With the transfer of ownership of the seven C-130H aircraft complete, installation of the 4000-gallon internal tanks has begun. The C-130s at McClellan will be used for initial attack delivery of retardant and the airtankers will provide additional support to the state’s existing fleet. The strategy during the transfer process has been long and challenging, but progress is underway!
After an exhausting wait, Cal Fire back in December worked with Congress to move seven military transport planes from the Coast Guard after Congress passed legislation to speed up the transfer. In a move by Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA), Senator John Boozman (R-AR), and Congressman Ken Calvert (CA-41), the final version of the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act included an effort that recognized the work of Governor Newsom and Cal Fire Chief Joe Tyler, who pushed the effort over the finish line.
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Five more C130’s on the flight line make a significant contribution to “surrounding” initial attack fires, probably. With eighteen contracted type one helicopters plus the departments S 70 program, Cal Fire is on the right track to keep small fires small. However when the Global Supertanker 747 was abandoned it was a decision that left behind a proven aerial fire asset.
These planes previously operated in a salt rich damp environment. Has anyone come up with better methods to treat for corrosion? Has anyone discovered any new and more effective inspection techniques for the spars and wing boxes?
The, “salt rich damp environment,” I think is a bit of a misnomer. These aircraft weren’t sitting in salt spray like a navy jet is on an aircraft carrier. They are largely operating at high altitudes for surveillance and only come down at low level in small amounts of their flight regimes. These C-130s were also very low flight hours and were meticulously maintained. Operated in USCG service they also lived considerably less abusive lives than their USAF counterpart C-130Hs. All of these have either had wingbox service life updates to extend their service life or will have those done. I think another assumption is that these suffer the same wing spar issues the C-130As did, which isn’t the case. The industry itself changed a lot too after those incidents happened 20+ years ago. Aircraft inspections and maintenance are much more tedious and methodical. And at Cal Fire, it’s done at the end of and during the season. In terms of corrosion, there’s a lot of measures taken in the industry currently as well, since fire retardant itself, allegedly is corrosive to aircraft skin. So there’s obviously regimes for corrosion mitigation on/for these aircraft as well as others in the industry. Amentum (DynCorp), which is a huge and top notch organization, has been doing this on the fleet of Cal Fire’s S-2Ts for decades.
Yes !!! It’s about time to get these assets in the air , no thanks to the US AirForce !
Hi,
Do you folks have any idea when and where your headstock photo of T-07was taken? I flew that ship from ’97 to 2002, working for Neptune.
Thanks,
Gordon Koenig
Hey Gordon, we redesigned the headers a few years ago, let me look and see if I can find out. We went through numerous possibilities but Bill and I agreed that was our BEST possible photo. And I think Bill shot it.
p.s. Gordon, haven’t found that one yet, but it is indeed a Bill Gabbert shot, and here’s another:
https://fireaviation.com/2016/12/17/canvas-print-of-tanker-07-dropping-on-the-red-canyon-fire/
Tanker 07, a P2 on the Whoopup Fire — July 18, 2011 Photo © Bill Gabbert
https://wildfiretoday.com/2011/10/23/missoulian-the-state-of-the-air-tanker-fleet/
ALSO,
Koenig with a B-24
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