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Old 08-23-2020, 12:51 PM
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Retired passenger airliners getting second life fighting fires


Just came across this,

Quote:
Retired passenger airliners are getting a second life fighting fires as iconic jets are repurposed as water bombers – take a look

Thomas Pallini

7 hours ago
https://www.businessinsider.com/pass...-photos-2020-8

Quote:
Very few planes are built with firefighting in mind so firms are taking the aging aircraft that have been abandoned by the airlines and repurposing them to stop fires and ultimately, save lives and property. And unlike the current trend in the airline industry, the bigger the jet the better.

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Old 08-23-2020, 12:56 PM
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Interesting!
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Old 08-23-2020, 02:08 PM
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They've been doing it for a few years now. 10 Air Tanker started converting DC-10's into slurry bombers back in 2006
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Old 08-27-2020, 11:36 AM
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I've witnessed those VLATs firsthand over the years.

I remember getting up as close as I could with my friend in 1999 or so to watch a twin engine plane make passes on the foothills above my town.

The Thomas Fire in 2017 saw my town completely surrounded by fire, and we had everything from UH-1 Hueys and Firehawks to KAMAX and Skycranes; C-130J MAFFs units from the local air guard station and everything CalFire could throw at it... I heard the 747 flyover but it was too smoky to see. I could see the S-2 Trackers and a DC-10 or two.

Interestingly, I know that for a lot of the fire an MQ-1 Predator provided overwatch and some sensor support; and early on there was a TR-1 overflight provided by NASA.

Plenty of bird watching opportunity, but also a very scary time I tell you!

Edit to add:

I also was nearby an accidental fire which started on a very hot day and tankfullly only reached 300 acres in size. I was at an event with my reenacting group, and before we could leave they had us all give statements. While waiting to give mine I got the whole show! They had an AH-1 Cobra loitering to give tac support to the hueys and hawks (and yes a tracker was in the mix)... it was all only a few hundred feet above us as we were only a half mile from the fire at the time.

Another reenacting memory is the air show I attended with a WWII paratrooper group. We camped in the field with them and were given exhibitor wristbands which allowed us access all over the flightline during and after hours. My main use of this privilege was to gab with some CalFire guys at their OV-10 Bronco. I got to peek in the cockpit (someone was inside so not much) and the pilot told me a story about how he met the previous pilot who flew it in Vietnam. The guy recognized the BuNo and made a point to show the crew repair work from small arms fire back in the 70s. Neat stuff.
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Old 08-27-2020, 01:15 PM
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Some notable memories there!
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Old 08-28-2020, 08:46 PM
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I type so soon! I had already passed by at the time this fire started in a nearby town... My father lived less than a half mile from where the 737 is dropping in this video: VCFD PIO on Twitter
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Old 08-28-2020, 09:06 PM
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Looks like they created 3 contrails when pulling up and flying overhead. Ones from outboard edges of flaps were interesting, haven't seen that before.
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Old 08-30-2020, 12:32 PM
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Yeah, those wingtip vortices are pretty neat. This is maybe a mile from the ocean, so it was humid as well as hot that day!
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