The country is being burnt. It happens somewhere in Australia, almost every year.
How true. Yet why do we spend vast sums of money transporting a couple of Sikorsky Skycranes over here
every year!
Considering the vast amount of damage done to Australia
every year by bushfires, surely the time is well overdue when we should
purchase (or at the very least, lease) several dedicated fire-fighting aircraft for our own use.
There are many to chose from, however year after year we rely on a hodge podge of cropdusters and small helicopters with bambi buckets (or similar). IMHO this is like p!ssing in the wind.
While acknowledging the skill and tenacity of the pilots involved, we really need to get serious.
I remember some years ago an ex-RAAF Neptune was re-fitted for fire-fighting operations and based in Perth. I far as I can recall it was never used once.
This may not be a very good example, it illustrates the complete lack of leadership by state and federal governments to tackle the problem at the appropriate level.
I may be missing some key points here, as I am not versed in the ways of aircraft aquisition. Is it that there would simply not be the use for a small fleet of, let's say 6 Canadairs (the twin-turboprop ones - I forget their designation)? Somehow I seriously doubt the cost of purchase and operation of such aircraft would outweigh their potential benefit.