Class News

Rick Hatton ’64 on “Wildfire Containment and Suppression From the Air”

January 23, 2025

Rick Hatton ’64 presented a talk on January 23, 2025, to 71 classmates and guests via Zoom on the subject of “Wildfire Containment and Suppression From the Air.” The talk is part of a series of talks by classmates on various topics organized by Joe Wishcamper ’64. The Q&A session which follows the talk was moderated by Sam Callaway ’64.

Rick’s company, 10 Tanker, flies a refurbished DC-10 airliner converted for aerial firefighting by the addition of a belly tank to contain and release a fire-retardant chemical as the airplane roars above the treetops. For more information about aerial firefighting, see an earlier BBC interview of Rick Hatton.

The following 84-minute video starts with brief introductions by Joe Wishcamper and Sam Callaway, followed by Rick Hatton’s 40-minute talk, followed by 40 minutes of Q&A.