Coast Guard aircraft #1714 with new CAL FIRE livery. It will be air tanker #117. Photographed January 14, 2022 at McClellan by Mike McKeig.Coast Guard aircraft #1714, an HC-130H, has returned to Sacramento McClellan Airport after having been gone for a month or two. Mike McKeig got a photo of it January 14 when mechanics were doing an engine run. It had brand new livery showing that it will be air tanker 117 when it eventually gets transferred to CAL FIRE. The new paint job appears to be about 98 percent complete.
Mike got a “before” picture of the aircraft in November:
Former Coast Guard HC-130H, #1714, at McClellan, Nov. 17, 2021. Photo by Mike McKeig.And here is what it looked like 14 years ago…
Coast Guard HC-130H #1714, October, 2008. Photo by PhantomPhan1974The seven Coast Guard HC-130Hs will not be officially transferred to CAL FIRE until all of the maintenance and conversion to air tankers is complete, or close to it. That is expected to happen in 2023. As best as we could determine, no retardant delivery systems have been installed in any of the aircraft. Some of them may still need depot level maintenance.
1 Comment
Better Cal-Fire than the Forest Service.
The Forest Service could eff up a cup of coffee.
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