Happy New Year (Fiscal That is)

Today is the last day of the fiscal year.  So we had to celebrate with a New Year's Party.

Hamilton SEAT Base

Sept. 3rd and 4th I was working at the Single Engine Air Tanker base in Hamilton, MT.

The pumpkin Blivit is full of water.  It holds about 5000 gal.

The yellow tanks hold the LC (liquid concentrate retardant) and mixed retardant (ready for dropping)

Tanker 487 was waiting for a dispatch. 

These smaller airtankers hold about 800 gal of retardant for dropping.

The amount that they actually can carry depends on how hot it is, the elevation and how much fuel it is carrying.

The hotter the day and the higher the elevation the less that can be carried.

The 41 complex can be seen in the background.  It was kicking up quite a bit on Sunday.

 Andrew was the fuel truck driver/retardant loader for Tanker 487.

He was born in Ireland and moved to the US when he was 10.

He had a slight accent left.

He is washing the airtanker.

Dale is the watertender operator.

We use Dale for trucking retardant and water when needed.

(He brought his guitar and played a few songs for us)

Dennis Davis is another SEAT manager that was working.

His regular job is at MTDC (Missoula Technology and Development Center)