The 747 Supertanker, T-944, drops on a fire in Israel northwest of Jerusalem on November 26, 2016. Screen grab from video by @ShaiBenari
The 747 Supertanker, Tanker 944, dropped on a wildfire in Israel today northwest of Jerusalem. This was the first drop on a fire this version of the Supertanker has made.
After a 12.5-hour non-stop flight from Colorado Springs the aircraft arrived in Tel Aviv at about 10:25 a.m. MST time on November 26, which was after dark at the Ben Gurion International Airport.
The drop made today occurred at around sunset.
Jim Wheeler, President and CEO of Global SuperTanker Services, said it dropped the entire 19,200-gallon load of water. While sometimes air tankers in Israel drop fire retardant, he explained that the authorities often prefer water when the aircraft is working over populated areas.
Shai Ben-ari (@ShaiBenari) recorded a video of the drop. The image above is a screen grab from the video. And, here is another video, by @Israel, which shows the entire drop. Below is a screen grab from that second video.
Screen grab from a video by @Israel of the Supertanker dropping northwest of Jerusalem, November 26, 2016.
Before the drop the 747 took off from Tel Aviv and loitered over the Mediterranean for a while before it apparently made a dry run over the fire and then dropped on the next pass. The entire flight lasted about two hours.
Yesterday we showed you a couple of videos produced by Global Supertanker, the company that resurrected the 747 air tanker first created by Evergreen. Here are two more featuring the new Tanker 944. I was surprised how interesting it was to see a HUGE aircraft being painted and having the retardant delivery system installed.
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Above: A screen grab from the 747 Supertanker video, “Mountain Flying”.
Global SuperTanker bought the retardant system and the intellectual property formerly owned by Evergreen, the organization that first put it in a 747-100 air tanker. It now resides in a 747-400 operated by Global SuperTanker which in recent weeks has been going through some of the final stages of installation, testing, and crew training.
Initial new hire training run at Keller Butte in North central Washington state. Global SuperTanker photo.
On June 17 the aircraft traveled to Moses Lake, Washington to conduct crew training in mountainous terrain on the Colville Indian Reservation near Moses Lake, Washington. Training flights were under the direction of experienced Lead Plane pilot Jamie Tackman flying a King Air 90, and were recorded by video cameras located on the Keller Butte fire lookout tower and in a helicopter orbiting overhead.Tanker 944, along with the Lead Plane, made seven round trips to the training area, completing a mix of “show me” and low level dry runs plus various full load and segmented water drops.
Three FAA inspectors from Denver and Seattle observed the flights.
T-944 makes a training drop on Keller Butte . Global SuperTanker photo.
Jim Wheeler, President and CEO of Global SuperTanker Services, said they do not know if the aircraft will have to go through the retardant drop testing in which the liquid is caught in hundreds of cups placed on the ground. The retardant system is basically the same that was used in Version 1.0 operated by Evergreen, which was previously approved by the Interagency Airtanker Board (IAB). The Board wants some additional data from static drops that will be conducted soon, then a decision will be made about what other data or testing they will need, if any.
Global SuperTanker Services is now preparing the aircraft, ground crew and their facilities for inspections by the FAA, CAL FIRE, U.S. Forest Service, Interagency Airtanker Board, and other state or regional fire agencies interested in CWN (Call When Needed) contracts for the 2016 fire season.
The company has produced videos showcasing the rebirth of the 747 air tanker, Tanker 944. Some have been removed but here is one of them. It appears to have been filmed during the training at the Colville Indian Reservation.
On May 4, 2016 Air Tanker 944, a 747-400, made a dry run over the Colorado Springs airport and then conducted a practice drop with water. We were there to shoot this video and the still photos.
And here is a bonus video at no additional charge. Just after the 747 began taxiing before take off, three F-18’s landed. They taxied pretty close to where I was standing. A little military aircraft porn.
The practice drop by the 747 Supertanker occurred as planned this morning. After takeoff from the Colorado Springs Airport the aircraft followed a very detailed route specified by the FAA and made one dry run. After that it circled around and made a water drop between a runway and a taxiway. The FAA restricted them to half a load, only allowing them to drop about 9,800 gallons.
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(Originally published at 10:21 a.m. MDT, May 4, 2016)
The 747 SuperTanker will be making a dry, low pass and after that a practice water drop at the Colorado Springs airport Wednesday morning, approximately between 10:45 and noon.
Tanker 944, a 747, at the Colorado Springs Airport Wednesday May 4 2016
The first drop from Tanker 944, the 747-400. Photo by Jessie Ryan provided by Global Supertanker.
Global Supertanker has started airborne drop tests of the 747-400 Supertanker they have been working on since last year. The first drop occurred Sunday, May 1 near Marana, Arizona, and it was described by the company as a “successful test flight”. Most air tanker companies do the initial tests with water, which is far less expensive than fire retardant, and does not have as many restrictions about where it can be dropped — 19,200 gallons at a time.
Most of the retardant delivery system was taken from Version 1.0 of the 747-100 Supertanker that was built and used for several years by Evergreen. When that company declared bankruptcy Global Supertanker bought the system and the intellectual property. They refurbished the hardware and upgraded parts of it, then installed it in an upgraded aircraft, a 747-400. It was first seen by the general public at the Aerial Firefighting Conference March 22 at McClellan Air Field near Sacramento.
Global Supertanker supplied this photo today of their 747 Supertanker undergoing ground tests of the retardant delivery system. The tanks can hold 19,200 gallons.
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If you want a high resolution professional quality print of Tanker 944, or a cell phone case with a photo of the air tanker…
As the sun was rising in Sacramento this morning I took these shots of Tanker 944, a 747-400, as it departed from McClellan Air Field en route to Marana, Arizona. It had been on static display during the Aerial Firefighting conference.
Tanker 944, a 747-400, departing McClellan Air Field as the sun was rising March 24, 2016.
If you want a high resolution professional quality print of Tanker 944…
