The Air Tractor AT-802 comes with four variants, each with its own distinct livery: Standard, Firefighter, Sprayer, and Spreader.
The AT-802 is a single-engine, low-wing, multi-role specialized aircraft with a primary focus on agriculture application operations and aerial firefighting. Developed and manufactured by American aircraft producer Air Tractor, the AT-802 airframe has been developed into several purpose-specific variants. These include the single-seat AT-802A agriculture application model, the single-seat AT-802F line of firefighting aircraft, and the AT-802U “Sky Warden” two-seat, multi-role, special application military variant.
Air Tractor developed the AT-802 airframe based on decades of agriculture aviation innovation experience. The company was founded by aeronautical engineer Leland Snow, who first identified the need for a specialized agriculture chemical application aircraft in the early 1950s. At the time, no aircraft for such a purpose existed. Pilots primarily used surplus Boeing-Stearman Model 75 biplanes and Piper J-3 Cubs for “crop dusting,” named so as many of the chemicals applied were dry powder in form. Snow recognized a series of criteria ideal to an ag aircraft: it needed to be able to carry a large load of applicant; its load needed to be well positioned relative to its center of gravity; it needed to fly steadily at a measured rate of speed eight feet above crops; it needed to be optimized aerodynamically for precision application of chemicals with minimum dispersion; and it needed to have the power to pull up steeply and turn sharply at the end of each application run, what would come to be called an “ag turn.”
Based on his recognized criteria, Snow created the Snow S-1, a single-engine, low-wing monoplane with an open cockpit and fixed standard undercarriage. Powered by a 220-horsepower Continental engine, the S-1 took its maiden flight in 1953 and Snow began using it for crop dusting in Texas and in Nicaragua. The aircraft, which produced downwash behind the wing which helped place chemicals exactly where intended, performed far better than any other at the job. Snow then developed the Snow Aeronautical S-2, the first production purpose-built agriculture aircraft. After years of successes and evolutionary iterations of his initial design, Snow founded Air Tractor in 1970. The pinnacle of Snow’s work, the Air Tractor AT-802, took its maiden flight in 1990. The AT-802, which shares the basic design as the S-1, is today the world’s premier ag aircraft.
The airframe is most notable for its AT-802A variant, which is the world’s largest single-engine agriculture application aircraft. It can carry a load up to 9,495 pounds with a hopper capacity of 800 US gallons. It is used for chemical spraying, dusting, and seeding. Pilots know the AT-802A as powerful and exceptionally precise in its performance. Notably, the aircraft is ideally balanced so that it remains stable throughout an application job, from full hopper to empty.
The AT-802F is the airframe’s precision firefighting variant. Considered a SEAT, or single-engine air tanker, the AT-802F can deliver up to 800 gallons of fire retardant through its computer-controlled delivery system. The AT-802F can be fitted with amphibious floats for water scooping fire suppression operations. The AT-802U Sky Warden is a tandem two-seat, multi-role, military variant. The Sky Warden can be fitted with a variety of weapons and sensors for a broad array of purposes, including ISR (intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance) collections, forward observation, and light attack.
The AT-802A measures 36 feet in length, stands 13 feet tall, and has a rectangular main wing with a span of 59 feet, 3 inches. It features a standard empennage, a fixed traditional undercarriage, and has a reinforced, high-visibility canopy. It is powered by a Pratt & Whitney PT6A-65AG turboprop engine that generates up to 1,295 shaft horsepower that turns a Hartzell 5-blade, constant-speed, reversible propeller.
The AT-802A has a range of 610 miles, a service ceiling of 13,000 feet above sea level, a climb rate of 780 feet per minute, and a fully loaded take-off distance of 2,000 feet. It has a flaps-up stall speed of 107 miles per hour, a cruising speed of 191 miles per hour, and a working speed range of 130-160 mph.
| CRUISE SPEED | 160 KTS |
| ENGINE | 1 Turboprop |
| MAX ALTITUDE | 13,000 Ft |
| RANGE | 530 NM |
| EMPTY WEIGHT | 6,505 lb |
| MAX WEIGHT | 16,000 lb |
| FUEL CAPACITY | 308 Gal |
| LENGTH | 37.50 Ft |
| WINGSPAN | 59.30 Ft |
