Airborne firefighting equipment have there own place in their own environment, and jetrangers with bambi buckets on firestorms..............well i shake my head.
In the 80's someone of vision foresaw the sh#tfight we have seen in fire's over the last 20 years, and imported a display of an Italian and a French CL 415 to australia to demonstrate the ability of a fleet of aerial tankers. Not 1, or converted A model 1960 herc's or bloody Caribou's. The display was performed in front of governement, military and private investor powers to be. The display was nothing short of awesome. The maneuverability, the accuracy, and efficiency of these aircraft in numbers leaves one awestruck.
Quote "They are very expensive. They fly like cowboys. We can use our existing helicopter operators. Our fires aren't that bad. Canada has private enterprise with private owned forests and our trees are different"
And so for the last decade, fires have been p#ssed on by smaller helicopters. It hasn't been until recent times that they have started to get serious with the Ericson Skycranes and the Bell 212's, 412's. It takes numbers of suitable aircraft in proximity to facilities to refuel and resupply.
In the northern hemisphere, Spain, France, Canada, Portugal and Italy have CL215's and 415's all under snow when Sydney burns.
So the government still p#sses money away with military, and its own incompetences. Lets buy sh*t helicopters for the navy and army blowing billions.
aka sea sprites/MRH 90's. And lets replace caribou's with king airs. Ahhhhhhhhhhh
This country should have no time for incompetence. People, look outside the box that "our idiot leaders" make us live.
YouTube - CL415 CL415
YouTube - Russian JetSeaplanes US Needs to Patrol FireFight dynmicpara BE200
YouTube - SuperTanker 910 Esperanza Fire DC10
YouTube - Boeing 747 the water bomber B747 (allbeit from the flight levels)
We need to rethink what we are doing with what is not working, and think smarter and use larger aircraft to drop perventative retardant, and use the smaller aircraft in organised numbers with water. And what better to shrink turn around time than use aircraft with land in water to pickup water.
I take my hats off to the hard working skilled helicopter pilots, as their part is needed too, but the big scale has to be the way to go. Back packs and switchets and shovels really should be a thing of the past.
If there was any a time for an expat intervention, now it is with organised, and efficient direction for what the insurance companies of the thousands of lost burnt properties.
And here's a thing. When sh#ts not burning, how bout using them in a utility fitout as a coastal patrol, that can land in the ocean. The 415 is the size of a dash 8. Fancy having an aircraft that can fight fires and be used as a coast guard platform, as well as a SAR aircraft.
Now that would be forward thinking.
I shake my head at our leaders' 1st world expectations with 3rd world thinking.