This particular 802 AirTractor is set up as a S.E.A.T, a Single Engine Air Tanker.  S.E.A.T.’s, of which the 802 is the most common, are used to fight wild land fires.  These planes are used extensively throughout the western United States during the summer wild fire season.  They aren’t limited to the west however as they are used all over the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii.  For that matter, they are used throughout the world.

They are adaptable for essentially any mission that involves applying a substance to the ground from an airplane.  For fire fighting, the 802 can deliver a variety of products to the fire.  The red stuff you see them dropping from the planes on the TV news is a clay based liquid retardant. The retardant has a coloring agent added to it to make it easily visible from the air when being applied. A gel based suppressant is also frequently used, which can also be color coded. When the situation dictates, such as operating near a river or lake, just plain old water can be used.

The airplane can easily be refitted for spraying crops when the fire season is over.  It has also been successfully deployed applying chemicals to control oil spills in the ocean!  The military has successfully adapted them for a variety of operations including missile deployment.

The 802 is the worlds largest currently manufactured (there have been bigger ones) single engine airplane.  It weighs in at 16,000 pounds and can carry an 800 gallon load of fire retardant (or other substance).  It is powered by the reliable Pratt and Whitney PT6 turbine engine, which produces approximately 1350 horsepower, depending on the specific version of the  PT6.