The USFS has awarded Neptune Aviation Services a Multiple Award Task Order Contract (MATOC), with task orders for the three BAe 146 aircraft they still had available for the 2024 season. All three task orders are for exclusive use and include a base year with four 1-year options — along with 160-day guaranteed availability periods.
Neptune’s aircraft have a 99 percent dispatch availability rate.
They’ll be under contract in states including California and Colorado, according to Jennifer Draughon, Neptune’s president. “We are grateful to everyone at Neptune for helping us secure this contract,” she said.
The BAe tankers have a capacity of 3,000 gallons of retardant or water, and they started their availability on May 21. More info is online at NeptuneAviation.com
Fire photographer Ryan Grothe sent over some eye candy from the Highland Fire south of Palm Springs, California, which forced evacuations of over 4000 people earlier this week.
On Tuesday October 31, the second day of the fire, L-55 Travis Strahan — a USFS lead based in Redding — was working out of Santa Maria. Air Attack over the incident at the time of these drops was Tony Duprey, with a trainee up front in USFS Air Attack 12 out of San Bernardino.
“On Monday, the first day of the fire, we did not fly it,” says Duprey. “The Cal Fire ATGS out of Hemet (AA-310) and Ramona (AA_110) flew the Highland Fire that day. The jurisdiction is Cal Fire, Riverside Unit.” He added that Cal Fire S-2 tankerss from Hemet and Ramona, as well as fed contract airtankers, flew it on Monday, along with a Cal Fire lead and ASM C-5 — Charlie 5, an OV-10.
“The Highland Fire was started on October 30 around 12:30,” wrote Grothe. “Fueled by strong Santa Ana winds, the fire was moving at a dangerous rate of spread. Numerous structures and houses have been destroyed, and one firefighter was injured while fighting the fire. As of now, the fire is 20 percent contained. Crews have been fighting the fire from both the ground and air.”
Cal Fire estimated containment at 25 percent by mid-day today, November 2, and said the fire, now just under 2500 acres, may be fully contained by November 8. More than 1200 personnel were working on the fire today, and it was hoped that power could soon be restored to powerlines that were shut down along Highway 79.
Neptune Aviation’s Tanker 10. Photo courtesy of Colorado DFPC.
A large air tanker is on an exclusive use (EU) contract with the state of Colorado. The state’s Division of Fire Prevention and Control (DFPC) has arranged for Neptune Aviation to station one of their BAe-146’s in the state this summer. The 120-day contract began June 24 and the aircraft was dispatched that day to its first fire, the Muddy Slide Fire 22 miles south of Steamboat Springs.
The signing of Senate Bill 21-049 earlier this year provided funds for a State-contracted large air tanker, a Type 1 helicopter, and increased the number of days existing DFPC Single Engine Air Tankers and helicopters are under contract. The legislation also provides additional funding and resources so that DFPC can better support fire departments and counties during the early stages of a wildfire.
The DFPC adopted the recent policy of the U.S. Forest Service, only making the contract valid for one year, with the possibility of four additional one-year periods.
The BAe-146 can hold up to 3,000 gallons of retardant but may have to reduce the loads on hot days in the higher elevations of Colorado.
The aircraft will hosted at Jeffco Air Tanker Base, a US Forest Service facility in Broomfield at the Rocky Mountain Regional Airport. There are five bases in Colorado that can support large air tankers: Durango, Grand Junction, Jeffco, Pueblo, and Colorado Springs.
In 2020 the DFPC had a 75-day EU contract for Air Tanker 23, a P-3 Orion operated by Airstrike. The choice of the aircraft came as no surprise since it was already under a call when needed arrangement with the state.
File photo. Neptune’s T-15 in the hangar, May 15, 2018.
Neptune Aviation has received a $2 million state loan to purchase two aircraft hangars at Missoula International Airport in Montana. This will add nearly 300,000 square of aircraft storage plus office space.
From the Missoula Current:
“The loan stems from the state’s Infrastructure Loan Program and was awarded by the Montana Board of Investments. Under the program, the airport serves as the loan administrator and Neptune receives tax benefits in exchange for creating new jobs. Doug Hill, director of State Loan Funds at the Montana Department of Commerce, said Neptune’s $2 million application was based on the creation of 120 new jobs.
“They need to be considered full time when I do my review,” said Hill. “For each job that’s created, Neptune is able to borrow $16,666. That’s how we came up with the $2 million amount.”
“The Infrastructure Loan Program helps Montana businesses finance the acquisition of publicly owned buildings and related improvements. It also looks to boost economic development and create jobs in the basic sector of the economy.
“The loans are awarded to companies that employ at least 15 people. The new jobs that are created must pay the private annual wage in Montana, which is currently $44,100, according to Hill.”
Neptune’s Tanker 41 photo © Marty Wolin
