Turbine Conversions, Ltd Announces the Approval of Hatfield Hydraulic Fire Gate by ANAC Brazil

Turbine Conversions, Ltd founders Bill and Nancy Hatfield have been pioneers in the singleengine air tanker equipment with their Hatfield Hydraulic Fire Gate. The gate was designed in response to requests by SEAT pilots needing a reliable system that could live up to the demands of the operation.

The innovation of the Hatfield Hydraulic Fire Gate, which received STC SA00961CH in 1998, filled this request. Bill & Nancy’s involvement in the early days of the Single Engine Air Tanker Association (Bill as President and Nancy as Secretary) helped establish the foundation of the SEAT program as we see today in the United States.

The Hatfield Fire Gate became one of only 3 approved fire gates by the United States BLM/ USFS and started TCL’s expansion into support equipment for the Ag Aviation industry. TCL has received approval in Canada, Argentina, and now Brazil on the systems. After two decades, TCL fire gates continue to be reliable equipment fighting fires on both sides of the Equator and are now is approved by ANAC Brazil.

“TCL has been working to bring their fire gate technology to Brazil and is pleased with the recent ANAC approval. Our fire gate will be an essential tool in supporting the emerging firefighting program in Brazil. Approved for all models of Air Tractor (402,502, 602 and 802) makes it unique. The Hatfield Fire Gate’s innovative longitudinal opening design features a less than 2-second full salvo drop, four-level settings, Emergency Dump safety feature, lightweight design, and proven reliable hydraulic system making it a leader in the industry. All fire gates are manufactured in a PMA FAA-approved facility located in Nunica, Michigan, USA. There is also a bypass adapter available so that aircraft can continue to make liquid spray applications while the fire gate is installed, expanding the potential of the gate without any extra work.

TCL is confidently bringing this product to Brazil in cooperation with our partners with Brazilian Ag Aviation Industry leader Fabiano Zaccarelli and his team at AeroGlobo Aeronaves. “We have invested time and resources to prepare AeroGlobo Aeronaves’ team to support new owners of the Hatfield Fire Gate with quality installations, a network of technical support, and an inventory of spare parts. Having worked with AeroGlobo Aeronaves since 2017, we are confident that Brazilian owners of TCL equipment will receive superior customer support equal to what our American customers receive,” according to Ann Hatfield-Grahek, Director of International Sales. Our partners, AeroGlobo Aeronaves in Botucatu SP Brazil, are available to provide quality sales, installation and parts support on TCL’s behalf”, Ann Hatfield- Grahek, “As a company, we are very proud of the durability and reliability of our fire gates. There is no excuse for downtime while on fire contracts, and our track record in the field speaks for itself.”

“Although there has been little need for parts support, we know that fires don’t stop because of technical issues, and we won’t tolerate downtime. This is why it is so important to have this infrastructure in place,” said Bill Hatfield, developer of the Hatfield Fire Gate and president of TCL, “We never want one of our customers to be down for any reason. Their safety is our first priority.”

The first two fire gates are already in Brazil, with more shipping soon. We are very excited to be working with AeroGlobo Aeronaves’ client Aeroterra Aviação Agricola Ltd located in Bahia state. Aeroterra Aviação Agricola is a pioneer in the single-engine firefighting program and already has one Hatfield Fire Gates installed and working, with a second one scheduled to be installed soon as part of their operation.

TCL is looking forward to returning in for the Congresso da Aviação Agrícola do Brazil 2022 in Sertãozinho - SP and demonstrating the Hatfield Fire Gate to its attendees. For more information before then, please contact Aeroglobo Aeronaves at +55 14 3814-3450 or Ann Hatfield–Grahek ann@turbineconversions.com