747 To Make Jumbo Water Bomber...
Evergreen International Decides To Supersize...
By July 4 of this year, Evergreen International Aviation hopes to gain independence from firefighting the old-fashioned way. The McMinnville, Oregon-based company is working with the FAA to obtain certification for Evergreen "Supertankers") -- retrofit Boeing 747s capable of carrying 24,000 gallons of fire retardant each. Supertanker spokesman Justin Marchand tells AVweb the flight-test aircraft has made more than 50 flights and 82 drops and carried 536,000 gallons -- 1.5 million pounds -- of retardant. Why a 747? "I like the analogy 'why send in a single soldier when you can send in the army,'" says Marchand. This aircraft is going to be very effective in its mission." As AVweb reported last week, a plan called the Strategic Aerial Firefighting Excellence (SAFE) Initiative has already called for the replacement of the current aging heavy air-tanker fleet over the next ten years.


...You Call, We Haul
Consider that an Evergreen Supertanker will carry in one load what it would take seven other firefighting planes to haul, and it will be able to get to the fire clipping along at Mach .86 (near 600 mph). Each Supertanker will carry 24,000 gallons of flame retardant, which weighs 9 pounds per gallon. That's 216,000 pounds of material that will be leaving the plane in eight seconds. That would be an interesting ride. Or maybe not. According to Marchand, data collected so far and borne out by the flight tests shows only a "negligible" g-loading (or un-loading?) when a drop is made. "Since it is a fully pressurized system, you can't even tell [when a drop is made] from a cockpit aspect," says Marchand. Neither does hauling such a big load put the jumbo on the cusp of weight problems. Even fully loaded, the 747 is still 150,000 pounds shy of its max takeoff weight. AVweb was contacted by a reader who told us an announcement was made to local pilots that one of the Supertankers would be based at the Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho, this summer. Marchand says no decision has yet been made on aircraft placement, but that Evergreen plans to have a "fleet" of Supertankers once certification is received. One thing seems certain. With drought and fire already causing problems in the western U.S., the 747 will likely see a lot of action, and its nickname could change from "jumbo" to "cavalry."