And, photos of a wildfire in Hawaii
Continue readingThe 747 Supertanker is ceasing operations
The company is in discussions with prospective buyers for the huge air tanker
Continue readingVideos and photos of firefighting air tankers
Stavatti introduces the SM-100AT air tanker. A clean-sheet-of-paper, new design, the SM-100AT will deliver 4,000 gallons of fire retardant.The video below shows the effects of air tanker drops in timber. The first part shows a dozer line or road on the edge of the Glass Fire in Northern California. Then you will see where red fire retardant dropped by air tankers has slowed the advance of the fire. When it can be done safely, firefighters on the ground or on dozers will need to construct a bare-earth fireline where the fire has burned into or through the retardant. Aircraft dropping water or retardant do not put out a fire, they can only slow the spread, and only if the wind is not very strong.
AIR OPS: You are looking at today’s retardant lines in Division H, the northern-most portion of the #GlassFire pic.twitter.com/m6F3fBAjwc
— CAL FIRE LNU (@CALFIRELNU) October 4, 2020
Stavatti is proud to introduce the SM-100AT Air Tanker. A clean-sheet-of-paper, new design Air Tanker, the SM-100AT will deliver 4,000 gallons of Fire Retardant with greater efficiency and lower cost than its competitors. The SM-100AT has entered accelerated development. h pic.twitter.com/h7qmJJHNFG
— viren khune (@VipIgrS63) September 21, 2020
Meet David, the captain of Queensland’s new Large Air Tanker Bomber based in Bundaberg.
The 10,000L aircraft is now fully operational and ready to help our firefighters as we head into another bushfire season.#bushfires pic.twitter.com/P7UrmMN6Bf
— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) September 17, 2020
GLOBAL SUPERTANKER: The VLAT (Very Large Air Tanker) has been hard at work on the #GlassFire (here in Robert Louis Stevenson State Park, Napa County) dropping retardant. pic.twitter.com/Y24bRA8AeL
— CAL FIRE CZU (@CALFIRECZU) October 5, 2020
Photos of northern California firefighting aircraft, part 1
T-23, P-3, N923AU, Photo by Dylan PhelpsDylan Phelps sent us these photos that he captured at various Northern California airports in the first part of September as our firefighters were going up against one of the most vicious wildfire seasons on record.
Thanks Dylan!
T-944, Boeing 747-466, N744ST, Photo by Dylan Phelps
T-911, N17085, Photo by Dylan Phelps
T-481, Lockheed L-188C Electra, C-FLXT, Photo by Dylan Phelps
CAL FIRE H-903, Sikorsky S-70i FireHawk, N483DF, Photo by Dylan Phelps
T-60, Douglas DC-7, N838D, Photo by Dylan Phelps
Bell 212, N316LH, photo by Dylan Phelps747 inbound
Additional evacuation warnings issued for Apple Fire
The fire has burned over 29,000 acres north of Beaumont, California
Continue readingPhotos of MAFFS and 747 Supertanker at McClellan July 28, 2020
The 747 Supertanker is seen July 28, 2020 at Sacramento McClellan Airport with a MAFFS C-130 from California’s 146th Airlift Wing. U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Amanda H. Johnson.Two C-130 aircraft from the California National Guard were activated July 22 to serve as air tankers using the Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System (MAFFS). They have been available for wildfire support at Sacramento McClellan Airport.
The 747 Supertanker has been flying firefighting missions out of McClellan almost every day for the last week.
Looking at the Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System in the interior of a C-130 operated by California National Guard 146th Airlift Wing. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Amanda H. Johnson, July 28, 2020.
Retardant residue on a MAFFS C-130 from California’s 146th Airlift Wing. Up to 3,000 gallons of retardant can be sprayed under pressure through the pintle nozzle on the left which exits the aircraft through a modified troop door. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Amanda H. Johnson, July 28, 2020.747 returning from assignment in Bolivia
File photo of Air Tanker 944 at Viru Viru International Airport in Bolivia. Global Supertanker photo.The 747 Supertanker (GST944) has completed its assignment assisting the firefighters in Bolivia. It is scheduled to fly back to U.S. Monday night after arriving in South America on August 23.
Tanker 944 is scheduled to depart from Viru Viru Int’l (VVI) at 3:06 PM MDT Monday October 14 heading for San Bernardino International (SBD) with an estimated arrival at 12:04 AM PDT Tuesday October 15. (UPDATE: it appears the departure will be delayed, and the aircraft will probably arrive at SBD Tuesday afternoon.)
747 air tanker begins working on wildfires in Bolivia
Air Tanker 944 at Viru Viru International Airport in Bolivia. Global Supertanker photo.The 747 Supertanker arrived in Bolivia at 1:37 a.m. local time Friday August 23 at Viru Viru International Airport outside the capital city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra and began sorties on fires later in the day.
It appears from the photos above that the method of filling the 19,200-gallon tank may be similar to that used in 2017 when the 747 was working on fires in Chile. In that case there was no robust infrastructure for the distribution of water, so the Santiago Fire Department established a system of portable water tanks filled by water trucks. Fire engines then pumped water from the tanks to the aircraft.
Firefighters in Chile created a system to fill the 19,200-gallon tank on the 747 Supertanker in Chile. Photo by Bill Gabbert, January 25, 2017.747 Supertanker ordered for wildfires in Bolivia
747 Supertanker taking off at McClellan Air Field March 24, 2016.(UPDATED at 6:48 a.m. PDT August 23, 2019)
Air Tanker 944, the 747 Supertanker, arrived in Bolivia overnight to assist firefighters who are battling numerous wildfires across the country. It landed at 1:37 a.m. local time Friday at Viru Viru International Airport outside the capital city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra.
It departed from Sacramento McClellan Airport and flew non-stop at 39,000 feet at 510 to 610 mph.
Air tankers do not put out vegetation fires. However under ideal conditions, especially slow to moderate wind speeds, they can retard the spread of a fire for a period of time allowing firefighters on the ground to move in and actually suppress the fire. If there are no ground forces in the area, the effect of an air tanker dropping water or fire retardant is temporary. The fire can often eventually burn through or around the area where the liquid was applied. During strong winds, the retardant is blown off target and burning embers can travel a mile downwind and start spot fires.
(Originally published at 10:24 PDT August 22, 2019)
President Evo Morales announced on Wednesday that Bolivia has ordered the 747 Supertanker to assist firefighters battling a massive outbreak of wildfires in the Amazon basin.
The huge air tanker, identified as Tanker 944, that can carry up to 19,200 gallons (72,680 liters) of water or fire retardant is scheduled to depart from Sacramento McClellan Airport at 10:45 a.m. PDT Thursday and arrive in Viru Viru International Airport in Bolivia at about 6:42 p.m. local time.
The aircraft is being leased from Global Supertanker. According to laRazón, the company required an up front guarantee of $800,000 US dollars.
This will be the fifth formal international contract assignment for the 747. Previously it fought fires in Israel in 2010 and 2016, Mexico in 2011, and Chile in 2017.
The first drop it made on an actual fire was in Spain in July 2009 while on a world tour to introduce the aircraft to wildland firefighters. Later on that trip it dropped retardant on the Railbelt Complex in Alaska. At that time the aircraft was operated by Evergreen. Since then it has been purchased by Global Supertanker and upgraded from a 747-100 to a 747-400, but the retardant delivery system is essentially the same.
The 747 SuperTanker drops on the Palmer Fire south of Calimesa and Yucaipa in southern California, September 2, 2017. Photo by Cy Phenice, used with permission.The article was edited to show that the 747 is scheduled to go to Bolivia, not Brazil.