A Year of Celebration

The National Agricultural Aviation Association (NAAA) Annual Convention and Exposition (December 9 to 12), held in Reno, Nevada, played host to yet another event in P&WC’s celebration of the 50th anniversary of the PT6 engine. The celebration was actually launched at the NAAA’s 2012 event and saw the iconic engine feted with a variety of special events and initiatives throughout the course of the year. “We had a number of special activities at this year’s NAAA event that focused on the PT6 engine,” says Nicholas Kanellias, General Manager, Sales and Marketing, General Aviation, P&WC. “We hosted several events, including a unique daylong PT6 engine seminar dedicated to familiarizing pilots with the engine and how it serves the very demanding needs of aerial applicators.”

P&WC also participated in the PT6A Turbine Engine Concurrent Session. Concurrent sessions are organized by the NAAA, with assistance from its Allied Industry Committee, to provide information of general interest to the aerial-application industry. P&WC employees Yves Houde, PT6A Customer Manager, Customer Service, and Carl Mason, a field support representative and a specialist in the agricultural industry who is based in Dallas, Texas, represented P&WC on the PT6A Turbine Engine panel. Also sitting on the panel were P&WC designated overhaul facility representatives and other service providers. The panel discussions gave customers the opportunity to ask questions of industry experts.

A highlight for P&WC at this year’s NAAA gathering was receiving the 2013 NAAA Agrinaut Award. The Agrinaut Award is presented to an agricultural aircraft (ag) operator or operating organization that has made an outstanding contribution to the field of ag aircraft operations. The achievement for which the award is granted must be for the benefit of the agricultural industry as a whole. The award was accepted by Denis Parisien, Vice President, General Aviation, P&WC, at a banquet during the convention. “We have historically nurtured a solid relationship with the agricultural sector,” says Parisien. “Specifically, we have worked closely with the NAAA for many years and view its annual conference as an ideal opportunity to meet with operators and educate ourselves on their evolving needs. Many of our initiatives designed to better serve the agricultural industry can be traced back to the relationships we have built through the NAAA and the insights we have gathered. To have been awarded the Agrinaut Award was truly an honour for us as it recognizes the contribution that P&WC has made to the agricultural industry over the years.”