We are used to seeing images of aircraft being used to fight fires. Every year, there are a number of wildfire events where aircraft are deployed to drop water or chemicals. Which aircraft are used for this, and how do they carry their load? This article explores further.
Many types of aircraft
The first point to make is that there is no specific type of firefighting aircraft. Aircraft used to fight fires are usually converted cargo or passenger aircraft, and as such, a wide variety of types have been used.
The 747 makes sense as it is such a large aircraft (there has yet to be an A380 conversion), but size isn’t necessarily the vital measure, as external tanks are often added. Maximum load is, of course, an important consideration. As is operating cost.
The Boeing 747-400 SuperTanker was the largest in the industry until its retirement in May 2021. There were two other 747 SuperTankers as well – based on the 747-100 and 747-200. This final aircraft operated on charter with US company Global Supertanker since 2016. It had recently been fitted out with new deployment systems, but it now seems likely that it will be converted for cargo use.
Other types often seen include the DC-7, DC-10, Boeing 737, Dash 8, and C-130 Hercules. Russia has also produced a high-capacity firefighting version of the Ilyushin Il-76.
Filling the hold
Firefighting aircraft need large hold containers for liquid storage. This is achieved using tanks in the aircraft hold and cabin, with additional external tanks, or a combination of the two. The DC-10 and Dash 8 are two examples that have been fitted with external tanks. These can be simple storage devices – water or other retardant is usually dropped by just opening the hold and using gravity, rather than any pressurized deployment method.
Tanks may hold water or a chemical fire retardant foam or gel. This can be dropped directly onto a fire, but a more common approach is to use it around or ahead of the fire to control its spread.
Most aircraft will have their tanks filled on the ground with high-pressure hoses, making repeated flights as part of tackling a fire. Some aircraft can fill tanks in flight, using a scoop to collect water from a lake. The Bombardier CL-145 is one example of this – used particularly in remote areas.
Who owns firefighting aircraft
Some aircraft are owned by governments. The largest fleet globally (of over 50 fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft) is with California’s Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, used to fight fires on the US west coast.
In many countries, firefighting aircraft are privately owned and leased out when needed. The 747-400 SuperTanker was owned by US company Global Supertanker (and previously by Evergreen International Airlines).
10 tanker is a US-based company that operates a fleet of converted DC-10 firefighting aircraft. Conair is a Canadian-based operator with a large fleet of Dash 8 aircraft. This includes 11 aircraft acquired from former UK airline Flybe. And Canada-based Coulson Aviation operates several aircraft, including three 737-300 and the Martin Mars converted cargo aircraft.
Seeing a common type of commercial aircraft converted for a specialized role is always exciting. Firefighting aircraft are a simple and valuable conversion for aging aircraft. Feel free to discuss other examples of aircraft in use around the world or your experiences seeing them in operation in the comments.
from Simple Flying https://ift.tt/3q3tocs
via IFTTT
Comments
Post a Comment