Fresno, California was the meeting place for this year’s Conference. Situated almost at the geographical center of the State it is surrounded by four National parks and is the heartland of California’s agricultural industry. The climate is described as semi arid and certainly one of the hot topics at our Stand was the lack of water this past season and the overall impact that had on the industry as a whole. Several Contractors advised us that their revenue was down as much as 60% which had made for a very lean operating season. Fortunately this did not affect the whole State and many had enjoyed a successful season.
Over the past couple of years we have had requests for two additions to our product range, they were an optional secondary information screen and a Lightbar arrangement.
We showed the prototype screen which is now referred to as the “DynaView” which amongst its many attributes can show a continuous moving map as the work is being carried out. This however is a very small part of its total operation and at the NAAA we will demonstrate its many other functions.
The Lightbar issue is continually discussed in our meetings with Pilots and Contractors. Although a guidance instrument (our Dynaviz) provides greater safety, accuracy and functionality, we understand the operating comfort level a “Lightbar” provides having been in use for over 20 years. At the show we demonstrated our ability to link and operate any “Lightbar” currently available in the market in order to provide a transition technology to a modern guidance instrument such as our DynaViz.
The comments we received for both of these new technologies was very positive and we thank you.
The highlight for us at this Convention was the “60’s” theme Awards Dinner. Another great event organized by Terry and Nicole. Unfortunately Reg and I were not aware of the theme and looked rather drab compared to the rest of the gang. The images below speak for themselves but we would like to add a couple of comments regarding two of the awards given.
We have worked with Hummingbirds for a couple of seasons and have been fortunate to provide our DynaFlight systems to Bob and Jason. We were aware that Jason was involved in a previous career with Vid production but were amazed at the quality of the product that has been produced for the CAAA. During the year Jason had mentioned what he was working on but we had no idea as to the level of his professionalism and expertise. As Jason comments towards the end of the presentation, “Agriculture is the last of the noble professions”; we agree and are also proud to be part of it.
Having now seen the finished product which so well represents the CAAA it is very fitting that both Bob and Jason have received awards from their Association for their very great effort and we would also like to extend our congratulations.
60's Award's Banquet, great fun for all.
This was our third visit to attend the AAAA which is something that we have come to look forward to every year. Although for us it is a very long way to go for just a one week visit the hospitality that we enjoyed along with the interest in our products and systems made it well worthwhile. We noticed a very different atmosphere at this year’s event in that although most operations had had a good season as a result of the weather the International economic downturn has caused considerable caution in all business decisions.
That said, our stand at the show was very busy and we enjoyed meeting many of the folk that we have got to know over the past two years. We have to admit that our progress in the Australian market has been slower than we expected but, it is our belief that this will change over the next few months.
Innovations in GPS technology generally is still galloping along at a very rapid pace and certainly the enhancements that we have made to both our in air product as well as the office administration software proves the point. We were however, a little surprised at the lead article on the front page of the June 2009 edition of the AgAir update which announced that “Hemisphere GPS interfaces with Google Earth”. This is a product that we at DynaNav integrated with our systems some two years ago and has been an invaluable tool to both Pilots and Operators on many fronts. Our announcement of this integration can be found on this web site under “What’s new”.
Reg with Mark McDonald, Atherton Tableland Air Services
"Party time" Australia............ Surfers style New technology debate
This year’s choice of the Kananaskis region of Alberta as the location for the Convention was very popular with all who attended. The Delta Inn at Kananaskis is in the heart of one of Canada’s National Parks with spectacular scenery and a great selection of winter sports and activities to choose from. Not only was it a choice location for recreation but also a near perfect venue for the official side of the event. We would like to congratulate the organizing committee on a job well done as from our perspective the Show was very busy and the social events great fun.
The keynote speaker for the opening lunch, Mr. Gordon Welsby, gave a very interesting presentation on “The Effect of Human Factors in Aviation”. This is an area of particular interest to Dynanav as we have researched the related areas of Situational awareness, ergonomics and cockpit resource management as part of the design processes in the development of our DynaFlight systems. A summary of our work can be found on our web page at www.dynanav.com under “News and Events”, at “The Road Forward”.
It was also very interesting to note that once again the primary topic of conversation at our Booth, other than that of our products and systems, was the disappointing service support, product reliability and productivity currently being experienced from other manufacturers in our industry. We have heard this same message across North America and at the various shows that we have attended this year. We would like to emphasize again that we have solutions for these challenges and invite you to contact us through our e-mail at airag@dynanav.com or at our toll free number 1-877-333-9626.
The beginning of another successful show
Scenes from around the Delta Lodge at Kananaskis
Although we have not visited this Convention and Show for at least the past four years, we were warmly welcomed to this year’s event. Many Operators and Pilots welcomed us back to Mississippi and were very interested in the latest developments to our company as well as the products and systems that we currently offer the market place.
Our range of offerings is expanding as we continue to develop new ideas and solutions for the Air-Ag business and as we pursue integration activities with other manufacturers. This results in specialty products and services that provide flexible, productive, efficient and profitable solutions for the Air-Ag industry.As we have done at the other recently visited events, we emphasized our focus on service support and product reliability.
As we enter what will be a challenging 2009 market place it will be crucial to ensure that our customers experience reliable, productive systems that provide the best return on investment and that contribute strongly to their company’s profitability.
To ensure that this goal is met, we provide a three (3) year warranty (best in the industry) which can be indefinitely extended for a small annual fee through our “ServicePak”, program. Full details are on this web site under the “Support” section.
This great technology deserves to be in your aircraft
Strong attendance on the show floor Jack Frost of Frost Flying Inc., with Reg
"The Friendly Giant", aka Barry Martin Here's another friendly face; Bill Lavender,
of Tennessee Aircraft Co. AgAir update
This was our second trip to Arkansas to attend this very busy event. Last year we had a wonderful welcome from all the participants and delegates and much interest in our products and systems which resulted in a very successful show for us. This year, not only were we greeted by many friends from last year but we were also honored with the Exhibitors “Best of Show”, award. This was very unexpected and we feel very privileged especially considering the caliber of the other Exhibits and their Presenters. Thank you Arkansas.
We continue to develop new ideas and solutions for the Air-Ag business and with our product integration activities with other manufacturers; our range of offerings is continuing to expand. It is apparent that we are on the right track as there was much interest at the show in our ability to work with other manufacturers of specialty products and services in order to provide flexible, productive, efficient and profitable solutions for the industry.
We wish to emphasize again our focus on service support and product reliability. During the upcoming challenging years, “uptime”, will be a crucial consideration for profitable “bottom lines’. We provide a three (3) year warranty (best in the industry) which can be indefinitely extended for a small annual fee through our “ServicePak”, program. Full details are on this web site under the "Support", section.
David Glover, incoming President of the AAAA presents us, (Reg and Dave) with the "Best of Show"
award which, as can be seen from the size of our grins, was very enthusiastically received.
Scenes from in and around the very well attended Convention - Show floor.
Back to Vegas for another few days of living in the world of make believe which at the present time has to be good for the soul. It was good to hear however that many of the folks that we met at our booth had had a fairly reasonable season. A couple of our new customers had in fact never put so many hours on their aircraft as they did this past year. Good to hear those stories however, 2009 will be a challenge on many fronts. The shrewd resourceful operators however, will source many new opportunities in these changing times and we hope that we can be of help and assistance along the way.
This year’s Convention attracted approximately 16 to 1800 participants which is apparently close to a record; our congratulations to the organizing committee and staff, we certainly enjoyed the show and it was good for business.
This year there was much interest expressed at the show in the ability of our company through its products and systems to have the flexibility to integrate with other manufacturer’s equipment. This will add many benefits to the market place by providing a variety of options in goods and services for any specific application needs. This is particularly important at the present time as we move into challenging times through 2009. Keep an eye on this web site over the next few months for results of our activities in this area.
We were pleasantly surprised by the number of our new clients that visited our stand many, with only one season with our products. Their comments were very encouraging and as we have said many times we appear to be on the right track in terms of product acceptance and performance and perhaps most importantly our service support programs.
This great piece of technology deserves a DynaFlight system
New owners of DynaFlight-AirAgII systems drop by for a visit.
Paul Newby, Agwagons, Montana with friend Russell Chuck Heppe, Chuck's Choppers, California
Ferguson
Vern Moen, our Technical Director with Bruce Hubler of Don Newton, Newton Ag, Montana
Valley Air Service, Idaho
San Luis Obispo was the venue for this year’s Convention and what a great choice. Close to the Ocean and one of California’s oldest communities dating back to the founding of the Mission San Luis Obispo De Tolosa in 1772. For us Canadians it had an additional benefit, it was pleasantly warm. Terry and Nicole did an outstanding job this year from the content of the Convention to the Show arrangements and especially the visit to Hearst Castle.
From our perspective the Show was particularly successful and we had many opportunities to discuss the state of the market and some of the challenges and thoughts for 2009. The need for more reliable, innovative, technically advanced and productive products came through loud and clear. There was much interest and discussion in our products as well as our direct to end user approach in both sales and service support activities. With a more challenging and demanding economy for 2009 this, direct communication channel will negate “downtime” concerns and will contribute towards improved “bottom lines”. Look under the “Support” section of this web site for more details of our “ServicePak”, program and other support arrangements.
Jason from Hummingbirds Inc., California, discusses his experiences using a DynaFlight system
Familiar happy faces Ag-Pilot in training
Well stocked Bar for thirsty folk Mindy doing her thing at the Calcutta
We were very pleased to return to Australia this year to attend the AAAA Convention as it was the 50th anniversary of the association; our congratulations on this achievement. It was a pleasure to chat with the many friends that we had made last year and to hear that in a lot of cases the weather had turned in their favor and that they had had a reasonable season. Unfortunately the drought still continues in many other areas of Australia and our sympathy and wishes for better times goes out to those folks.
Talking of challenges we had our own on this trip as our entire Show simulator system, weighing in at a mere 186 lbs, went missing in Sydney Thursday the previous week to the show. After a stressful weekend, it fortunately and mysteriously arrived at the Hobart airport the morning of the show (Tuesday) and we had it up and running by mid morning.
Because of the level of interest in our product and systems in Australia, we have chosen to place two demonstration units with Operators, one in Queensland and the other in New South Wales. These two units will be in service in aircraft in the next few weeks. We have been advised by both Operators that they would be pleased to show the systems to other Pilots and Operators. If you wish to see what a DynaFlight system can do for you, drop us an e-mail or give us a call and we will put you in touch with the appropriate Operator.
Dynanav's booth the first morning of the show Up and running and enjoying the Reception Tuesday evening
Light refreshments Aussie style Great attendance at this years Convention
Hobart looking west towards the Tasman Bridge Hobart, with the Wrest Point H/Q just right of center on the waters edge
Traveling from the west coast to the east reminds one just how large and diverse our great country is. From the spectacular mountainous regions of the west across the immense central Plains to the historic maritime regions of the east coast, we are all very fortunate no matter where we live. We had the opportunity to meet with many fellow Canadians and to chat about the challenges and demands that we all face in the Aerial Ag business. Ours is one of staying on the leading edge of technology in order to provide the industries that we serve with the very latest solutions in order for them to maximize their efficiency, safety and productivity. “Time waits for no man” is a very relevant saying in our business and it is important to understand that old technology does not provide for efficient use or profitability. As an example, we have incorporated three new product enhancements into our systems in just the last six months all of which contribute to its performance in one way or another.
Recognizing the necessity in the industry for improvements in operational safety, productivity and profitability we presented at the show technologies that address those needs and will take the industry well into the next decade. Our product is the future and is here today to serve the Aerial Ag business
Setting up the Simulator for the show
The most photographed lighthouse at Peggy's Cove
Peggy's Cove
The bus tour to Peggy's Cove
The Church near Peggy's Cove
Thank you Arkansas for a great show and convention, your warm welcome was very much appreciated as was your interest in our products and technologies. We fully understand that our approach to aerial guidance, mapping and data gathering is very different from the rest of our industry. It was very gratifying however, to realize how many of you very quickly, in just one area of our technologies alone, recognized the familiarity of our DynaViz instrument to that of a "HUD" unit. In our opinion for the continuing drive towards safety and productivity in the Aerial Ag industry, this is where guidance systems should be headed and where all information necessary for the Pilot to do his job should be located.
Our thanks go to Brent Short for all his help in selecting our Booth position for us. It was exactly what we needed and displayed our technologies to perfection.
Here’s our Booth fully assembled and ready for action. Much technology on display this time ranging from the DynaFlight-AirAgII™ system, the “LaserAce” height over ground instrument and the Auto-Cal flow control system. Also shown was our web page in real time and from our ground management package the Google Earth mapping system.
Here’s Reg, President of DynaNav dialing up the system prior to show opening. As can be seen he is trying to put the room through a heavy ‘G’ force left banking turn.
Always crowds at our Booth. Thank you again Arkansas.
Here, Reg runs through the information displayed on the DynaViz unit with Larry Lester.
Ag-Pilot in training. This young fella handled our system pretty well; unfortunately we did not get his name or his father’s. If you know, please get back to us.
The industry has come a long way since the first “crop dusting”, of a field in Ohio in 1921 by a modified US army Biplane to the level of sophistication being offered by manufacturers of specialty million dollar turboprop aircraft today. Certainly the show demonstrated that fact in all the technologies from the many manufacturers that were on display.
Definitely technology is moving ahead at a very rapid pace in our sector, that of GPS guidance systems.
Again, as we did in California just a month ago, DynaNav introduced new technology that in some applications will make the Ag-Pilots life easier, safer and more productive. This time it was the introduction of the integration of the “LaserAce” unit from Ag Laser, L.L.C. into our products. To our knowledge, this is the first accurate in flight vertical height over ground recording and reference system installed in a GPS guidance, data gathering and mapping system. As the saying goes, “you saw it first at DynaNav”. Full details are in the December 2007 issue of the AgAir update or can be viewed on our web site under “Press”.
DynaNav also had the opportunity to make a presentation to the conference entitled “THE ROAD FORWARD”. In this we discuss the importance of Cockpit resource management, ergonomics and situation awareness and how they affect and contribute to our approach to the design and implementation of our products. We strongly believe in a safer and more productive workplace for the Ag-Pilot.
The presentation can also be viewed on our web site under “News and Events”.
It was our pleasure to attend the CAAA in November and meet with some of the three hundred licensed Ag Pilots of the region. Have to admit we were surprised to learn that these guys fly some 100,000 combined hour’s per season and contribute in a big way towards a very productive $30 billion Ag economy.
For them to do this on a continuous and productive basis they will need the latest and the right tools for the job. We hope that they liked some of the new ideas that have been incorporated into DynaNav products.
In order to demonstrate our products fully we chose California to introduce our full flight simulation system including a couple of new ideas to the North American market. This allows us to demonstrate a fully operational DynaFlight-AirAg11 system whereby a professional Pilot can grasp our difference in approach to aerial guidance.
New technology introduced at the show included “The Roadway Guidance System” and the inclusion of “Google Earth”, mapping systems in our ground based software.
The Roadway Guidance System, as many Pilots have now said, is like driving your car down the center line of a road. It is very intuitive to use and is displayed directly in the line of sight of the Pilot on the DynaViz screen and therefore forms part of his instrument scanning process.
Google Earth mapping is another incredible tool that we have chosen to integrate with our products as part of our ground management systems. We first adopted this product for a forestry mapping project in Germany early in 2007. German Forestry officials currently use our systems programmed with Google Earth output to maintain infield quality control. These combined systems are now also used in Europe for Mosquito control.
In the U.S. our system has experienced success but also in a very different arena. An Aerial Ag operation was accused of Chemical Trespass. Fortunately by providing the authorities with a Google map overlay they proved very quickly and conclusively their innocence.
In our opinion both these new products add to the safety, productivity and overall performance of the Ag Aircraft and the Pilot’s that fly them.
back to topIn June 2007, DynaNav attended the annual AAAA Convention and Show held at the Royal Pines Resort near Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Australia.
This was a new venture for DynaNav, which had previously focused on other industries and applications in North America and Europe.
DynaNav received a typically Aussie welcome, full of openness, down to earth honesty, friendship and absolute hospitality.
Many friendships were made and opportunities discussed which are still being explored.
We were very honored to receive the annual Exhibitors Show Award for the most innovative and interactive product. Here, Reg Moen, President of Dynanav receives the award from Conrad Bolton, the current President of the AAAA.
Don Blanch, AAAA's 2007 Air Ag Pilot of the year, tries his hand at the system.
The AAAA provided the perfect booth for displaying DynaNav's new simulator, which dynamically and interactively shows exactly how DynaNav's system works under flight conditions. Here, Reg Moen, President of Dynanav stands ready for the show.
Simulator in operation, illustrating the pilot's forward vision and the Dynaviz operating screen positioned directly in his line of sight as it would be in his cockpit.
Here is another view of the entire system: the screen where all information is displayed, the processor unit (built to industrial standards and the most powerful and lightest in the industry), and the specialized joystick which controls all functions of the system.
DynaNav's system, excluding only the joystick
Always much activity around the booth including interest from members of Aerial Precision Guidance Co., one of whom is seen operating the system.
DynaNav's system is so intuitive even kids can operate it! Here, eleven year old Mitch Armstrong flys the system with his twin sisters helping.
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