Direct link to Aug 21st video from Apple Valley News on YouTube
I don't know about you but I always enjoy videos of Fire Boss (scoopers) air tankers scooping water and then flying fires. I long for the day when I can see a Fire Boss up close and personal but until that happens I am happy to watch videos like the one that I shared here for Friday Fun.
Direct link to video from Dauntless Air on YouTube
On early 2009 with the help of my retired air tanker pilot friend, Tom Janney, I began to use this blog to focus on aerial wildland firefighting. Tom died in March 2024 and I wrote a post dedicated to his memory and how he helped me which can be found here. Tom helped my learn about many of the aircraft flying fires in 2009 and was always available if I had questions. Since those early days. I have had a special place in my heart for Single Engine Air Tankers, aka SEATs. Some SEATs, e.g. the Air Tractor AT-802F Fireboss scoop water out of water bodies to use in aerial firefighting. While the capacity of their tanks seems small, about 800 gallons, when compared with larger air tankers they can scoop water from a water source near the fire and make many drops in a matter of a few hours. I learned about Dauntless Air a few years ago and follow them as I can. They have a presence on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter, account required). Dauntless has a fleet of AT-802F Firebosses.
Here is a 33 second video highlighting how the Fireboss scoops water.
For Friday Fun, this is an eighteen minute video from the AOPA's Air Safety Institute about flying an Air Tractor Fire Boss. I am not a pilot, but I did learn a lot from this video. I hope you enjoy it.
