Neptune’s Tanker 41, a BAe-146, landing at Redding, California, August 7, 2014. Photo by Bill Gabbert.
The Missoulian has an interesting article about the status of Neptune’s air tankers and contracts.
Below is an excerpt:
…“The Forest Service is coming out with seven of what we’re calling the Next-Gen 2.0 contracts,” Neptune Chief Executive Officer Ron Hooper said. “We expected to see the notice on the first of November. We’re anxious to see the RFP (request for proposals) so we can see how many aircraft we’ve got working next year.”
Neptune still has three years remaining on its “legacy” contract with the Forest Service that covers six of its aging P2V propeller-driven retardant bombers and one of its new BAe-146 jet bombers. But its one-season contracts for three more BAe-146s have expired.
Meanwhile, the company has brought on two more of the jets, for a total of six…
Neptune’s T-41 at Redding, California, August 7, 2014. Photo by Bill Gabbert.
Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Dick and Ed.
DC-10s, Tankers 910 and 911, at Medford. Photo by Kristin Biechler.
Kristin Biechler sent us these photos that she and Dave Clemens shot at the Medford, Oregon Airport (map) over the last few days. She said her house is directly under the tankers’ flight path to the Happy Camp and Beaver Fires in northwest California. The planes depart MFR, she explained, bank west, and mostly follow Highway 238 toward Jacksonville and out to Applegate Reservoir and into California.
A P2V (Tanker 07) and a DC-10 at Medford. Photo by Kristin Biechler. Neptune’s BAe-146s, Tankers 01 and 10, at Medford. Photo by Kristin Biechler. Tanker 910, a DC-10, at Medford. Photo by Dave Clemens. Tanker 101, an MD-87, at Medford. Photo by Dave Clemens. Tanker 101, an MD-87, at Medford. Photo by Dave Clemens.
A BAe-146 drops on the Tecolote Fire. Photo by Jeff Zimmerman.
The Tecolote Fire burned about 275 acres in the Angeles National Forest on August 17 near Highway 39 about 18 miles north of Azusa, California. Hundreds of people were forced to evacuate their homes and campsites but the marine layer moved in that night and slowed the spread.
The agencies responding included the U.S. Forest Service and Los Angeles County. In addition to very steep terrain, firefighters had to deal with temperatures around 100 degrees.
These photos were contributed by Jeff Zimmerman, of Zimmerman Media. Thanks Jeff.
Tecolote Fire. Photo by Jeff Zimmerman. Tecolote Fire. Photo by Jeff Zimmerman.
T-41 and T-131 at RDD 8-7-2014 T-41 at RDD 8-7-2014 T-41 landing at RDD 8-7-2014 T-41 landing at RDD 8-7-2014 Seen from the rear with the speed brakes deployed, is T-41 landing at RDD, 8-7-2014
All photos were taken by Bill Gabbert and are subject to copyright.
Tanker 41, a BAe-146, over the University of Montana, May 21, 2014. Photo by Bill Gabbert. (Click to see a larger version).
Neptune Aviation arranged for Tanker 41, a BAe-146, to fly over the University of Montana at Missoula yesterday during the lunch hour. Many of the attendees at the Large Fire Conference came outside to enjoy the display.
Three more of Neptune’s BAe-146 air tankers are being brought into the current fleet. Tom Harbour, Director of Fire and Aviation Management for the U.S. Forest Service, confirmed today at the Large Fire Conference in Missoula that two BAe-146s came on in the last few days and a third will be on board by June 1.
The three aircraft are being added to Neptune’s “legacy” air tanker contract using the “additional equipment” provision.
These three air tankers are being added to the fleet along with the two additional DC-10s that were announced last week. 10 Tanker Air Carrier had one DC-10 already working on a next-gen contract and a second was converted last week from a call when needed contract to exclusive use, using the additional equipment provision on their contract. 10 Tanker is converting a third DC-10 that will also be on the next gen exclusive use contract when it is complete this summer.
File photo of Neptune’s five BAe-146 air tankers. Neptune Aviation photo.
In the May 15, 2014 video below, CNN reporter Ted Rowlands goes on a ride along in one of Neptune’s BAe-146s, and talks to Rick Hatton about his DC-10s.
Neptune’s five BAe-146 air tankers. Neptune Aviation photo.
Neptune Aviation assembled their five BAe-146 air tankers on the tarmac at Missoula for picture day. It is a pretty remarkable photo — five jet-powered air tankers that meet the basic U.S. Forest Service criteria to qualify as “next-generation” air tankers, which require the aircraft to be turbine or turbofan (jet) powered, be able to cruise at 300 knots (345 mph), and have a retardant capacity of at least 3,000 gallons.
Only one of these five air tankers has a confirmed contract with the federal government, the USFS. It is on a “legacy” contract. Neptune Aviation has three additional BAe-146s that are ready to fly now, and one more will be complete sometime this summer. The USFS is still dithering about what to do after the Government Accountability Office upheld the protest of a contract that was given to Neptune without competition for two BAe-146s. About the only options available now for the USFS are to add some of the BAe-146s to the legacy contract as additional equipment, ignore the GAO decision and honor the no-competition contract, or cancel the no-competition contract and do nothing about the other four Neptune BAe-146s that are sitting on the ramp at Missoula.
A very unlikely option would be for the USFS to allow competitive bidding on an additional contract. All of the existing valid legacy and next-gen contracts allow for up to four additional aircraft to be added as “additional equipment” to each line item. The vendors that won the awards for those contracts are all hoping to add more aircraft down the road, and would most likely be very distressed if another company came in that lost competitive bidding previously, and basically took away their opportunity to supply more air tankers.
But, it is painful to see four recently retrofitted, freshly painted, jet air tankers sitting on the tarmac — with a rather bleak future.
