Originally Posted by
sharksandwich
Does anyone know if these small ex-crop-spraying aircraft are really effective, or is it a matter of being seen to do something by the authorities?
The answer is : "depends..."
I've seen them in action locally several times.
On fires that have only just started, or smaller fires in general, they can be very effective.
Being "low-and-slow" they have the advantage of being able to drop very accurately, even very close to villages and houses, and then if necessary they can "loiter" to direct the local fire engines on the ground.
Where I live it's fairly densely populated, so most fires are spotted quickly, before they spread too far, and then the smaller aircraft can do an excellent job.
When you start talking steep hillsides, uninhabited and inaccessible terrain, and fires that are already burning over tens of hectares, that's when you start calling in the Canadairs, the Trackers and the Fokkers.
CJ
PS :
AFAIK, our local ones are not "ex-crop-spraying", but were bought new and already fitted out for fire fighting.