Tanker 118, during training flights at Ramona, CA February, 2022. Photo by Ryan Grothe.The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection brought air tanker 118, a C-130, to the airport at Ramona, California last week. Ryan Grothe who shot these photos said, “They conducted training flights in the area, including some touch and goes on the runway and pattern work.”
The seven Coast Guard C-130s 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. No retardant delivery systems have been installed in any of the aircraft. Some of them may still need depot level maintenance.
Tanker 118, during training flights at Ramona, CA February, 2022. Photo by Ryan Grothe.Mr. Grothe said one of the C-130s is expected to be based at Ramona.
The relatively short runway restricts which types of aircraft can use the facilities at Ramona. When the U.S. Navy built the airport in 1945 as an emergency landing field it was only 4,000 feet long and remained that length well after it was conveyed to the County of San Diego in 1956.
CAL FIRE established an Air Attack Base there in 1957 and the U.S. Forest Service followed three years later.
Tanker 118, during training flights at Ramona, CA February, 2022. Photo by Ryan Grothe.In 2002 the runway was lengthened to 5,001 feet but it is difficult for most large air tankers and impossible for very large air tankers to work at the base.
In August of 2019 one of Coulson’s C-130s under contract to CAL FIRE was spotted at Ramona.
Tanker 118, during training flights at Ramona, CA February, 2022. Photo by Ryan Grothe.
Tanker 118, parked during training flights at Ramona, CA February, 2022. Photo by Ryan Grothe. Two S-2Ts were also there, Tankers 71 and 88.