Intro to multi-engine airtankers

In addition to SEATs and helicopters, multi-engine air tankers are available for aerial wildland fire fighting support. The Interagency Airtanker Board maintains a list of SEATs, helicopters, and multi-engine air tankers that are certified for fire fighting. This is a list of specific aircraft by tail numbers. The tail numbers are tanker numbers, two or three digits, assigned by the Interagency Airtanker Board.

The aircraft on this list are available for nationwide contract, but it does not mean that they actually fly. The only aircraft that fly are aircraft that are listed as being under nationwide contract.

For example, I have a copy, now outdated of the 2008 Federal Contract Airtanker List, these were the listing of the 21 multi-engine air tankers available for nationwide contract in 2008. If I understand correctly, these air tankers are moved around the country dependent on the fire seasons. For example, there may be more air tankers available in the south during the spring that will be moved out west for fire season out west.

The 2009 Federal Air Contract Airtanker List is not available yet. At least I don't have a copy. If and when I can find a copy on the web, I will include a link in a later blog entry.

Over the next three weeks or so, I am going to be writing about various types of air tankers, including but not limited to those that were available for nationwide contract in 2008. Most multi-engine air tankers are former military aircraft converted for use for firefighting. In some cases, the conversion did not go well. I will include one or two of these cases.

Finally, I will include air tankers owned by state fire fighting agencies including California, North Carolina, and Minnesota. In the case of state-owned (or contracted) multi-engine air tankers, it is difficult to find specific information on the web. California may be in class by itself. I found information about Minnesota and North Carolina in my wonderings on the web.

So stay tuned.