For a good overview of the CL 415, including narrative about the amphibious air tanker along with footage of the air tanker in action, and a description of its “scooping” capabilities, go here and allow about seven minutes to watch the video. This appears to a video from TLC -- The Learning Channel -- on mega machines where they did a segment on the CL-415 super scooper.
As I was reviewing the files that TL Stein sent me on the CL-215 and 415, I began to appreciate that this amphibious aircraft is probably not well suited for canyon drops and flying in tight conditions. See this short LA Times article where a now retired CL-415 pilot who flew the plane in southern California talks about the difficulty in flying this airplane in southern California. For a longer discussion of some of the politics of flying this aircraft in Southern California, see this 1998 article from Wildfire News.
Finally one link to pictures and four more videos that you might enjoy:
Pictures of the CL-215 and CL-415, see this page on airliners.net.
YouTube - 10/17/2008 North Bay terraces Wildfire #2
YouTube - Circuit CL 215 water bomber practice drop
YouTube - bullock drive fire
Revised on October 12, 2015 to remove dead links.
CAL FIRE (CDF) S2T Tanker 71 working Sawtooth Complex Fire (2006)
Sawtooth Complex Fire (Sept. 2006), San Bernardino County CA. Photo Credit: U.S. Forest Service
No comments:
Post a Comment