For this reason I would feel more comfortable with an Aircrane that can quickly suck up a few thousand litres from the dam and do multiple dumps rather than rely on one or two fixed wing a/c.
True, but there are only a couple of Skycranes, and heaps of regionally based smaller helos and fixed wing. If I call for air support and the Skycranes are in Gippsland and 'all' I get is a Helitack and a couple of Drom's I would still be grateful.
In my area we don't have many fires that can only be attacked from the air, but it is not uncommon to have parts of a planned control line you can't send a Tanker coz it is too rough, or the fire is too hot or there is just not adequate 'bug-outs' if it all starts to look a bit 'Linton'.
And what better to shrink turn around time than use aircraft with land in water to pickup water.
Well that is nice, and would work well in Canada where there is a lake every 5 min flight time, but the closest bodies of water those things could land or pick up for me would probably be Lake Eildon (maybe) or Port Philip Bay. both further than Essendon or Mangalore! Not sure what salt water would do to a productive paddock, but it'll make the fence rusty
