Well, Alma was pretty substandard when I last worked there in the 90s, I hope they made it slightly more livable.
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What is the criteria for SEAT’s to fly in CA? Only BLM or FRA fires?
I see both S2’s and SEAT’s on the spring fire
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Unofficially ( don’t know where to dig up the absolute facts), but I believe there is usually a couple SEATS based at Chester AAB. There have been 4 SEATS based at Montague in SKU for about a month and I half I believe.
SRA fire in SKU gets the full boat of state aircraft and the ability to augment with the SEATS.
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At least one of Spring’s SEAT came off Montague this morning.
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I found this in the 2025 CISRM, Aircraft Ordering Procedures Chapter 50 Page 78.
Single Engine Airtankers (SEATs) may be used under the following conditions:
• Used as initial attack airtanker as long as it is the closest resource, and the pilot is IA qualified.
• If pilot is not IA rated aerial supervision must be present.
• Used with other airtankers only if a Lead Plane, Air Attack or ASM is present.
• If the request is filled with a DOI On-Call SEAT, SEMG or ATBM must be identified with contact information and documented in the Special Needs of the resource order block before NICC
assigns a SEAT.
• On CAL FIRE incidents, may only be used to augment Type 1, 2 and Type 3 Multi-engine Airtankers and not as a replacement.
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Copy that. Thanks!
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Officially there are in fact a couple of SEATs based at Chester, for about thirteen or fourteen years now, since AeroUnion went Tango Uniform and the P-3s stopped coming in. They’re on a BLM contract. It’s not the same two every year, of course, there’ve been a bunch of different outfits.
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The year all the type 1 tankers were grounded they had SEATs at a few bases in California, I recall one putting its tail in the brush near Yucaipa and another loosing a turbine over Big Bear and gliding into Big Bear Airport
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I believe the Alma engine was moved to Almaden.
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While we are on the subject of Helitack, is there a long term plan for Auburn? I believe there is a contract ship with a CF crew. Are they going to eventually put a hawk there and make it a base (again?) ?
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Last I heard Auburn was a water dropping only CWN.
The only two Helitack Crews not on an agency ship (as far as I know) are Grasshopper and Gillespie (joint with San Diego Sheriff). Can’t recall the specifics of Grasshopper, but a friend who worked there a couple years ago said it was staffed from the beginning to the end of Peak Staffing. Other than that I don’t know that much about it.
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The courts have a ruling for the guy who crashed into Quebec 246.
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5 alpha Juliet from billings flying service will be off contract tomorrow and leaving millerton. Hope I can get some takeoff photos.
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If it’s not too late, you can probably just walk up and ask. They’re pretty proud of their ships, and don’t mind showing them off (much like PJ).
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I missed my chance because I was stuck in a meeting and they left at 8:00 yesterday. I’ve got a few videos of them flying around.
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From Air Attack FB page regarding grounding of DC-10’s
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“Ladies and Gentleman, this is your Captain speaking, sorry to tell you there will be a slight delay getting you to Los Angelas. We’ve been diverted to do a drop on a fire in Calabasas.”
…I’d buy a ticket on that flight…
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The rain is giving the OCFA board more time to figure out the issues. Ventura and LA counties signed so the QRF is still in socal.
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