They will produce the DHC-515 water scooping air tanker, DHC-6 Twin Otter, and Dash 8-400 (Q400)
Continue readingQ400 air tanker spotted dropping on a fire at Anchorage, Alaska
Conair expects to replace their L-188’s and CV-580’s with Q-400s
Continue readingFirefighters stop the Elmore Fire in Anchorage, Alaska
A Q400 air tanker, Tanker 540, drops on the Elmore Fire near Anchorage, Alaska June 23, 2022. Mike McMillan/ AK DOF.Firefighters in Alaska were able to stop the spread of the Elmore Fire on the east side of Anchorage Thursday at 13 acres before it spread into structures. It was reported at 5 p.m. in the Campbell Track area near the intersection of Dowling and Elmore Roads.
Alaska Dept. of Forestry firefighters on the Elmore Fire, Anchorage, AK June 23, 2022. Mike McMillan-Alaska DOF.Personnel responded from the Pioneer Interagency Hotshot Crew, Palmer forestry, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Anchorage Fire Department, and Alaska Division of Forestry (DOF). A group of Canadian firefighters staged in the area with the DOF through the use of the Northwest Compact were also on scene.
Alaska Dept. of Forestry firefighter on the Elmore Fire, Anchorage, AK June 23, 2022. Mike McMillan-Alaska DOF.The firefighters were assisted by one DOF helicopter and two fixed wing air tankers operated by Conair, a Q400 and a Convair 580. The Q400, Tanker 540, is seen above.
Elmore Fire, Anchorage, AK June 23, 2022. Brent Goodrum-Alaska Div. or ForestryThe DOF has a contract with Conair to supply two Convair 580 air tankers, but the company has the option to substitute one of their Q400 tankers for a 580 at the same price. One of the tankers is usually based at Palmer and the other at Fairbanks.
Alaska Dept. of Forestry firefighters on the Elmore Fire, Anchorage, AK June 23, 2022. Mike McMillan-Alaska DOF.In 2021 Conair purchased 11 Q400 aircraft from Flybe Airlines. The first one was delivered at Conair facilities in Abbotsford, British Columbia, February 21, 2021. After being converted to air tankers, called A400ATs (Air Tanker), they will eventually replace the L-188’s and CV-580’s currently operated by Conair. Showcasing a Q400 in Alaska can increase the familiarity of the tanker among Conair’s potential clients.
The repurposed Q400s are capable of holding up to 2,640 gallons of retardant. The CV-580s were produced between 1947 and 1954 and can carry up to 2,100 gallons. The Q400 cruises about 50 mph faster than a CV-580.
Before purchasing the 11 Q400’s from Flybe, Conair had two A400ATs operational within their fleet that were used in 2021 for the first time in the North American fire season, including Alaska. They also had one under contract in Australia during the 2020-2021 bushfire season.
In 2017 the Conair Group secured a deal to sell six Q400MR (Multi-Role) air tankers to France’s Securite Civile (Department of Civil Defense and Emergency Preparedness). These were new aircraft that Conair purchased from Bombardier which can be reconfigured in a few hours to carry passengers, hence the Multi-Role designation. The new aircraft are replacing France’s old S-2 air tankers.
Conair tests converted air tanker, still wearing Flybe livery
It will later be painted in Conair colors, and is one of eleven Q400’s being converted into air tankers
Continue readingMaintenance of Q400AT and RJ85 air tankers
Conair RJ85, Bomber 391These photos show Conair Q400AT and RJ85 air tankers undergoing maintenance.
The aircraft undergo meticulous inspections to locate and repair the wear and tear that inevitably results from aerial firefighting. A pro-active, thorough evaluation of each aircraft, along with expert maintenance and professional cleaning, can take several weeks depending on the size and complexity of the aircraft type.
Conair RJ85
Conair Q400ATThe photos are used with permission from the “RJ85 and Q400 Airtankers” Facebook page.
Conair receives the first of eleven Q400s previously operated by Flybe
They will be converted into 2,640-gallon air tankers
Continue readingConair to replace all of their L-188 and CV-580 air tankers with Q400s
The company has purchased 11 De Havilland Dash 8 Q400 aircraft which will be converted to air tankers
Continue readingA Q400 air tanker will be based in Australia this summer
T-141 (C-FFQEQ) Q400AT. At Bundaberg, Queensland, Australia. Photo Credit Brendon SuttonA De Havilland Canada Dash 8 Q400AT is on contract in Queensland, Australia during the 2020/2021 summer bushfire season. This is the first time the state has had regular access to a large air tanker, rather than borrowing from New South Wales or Victoria. Provided by Conair, Tanker 141/Bomber 141 (C-FFQE) arrived in Bundaberg in August after departing from Abbotsford British Columbia and making fuel stops at Oakland, Honolulu, Majuro (Marshall Islands), Honiara (Solomon Islands), and Brisbane where it cleared customs. There is a possibility the contract which started September 1 could be extended for an additional four years during the bushfire seasons.
Air Tanker 141, (C-FFQEQ) Q400AT – Landing in Marshall Islands en route to Queensland – Photo Credit Brendon Sutton.Conair, working with the Australian company Field Air, will have two other large air tankers on contract in Australia, both RJ 85s, beginning October 1 in New South Wales and early December in Victoria.
In 2017 the Conair Group secured a deal to sell six Q400 Multi-Role aircraft converted to air tankers to France’s Securite Civile (Department of Civil Defence and Emergency Preparedness), two of which have been delivered. These are new aircraft that Conair purchased from Bombardier which can be converted in a few hours to carry passengers.
Besides the six that will be going to France, Conair has two Q400s, including the one in Australia. The company is working with North American agencies to hopefully see at least two of the Q400AT’s begin contracts next year. The aircraft were previously owned and are not the Multi-Role models.
Jeff Berry, Manager of Business Development at Conair, said the aircraft, “[A]re pure air tanker STC [supplemental type certificate], so we don’t have any of the residual plumbing, wiring, attachment points inside, or heavy duty flooring that you need for an MR, so it’s stripped down to be a pure tanker. And it gives us the maximum fuel load and the maximum retardant tank capacity. You get the full 10,000 liters [2,642 gallons]. The Q400AT is truly a ‘Green’ airtanker — it is incredibly fuel efficient burning only 58 percent of the fuel per hour while carrying 85 percent of the load of a typical type 1 airtanker.”
“It can operate off a 5,000-foot runway,” Mr. Berry said. “It gives them a lot of flexibility to utilize more of the existing tanker base infrastructure that is in place that may or may not be available for some of the large or very large air tankers.”
T-141 (C-FFQEQ) Q400AT – Refueling at Majuro, Marshall Islands. Photo Credit Brendon Sutton.Queensland had an extraordinarily busy 2018/2019 bushfire season. Wildfire Today covered some of the fires that year.
Map showing location of Bundaberg, Queensland, Australia
T-141 (C-FFQEQ) Q400AT – Photo Credit Jeff Bough.Q400 air tanker hauls COVID-19 medical supplies
The Instagram account for France’s Sécurité Civile recently posted these photos. Above, a Q400 multi-role air tanker is being loaded with personnel and medical supplies for a COVID-19 mission.
Below, a Q400 is seen with two scooping air tankers, CL-415s.
A fourth Q400MR delivered to Sécurité Civile
The fourth Q400 MR arrived at the Sécurité Civile base at Nimes-Garons in France on February 2, 2020. Sécurité Civile photo.Another Dash 8-Q400 MR air tanker has been delivered to Sécurité Civile in France.
This is the fourth Q400 in the agency’s fleet and the second of six Q400 MR aircraft that the agency is in the process of acquiring from Conair, which purchased the planes from the manufacturer, Bombardier. Conair converted them into multi-role aircraft capable of transporting passengers and dropping fire retardant, water, or foam.
Tanker 76 departed from Abbotsford, British Columbia on January 31. Before reaching its final destination at Nimes-Garons in France on February 2 it made stops at Thunder Bay, Goose Bay, and Iceland.
The last leg of Tanker 76’s transcontinental flight on February 2, 2020. FlightAware.The Q400 MR can carry up to 10,000 liters (2,600 gallons) of water or retardant. The “MR” stands for multirole, meaning the aircraft can be converted in a few hours to carry cargo or 64 passengers. It can cruise at 372 mph and has a range of 1,118 miles. The aircraft is equipped with the AN Enhanced Flight Vision System, providing an image in the visible or infrared spectrum.
In a medevac configuration it can accommodate six stretchers along with the necessary nurses stations and life support equipment, or it can transport 9 tons of cargo.
For several years Sécurité Civile had been pondering what to do about replacing their nine S-2s that are approaching their structural life limit of 25,000 hours, according to the agency. Their plans announced in 2016 were to retire the S-2s between 2018 and 2022 which would require a two-year extension of the type certificate. The goal was to acquire aircraft that could carry more water or retardant, would reduce operating costs, and would be multi-role.
In addition to the nine S-2s and two Q-400s, France also has twelve CL-415s and 40 helicopters.
The article was edited on Feb. 19, 2020 to show that this newest aircraft is not the fourth Q400 delivered on the current agreement with Conair, it is the fourth Q400 in the agency’s fleet, and the second of six being purchased from Conair.