IL-76 Water-bomber

[JohnA]

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Huntington Beach, a supporter of the Russian Ilyushin-76 Waterbomber, scheduled a news conference today in support of employing the 12,000-gallon tankers and to criticize the Forest Service.

The Forest Service has rejected the Russian plane as well as Canadian firefighting planes until they recently hired two. They prefer to use a handful of private U.S. contractors, according to critics.



http://www.insidebayarea.com/dailyr...news/ci_2681313

[hobie]

Here is a bit of background to the IL-76 approach .....

http://www.desastres.org/waterbomber/experience.htm

Why 40 to 50 year old Aircraft are allowed to be used on such a challenging application is beyond me ...... I certainly hope the Russian approach is given a chance to prove itself

[JohnA]

Field Exercise "Bogorodsk 2002" in Noginsk, Russian Federation

photo, courtesy NATO, opens large: http://www.nato.int/pictures/2002/020925b/b020925g.jpg

[JohnA]

My favourite pic:

http://www.desastres.org/waterbomber/photomedia/16a.jpg

[JohnA]

http://www.insidebayarea.com/dailyreview/localnews/ci_2682319

[North Shore]

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Huntington Beach, a supporter of the Russian Ilyushin-76 Waterbomber

Oh, the irony!! A Republican supporting the Russkies. Goldwater must be spinning like a top.

[Lowlevldevl]

I think contracting the Russians to fight American wild fires is a great idea. After all, it was the Americans who forced them into democracy and the free market economy. I'll be surprised if it happens though. The Americans are way too parochial to let it. It was one thing to talk about welcoming the former communist state into the western capitalist system, something else entirely to actually do it.

[JohnA]

"Deviations from these policies" (among which, ruling out the
use of the IL-76 waterbomber) "may be necessary in the event
protection of life or property is indicated to be in the best
interest of the taxpaying public. In that case Federal line
officers have the authority to assume operational control."

This last year from NIFC, the overall policy group for firefighting.

While the IL-76 can mobilize quickly,
as it did in 2000 at the request of
FEMA for the Cerro Grande wildfire
before the Forest Service stepped
in and stopped two (2) aircraft with
three (3) crew apiece for 24-hour
firefighting*, they'd best get at it early
this year, before the place hots up.

The Russians can't be considered
deviants forever.

* http://www.aeronautics.ru/nws002/los-alamos-01.htm
NB: There was urgency here, as
Cerro Grande threatened to get into
nuclear materiel.

[JohnA]

old video covering the controversy:

http://www.desastres.org/waterbomber/videos/video7.jpg

This now broadcasts in better resolution
than was previously possible.

See also this short clip from the Russians:
http://www.desastres.org/waterbomber/videos/video5.jpg

[JohnA]

NTSB on the safety of remaining US tanker fleet:
http://www.insidebayarea.com/trivalleyherald/localnews/ci_2756537

[JohnA]

Final paragraph of the latest Geissinger piece contained in the immediately preceding post's link:

The Forest Service is ruling out use of .... a Russian supertanker citing problems gaining Federal Aviation Administration permission to fly them in this country.

Literally, the bottom line from a briefing paper prepared by staffers for
Rep Rohrabacher, who spoke to the IL-76 waterbomber April 26, 2005
on the floor of the US House of Representatives (*):

Falls under public use aircraft so does not have to be certified by FAA.

Of course, the Congressman didn't specifically address FAA certification in his
address to the House. He didn't need to.

It follows that the US Forest Service/NIFC have some 'splainin' to do.

(*) You can read this 5-minute speech from a pdf link at Wikipedia's Il-76 entry.