Reflections on SEATs (800 gallon tanks)

I have always had a lot of respect for Single Engine Airtankers (SEATs). Perhaps it is because SEATs were among the first type of tankers that I wrote about when I began this blog eleven years ago. Or perhaps it is because the New Jersey State Forest Fire Service contracts with SEATs for the spring wildfire season.

For this article, I am offering my reflections on SEATs with 800 gallon retardant tanks, many of whom were on some sort of national contract.Then there are the SEATs that are on State contracts. I think that some of these SEATs with 800 gallong tanks are Air Tractor 802F SEATs with the amphibious model being the Air Tractor 802F Fire Boss.

There are a lot of videos out there showing various aspects of SEAT operations in support of the wildland firefighters on the ground and I have shared many on my blog over the years, some more than once. Most of what I know about SEATs are from these videos along with some assorted newspaper and tv reports that I have seen over the years. I have a lot of respect for what the SEATs can do, sometimes I have seen them operate in pairs, bring twice the retardant capability to help the wildland firefighters on the ground. They do not require long landing strips. I suspect, but am not certain that they can operate off of dirt or turf strip if need be.

I know that the little that I know through watching videos and reading some articles only scratches the surface of what these SEATs can do. I applaud these gutsy smaller tankers that have a big heart. Kudos to their pilots and their support team.

Here are two videos for your enjoyment, at least you may have already seen ar least one of these videos on this blog. But reruns are always good.

The first video is from the Lake County Examiner in Oregon, an eight minute video report from the SEAT base with some discussions with SEAT pilots. I enjoyed the discussion of base operations as well as the insights of the SEAT pilots.


Direct link to video on Youtube

The second video is a little over two minutes taken from the cockpit of a SEAT over a  February 2018 wildfire in Texas.


Direct link to video on Youtube