SEAT training held at Boundary County Airport
Photo by SARAH JENKINS SEAT Training at the airport Thursday.
Photo by SARAH JENKINS Pilot Richard Spaulding greeting Jim Kibler, Idaho Department of Lands.
Photo by MARK ELIOT Teams practice filling up the SEAT for the upcoming fire season.
Courtesy photo: Mark Eliot Pilot, Richard Spaulding addressing the group.
BOUNDARY COUNTY-Thursday, July 7, multiple agencies were on hand for a single engine air tanker (SEAT) training at the Boundary County Airport. Paradise Valley fire, North Bench fire, South Bench fire, Hall Mountain fire, and a representative from Idaho State Patrol were on hand to practice for the upcoming fire season. The SEAT was piloted by Richard Spaulding from Queen Bee Air Specialties out of Rigby, ID.
Queen Bee Air Specialties operates 8 AT-802 SEAT aircraft. Each are equipped similarly and far in excess of the OAS required minimum equipment list.
According to Ken Homik, Idaho Department of Lands, "this was a was wonderful opportunity to have practice hot loading a SEAT". Each department had a chance to practice loading the SEAT prior to real time. The SEAT has the capability of dropping water on a fire all at once or spreading it over an area.