I have blogged about aerial wildland firefighting since 2009. I am not a firefighter and am not a pilot, just an interested bystander who wants to learn more and share what I learn here. Join me here as I blog on the aircraft and the pilots who fight wildland fires from the air in support of crews on the ground. I also blog on concerns affecting fire crews on the ground as well as other aviation and meteorology issues. Learn what it takes to do jobs that are staffed by the best of the best.
Sunday, December 06, 2009
Overview: up close and personal with a DC-7 tanker
Over the course of the last several months, I have run into various references about the Douglas DC-7 air tankers on the web and in books and magazines. Over the summer I saw an article, probably from an Oregon newspaper with a photo of a DC-7 tanker then under contract to Oregon. Recently, I again saw references to DC-7 tankers being under contract to California, this time through an electronic bibliographic database that I accessed through my local public library. Now, I have always had a fondness for the various aircraft in the Douglas DC series, so I asked one of my airtanker pilot friends about these DC-7 tankers. I was lead to Butler Aircraft and then to Larry Kraus, a veteran tanker pilot who has been captain of one of Butler's three DC-7 airtankers.
I have been corresponding with Larry Kraus for the last several days. Thank-you Larry!! This correspondence plus this thread on Butler's tankers, started by Larry on the Warbird Information Exchange forums, form the basis for a series of articles on the DC-7 tanker. Please sit down and join me as we get up close and personal with these beautiful and historic tankers.
Upcoming topics include:
Dec. 7: introduction to Butler's DC-7 tankers and a little history
Dec. 8: specifications - pt. 1
Dec. 9: specifications - pt 2:
Dec. 10: engine maintenance pt 1 and pt 2
Dec. 11: shots of the former passenger cabin of T-62, ballast
Dec. 12: former passenger cabin continued, floating beam
Dec.14: the cockpit
Dec. 16: retardant drop cockpit controls and the drop sequence
Dec. 18: more on the drop sequence
Dec. 21: action shots pt 1
Dec. 23: action shots pt 2
Dec. 30: my reflections
Edited to add a revision I made at Larry's request on March 1, 2010: revisiting ballast, weight and balance, and fuselage stations
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