Here are a couple of photos taken at Missoula, Montana today. Tanker 41 is the second BAe-146 that Neptune Aviation has leased from Tronos, a company based on Prince Edward Island in Canada. The air tanker can’t be put into service for the U.S. Forest Service until the agency resolves a protest about the contracts that were recently awarded for next generation air tankers.
The photo below shows smokejumpers loading onto a Twin Otter aircraft after being dispatched to a fire.
And, for a bonus, we have a photo of the TBM air tanker that Missoula’s Museum of Mountain Flying purchased last year. The TBM flew into Missoula on October 10, 2011 and is on display at the museum. TBM’s could carry about 600 gallons of retardant. This compares to the 3,000 the BAe-146 can hold. or the 20,000 gallon capacity of the 747 supertanker.
JUST BROWSING—-NICE TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT.. WAS A SMOKEJUMPER 1956. JUST REALIZED, MY GOSH, THAT’S 57 YEARS AGO. WE JUMPED TRIMOTOR FORDS AND TRAVELAIRS. WE LIKED THE TRIMOTORS. WE SWORE THEY STOPPED OVER THE FIRE AREA TO LET US SELECT OUR LANDING SPOTS BETTER. BEST TO EVERYONE IN THE FOOTSTEPS. BILL MAREADY
The Doug is not being used. It will return to service next year.
Is the turbine powered DC-3 still flying for the Forest Service?