How do firefighting planes get water?

Airtankers or water bombers are fixed-wing aircraft fitted with tanks that can be filled on the ground at an air tanker base or, in the case of flying boats and amphibious aircraft, by skimming water from lakes, reservoirs, or large rivers without needing to land.

How do firefighting planes refill?

In locations around the world that commonly use large and very large air tankers, a hose is simply connected to the aircraft that supplies retardant or water to fill the tanks. It can come from a batch mixing system that prepares retardant or from a fire hydrant.

How does a water bomber refill?

Water bomber operators generally fill these tanks on the ground. Certain amphibious designs can fill up on the move. They do so by skimming along bodies of water. As seen below, these tanks have hatches on their underside that can open and shut, allowing the aircraft to drop water onto blazes directly below them.

How much water does a firefighting airplane carry?

After the aircraft were retired from the Navy, they were transformed into firefighting aerial tankers. The aircraft can carry 7,200 gallons of water or retardant and their drop can cover an area of up to 4 acres.

Why do fire planes drop red water?

Most often, planes will drop a specially designed fire retardant called Phos-Chek, a mixture of mainly water and fertilizer, to help contain the spread of a fire.

How The $30 Million 'Super Scooper' Plane Was Built To Fight Wildfires

Where do fire helicopters get their water?

Helicopters refill their buckets at dip sites such as public lakes, reservoirs, or any water sources that are deep enough for the buckets. Tanked helicopters with snorkel capabilities can draft from open water sources. Helicopters with buckets can pull water from water sources that are deep enough for the buckets.

How long does it take to fill a water bomber?

- It can carry 15,000 liters (3,960 gallons) of water or fire retardant, which can be released in one large drop within seconds or several smaller drops. - The aircraft can be refilled in 12 minutes and has a cruise speed of more than 500km/h (311mph). - It is able to take off and land on short, unsurfaced runways.

How does a water plane pick up water?

Sheehy: The way the aircraft picks up water, as it does not stop or suck it up, there's no vacuum, it scoops it. And it scoops it through what you see here, two probes on either side of the keel of the aircraft, about the size of your hands put together, and as soon as you hit the water, they catch.

How long does it take to fill an air tanker?

The 747 supertanker takes around 30 minutes to fill on the ground, longer than some other tankers and much more than the few minutes needed for the S2-T Cal Fire tankers. But the line of retardant that can be delivered to the ground in one run is significantly more effective than that of other tankers.

How does wetting help fight wildfires?

Plain water vs.

Fire Cap Plus is a wetting agent that lowers the surface tension of water. When a mixture of water and Fire Cap Plus is applied to these "hard to penetrate" fuel sources, the mixture is quickly absorbed, helping to reach the seat of the fire faster.

How much do fire plane pilots make?

While ZipRecruiter is seeing salaries as high as $128,295 and as low as $20,154, the majority of Fire Pilot salaries currently range between $37,357 (25th percentile) to $73,732 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $101,751 annually in California.

How do super scoopers pick up water?

The crew of the Super Scooper collects water by carefully controlling altitude and air speed to skim over a body of water, with the scoops of the aircraft, located in the belly, in the open position. When the aircraft is fully loaded, they close the scoops and increase altitude to reach the fire.

Where do firefighting planes refill?

Some firefighting aircraft can refill their tanks in mid-flight, by flying down to skim the surface of large bodies of water. One example is the Bombardier CL-415. This is particularly useful in rural areas where flying back to an airbase for refills may take too much time.

Can fire planes fly at night?

Overall, Cal Fire has 50 aircraft in its fleet but currently doesn't have nighttime aerial firefighting capabilities with its equipment. That could change once the agency gets a dozen new Black Hawk helicopters, including some capable of flying with night vision goggles.

How much water can a fire boss hold?

The Aero Spray Fire Boss can carry up to 800 gallons of water it scoops from a lake.

Who builds the super scooper?

Super Scooper is a nickname given to certain amphibious firefighting aircraft built by Canadair, now Bombardier. The family of three aircraft known as "Super Scoopers" are the Canadair CL-215, the CL-215T and the Bombardier 415 turboprop.

What is the biggest water bomber in the world?

The Martin Mars bomber is the largest flying boat to enter Allied service during the Second World War, then was later assigned the role of a transport aircraft. After the prototype XPB2M-1R flew in 1942, the U.S. Navy ordered 20 more aircraft, only five of which were made.

How much water do water bombers hold?

Like helitacs, water bombers can only operate during daylight hours but due to the location of their nominated operating bases can be redirected quickly to high priority fires at short notice. They are also capable of carrying and dropping up to 3200 litres of water.

How much does a water bomber cost per hour?

Meet the Martin Mars water bomber: A Second World War-era vintage craft that costs $10,000 per hour to fly, and is being called into action in B.C.

Why don't we use ocean water for fires?

“Seawater puts out fire just as well as fresh water, and although seawater is tougher on pump equipment than fresh water, proper maintenance and flushing of the systems would limit their corrosive properties on our pumps,” Capt. Larry Kurtz of the Fire Authority told Honk in an email.

Where do firefighters get water for wildfires?

The short answer is that Cal Fire takes water from wherever it can get it. A Cal Fire spokesperson told SFGATE that there are several sources of water that fire crews can draw from: municipal water sources at Cal Fire facilities, fire hydrants out in the field, lakes, ponds and even residential swimming pools.

Can salt water be used to put out wildfires?

Explanation: Yes, salt water can be used to put out wildfires. However, salt water can harm plant life: some species are sensitive to salinity levels. Thus, using salt water may not be a wise first choice in firefighting methods in certain environments.

What is firefighting slurry made of?

Fire retardant is known as slurry. It's basically a mixture of mostly water and fertilizer. It was designed to protect trees, homes, and another structures from going up in flames. The mixture coats trees and vegetation, providing insulation against the approaching fire.