Oklahoma, legislation was introduced to require 30 day notice of all aerial application to interested parties, neighbors, etc. Also that year, the Super Sooner, a project, a project of OSU Aeronautical Engineering Dept, was introduced as a new tricycle gear, turbine powered ag aircraft. Larry Roth, Ag Engineering professor at OSU, requested support for buying a computer to operate a new swath deposition measuring system. The Silver tongued Dr. Roth walked away with $500 of OAAA money plus $1050 in individual contributions to fund his new development. Also in 1980, Skid Henley was awarded the first lifetime membership.
In 1982, the annual convention was held at Montego Bay Lodge in Lawton. 1983 returned the meeting to Oklahoma City at the Holiday Inn and included the first statewide retesting and recertification under the new pesticide application law. In 1984, Eldon Cleveland replaced Jim Curtis as Executive Director and the OAAA and OSU held the first pattern check fly-in at Chickasha, using Dr. Roth's new equipment.
1985 brought a controversy caused by the aerial overspray of test plots of Chickasha, destroying several research programs. Six fly-ins were held in 1986. The annual meeting was changed to January in 1987 and has been held in January in Oklahoma City as the most convenient location and time ever since.
1989 brought the media blitz from National Resources Defense Council and Hollywood actress Meryl Streep, concerning "poisoning" children with Alar contaminated apples. Eldon Cleveland resigned as Executive Director and was replaced by Max Craighead. In 1990, Ronnie Booker was President. It was during his term that the excise tax was lifted on agricultural aircraft.
NAAA and OAAA efforts in 1991 resulted in the exemption of ag pilots from a drug testing plan originally formulated to test for illegal drugs all commercial pilots and many others in the nations' transportation systems. In 1992, the many uses of pesticide parathion were cancelled and the remaining uses restricted. The OAAA's constitution and by-laws were extensively revised in the year also.
The FAA, in 1993, proposed greatly expanding the paper trail in maintenance records of every nut and bolt in all small aircraft. OAAA and NAAA devoted some effort to resisting that form of government overkill. In 1994, the first membership directory was published. The Legislative Calf-Fry was initiated in 1996 to better acquaint legislators and aerial applicators. Terry and Lola Mundell were volunteer suppliers, cooks, and entertainers. The annual convention was held at Metro Tech in Oklahoma City in January of 1997. Several revisions of the constitution were passed. In 1998, an expanded membership directory, which included advertising and the constitution and by-laws, was published. This year also brought the change of Executive Director from Max Craighead to A.L. "Punk" Bonner. The first PAASS program was held in 1999.
September 11, 2001, When Al-Qaida terrorists crashed 2 planes into the World Trade Center Towers & 1 plane into the Pentagon, this showed how world events can affect small local businesses in faraway rural America. At first the skies of America were cleared of all non-military aircraft, then several days later some were released to resume flying, including agricultural aviation. Evidence linking the terrorist to agricultural aviation caused the FBI and other authorities to shut down our industry two more times before the NAAA and state organizations convinced them to allow routine application to continue normally in most places.
At the January 2003 meeting, the OAAA elected it's first woman president, Ramona Floyd. July 2003 saw a transition in Executive Director from Punk Bonner to Jerry Sullivan, then July 2004 from Jerry Sullivan to Terry Mundell, and then in 2007 from Terry Mundell to Sandy Wells.
Written and compiled by Jim Floyd based on his research of old records and in visits with the surviving 'old timers' of the OAAA. Any additional information, insight or comments would be greatly appreciated.