As a young Pilot, I worked two summers as a contract fueler for a CDF (now CAL-FIRE) Air Attack Base. It was an incredible honor and privilege to work alongside these amazing guys.
This is remarkable. Thankful for the invention of this stuff that is carried; the aircraft available and retrofitted to carry it; and to the brave airmen who carry it out. RIP 123 and the two pilots who made their final carry.
Love that P-3 Orion. Still in use all over the world, for air-sea rescue, submarine warfare, hurricane hunting, long range patrol, cargo operations, firefighting, etc.
I just hope they continue making scooper type flying boats as this is probably one of the best ways to quickly keep water on a large fire. I once watched a special on the very designing of CL-415 scoopers, & a lot of genius went into it!
Bombardier is based in Quebec where there are lakes everywhere. That plane is great for remote fires as the plane can refill without returning to civilization.
It is not enough to do more, the CL-415 must be modified by two as now there are few, better like this, but with motors above the wings: https: //it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonov_An-22
An outstanding Video! Thanks so much for creating and posting it. I especially was surprised by, and enjoyed the footage of the venerable old P2 Neptunes. As a child, they were my first exposure to airplanes. My family had a summer home down river from Brunswick NAS. The first and last sounds I heard each day, other than seagulls was Neptunes taking off and landing I'm not sure if this was happening before my birth in '48 or came along in my toddler years. Ironically, I remember well the transition from the P2 to the P3 as sub chasers and in '80 I started a 13 stint testing, troubleshooting, limited reworking, and retesting the production Syncrophasers of the 54H60 propeller system which is shared by the P3 Orion and the C 130. sdh in CT
WOW, nice video. Shows how important and risky their job is. That DC10 puts lots of water/retardant on a fire that is for sure. I can remember back in the 60's the fire in Whittier Hills, B-17's were in use then. The P3 are classics and have lots of power. Nusna, to keep the center of gravity right, and most of the weight at or below wing level, the put the dump blister on the bottom. Saw a special on the Dc 10, and it does have tanks that extend above the floor into what used to be passenger compartment, but the large volume of water is below wing level.
It was fun to watch the PB4s and DCs fly out of Jeffco in Colorado. 5600 feet field elevation and 90+ degrees made takeoffs interesting. Roll until they could fly in ground effect, drop into the valley at the north end of the runway, gather enough airspeed to get some altitude, and turn before the Boulder Flatirons got in the way.
Thank you goes out to all of you pilots at the air attack units. Also for all of the smoke jumper units and any firefighting divisions you guys and gals are the heroes of the world. God be with you all always! 💕👏👏👏🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸💪💪💪💪💪💪🙏🙏😎
Good Lord rest in peace, Pilots, aircrafts maintenance crew, fire fighters kudos to all of them fighting fires and keeping these beautiful birds flying, these pilots and fire fighters are a breed apart
Cool! Esp. the Paso Robles footage. I was with Santa Margarita Fire that year. Man, was it a mess... did a lot of structure protection while CDF and you flyboys did the heavy lifting.
it is a very sticky material called foschek. It is sticky and wet to stay a fire retardant for hours after being dropped. It is also red so the pilots not only can see it from the air but see where they have already dropped it. You will hear them referring to painting. They are awesome and of great use on a fire but not surgical like a helicopter.
You're right that converting a conventional bomber to this task makes sense. Better use it for this task than crapping it. But it must land to refill its tanks. Bombardier's CL-415 does'nt have to land. It fills it tanks by skimming any water surface big enough (it doesn't have to be too big). In about 10 seconds, it takes 6000 liters of water (about 3 tons).
choppers are great for the little stuff and spots, 215s got range loiter and load, and when you take a look at turn around they are pretty handy. Good in the guety stuff too.
Man , I wish I could fly a plane are helicopter. I would fight the chance to help with the fires . Where ever they are. That is so cool to watch these guys give it there all to fight the fires. Save safe! 😀👍
@ThePolyweave Actually they are already coming up with replacement aircraft for the next generation of tankers, Neptune Aviation is testing a BAE 146-200 Regional jet that has been making test water drops around Missoula, along with looking at the Dash 8 Turbo Prop for a possible replacement for their P-2 fleet. The french have beaten us to the punch with Several Dash 8 tankers {Q-400 models}. with airlines trimming routes and regional planes, airframes are not hard to come by nor are parts
So why do the larger tankers like the Orion and the DC-10 use gondolas instead of internal retardent carriage? Too costly to modify the internal structure?
I wish we could see the effect the drops had on the fire in addition to the drop plume. The plume is pretty but what it does to a fire is the goal..... Whish there were a few you could follow all the way down to see the flames die.
I was gonna ask the same thing. Does it put out the fire or does it coat flammable material preventing further escalation of the fire? C'mon dammit, what does it do besides turn the forest ted?
@@danielstewart7163 There's actually a few different applications. Most are (the red ones) to create "fire lines" to contain the fire & cut it off from more fuel. So yes, it essentially coats flammables and makes burning harder. Water just is an attempt to put out fire.
I guess my question is, let say we never have another fire -- what happens to the tinder? It would seem that the fires are natural - if there's a tree or a bush - there will be tinder? So if we never have another fire - does the tinder just mount up ad infinitum?
Oh they were doing a great job but their only draw back is they have to have a lake with enough space to touch down fto scoop up the water. Here in East Texas we have a lot of lakes but you can't go 1 mile without seeing a large pond. This is what gave the helicopters a huge advantage. They could find water within a mile or two of the fire which made their turn around super fast. I realize it's not the same in all states though.
We saw a lot of P2V's, CL-215's, Black Hawks and Chinook's during the wild fires here in East Texas last year. Even saw Neptune's newest plane, the BAE-146, makes it's first apperance on an actual fire. The CL-215's didn't stay to long but the Helicopters stayed busy scooping water from local ponds and lakes. Someone mentioned the CL-215 as being great? The helicopters had a huge advantage because the CL had to touch down to scoop water when the Helicopters just hovered and scooped it up.
The Aero Union P-3's seen in this video have not flown for the past two fire seasons. Their contract was not negotiated again I believe due to maintenance issues.
Sadly , the Orions have been sold for scrap and Aero Union is mo more. I believe the MAFFS system was made by them and I don't think anyone has assumed production. Correct me if I'm wrong.
The Orions are gone, but a company called MAAFS.com (go figure!) has formed up to provide services and material for the modules, and to build new ones.
(read my comments of today in reverse order, this one being the last) Then again, the CL-415 was designed for use in Québec. Take a look on our territory on Google Earth and you'll understand. Our water surface is a little more than half the size of Texas (51% to be precise).
I'm sure they could, but someone has to pay for the flight time. Originally the DC-10 contract was $48,000 per hour. Double that for a refueling tanker.
when i lived in phoenix az there was a p 3 orien statined there with the tail number 00 dont know if this could have been the same one or the forrest service based there out side of cutter aviation bldg at sky harbor international airport this was back in 1980s till 1992 before i mpoved when i last seen the p3 00 was there two with same number but different companies also in phx az they had an 0v10 bronco spotter and a p2 neptune
Other land-based airplanes must go back to base, land, taxi to the refilling area, connect hoses, wait for the tanks to fill, disconnect hoses, taxi back to the runway, take-off again and fly back to the fire. If there's a lake, river or ocean near the fire, a CL-415 can do this in less than 5 minutes.
They can’t carry retardant though(because that requires a refill). The time it takes to get to a fire depends on the nearest safe to scoop water source.
I wonder if that B 25 is the one I saw at the Port Hardy airport over 40 yrs ago back in the mid to late 70's. The 4 engines were off and standing on their noses. I heard that it had been bought by Americans.
un video genial, impresionantes maquinas, me imagino ahora que es una mala epoca para el airbus 380 que modificaran este fantastico aparato para lucha contra los incendios a nivel mundial y que los paises estubiera obligados atener mas aviones antiincendios de los necesarios para atravesar fronteras con o sin permiso de los paises
@HerkMeck Anyone on a boat near a forest fire is NUTS. "water body that is not protected" ?? What harm does it do to a lake to pick up a few thousand gallons of water ? Fire retardant MAY be more effective (per weight) than water (that remains to be prooven), but you can put a lot more water per hour on a fire with a CL-415 filling up at a nearby lake than with a big land-based plane that has to go back to base to refill its tanks.
My deepest respect to the pilots & ground crews, this is a dangerous job but essential. I'm deeply saddened of any loss! God bless you all 🙏
As a young Pilot, I worked two summers as a contract fueler for a CDF (now CAL-FIRE) Air Attack Base. It was an incredible honor and privilege to work alongside these amazing guys.
This is remarkable. Thankful for the invention of this stuff that is carried; the aircraft available and retrofitted to carry it; and to the brave airmen who carry it out.
RIP 123 and the two pilots who made their final carry.
Love that P-3 Orion. Still in use all over the world, for air-sea rescue, submarine warfare, hurricane hunting, long range patrol, cargo operations, firefighting, etc.
Mr simmons thanks for the work that you done to get these videos i think that i have watch ever one of them and i in joy them alot.
I just hope they continue making scooper type flying boats as this is probably one of the best ways to quickly keep water on a large fire. I once watched a special on the very designing of CL-415 scoopers, & a lot of genius went into it!
Non effective?
Bombardier is based in Quebec where there are lakes everywhere. That plane is great for remote fires as the plane can refill without returning to civilization.
It is not enough to do more, the CL-415 must be modified by two as now there are few, better like this, but with motors above the wings: https: //it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonov_An-22
@@giuseppebattagliese6424 so make a scooper version of the an-22? ok…
An outstanding Video! Thanks so much for creating and posting it. I especially was surprised by, and enjoyed the footage of the venerable old P2 Neptunes. As a child, they were my first exposure to airplanes. My family had a summer home down river from Brunswick NAS. The first and last sounds I heard each day, other than seagulls was Neptunes taking off and landing I'm not sure if this was happening before my birth in '48 or came along in my toddler years. Ironically, I remember well the transition from the P2 to the P3 as sub chasers and in '80 I started a 13 stint testing, troubleshooting, limited reworking, and retesting the production Syncrophasers of the 54H60 propeller system which is shared by the P3 Orion and the C 130. sdh in CT
Klll
Really impressive!!
WOW, nice video. Shows how important and risky their job is. That DC10 puts lots of water/retardant on a fire that is for sure. I can remember back in the 60's the fire in Whittier Hills, B-17's were in use then. The P3 are classics and have lots of power. Nusna, to keep the center of gravity right, and most of the weight at or below wing level, the put the dump blister on the bottom. Saw a special on the Dc 10, and it does have tanks that extend above the floor into what used to be passenger compartment, but the large volume of water is below wing level.
It was fun to watch the PB4s and DCs fly out of Jeffco in Colorado. 5600 feet field elevation and 90+ degrees made takeoffs interesting. Roll until they could fly in ground effect, drop into the valley at the north end of the runway, gather enough airspeed to get some altitude, and turn before the Boulder Flatirons got in the way.
This video is listed in my son's favorites, has a pic of Neptune P2v Tanker 11, which went down in june 2012, with my son on it
As a kid, living in Chico, California, I use to go out to the Airport to watch and film Areo Union's B-17s. What a sight they were.
Love this. Thank you for your service. I love you guys.......
What a Phenomenal job everyone involved with this difficult and dangerous task! It’s just damn shame that Mother Nature couldn’t help all out.🤔
Thank you goes out to all of you pilots at the air attack units.
Also for all of the smoke jumper units and any firefighting divisions you guys and gals are the heroes of the world. God be with you all always! 💕👏👏👏🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸💪💪💪💪💪💪🙏🙏😎
I lost my first flight instructor to the Scarface Fire. He was flying an AeroUnion C119. R.I.P. Charlie Waters.
Awesome video , thanks
It's a dangerous job. Blessings on those who take on the task.
Beautiful video ! Thank you for share.
The Neptune is so cool, running both those loud classic radials, along with those pylon mounted turbojets
6:38 is the one that gives one goosebumps and a heartsore. Tanker ''123''.
Great video! It'll make a very good movie. RIP to the pilots of the YP Yulee.
Good Lord rest in peace, Pilots, aircrafts maintenance crew, fire fighters kudos to all of them fighting fires and keeping these beautiful birds flying, these pilots and fire fighters are a breed apart
Great shots of the Neptune tankers!!! I live in Missoula where they are based out of and its nice to see their recognition around the nation!
Cool! Esp. the Paso Robles footage. I was with Santa Margarita Fire that year. Man, was it a mess... did a lot of structure protection while CDF and you flyboys did the heavy lifting.
78 was based at Chico years ago before the TPE331s were introduced. Pat Ross drove it.
Never Noticed those Neptune's look like beefed up A-26's..........probably the best craft ever !
Really killer video! Bless u guys out there
I look at this and know what I should have done with my life.
I totally agree with you there.
I appreciate your comment. :)
It's like being a bomber pilot in combat (from the movies i've seen). Precise delivery of payload on target because of an FAC talking him on. Rad!
Awesome video
Very cool! I work on P-3 (military and BP recon birds) Orions and didn't know until watching this video that they are also used as aerial fire trucks.
it is a very sticky material called foschek. It is sticky and wet to stay a fire retardant for hours after being dropped. It is also red so the pilots not only can see it from the air but see where they have already dropped it. You will hear them referring to painting. They are awesome and of great use on a fire but not surgical like a helicopter.
Super videos 👍 subscribed
You're right that converting a conventional bomber to this task makes sense.
Better use it for this task than crapping it.
But it must land to refill its tanks.
Bombardier's CL-415 does'nt have to land. It fills it tanks by skimming any water surface big enough (it doesn't have to be too big). In about 10 seconds, it takes 6000 liters of water (about 3 tons).
Very skilled pilots, take my hat off to them all.
Thank you for your generous comment. Alan Simmons
Thanks for the info, didn't know 60's was still in the air.
choppers are great for the little stuff and spots, 215s got range loiter and load, and when you take a look at turn around they are pretty handy. Good in the guety stuff too.
Waow that Neptune sideslip was brutal
Just awesome stuff!!!!!
The water + fire retardant has a red dye so the area that it's been applied to can be seen from the air.
Very Nice
Man , I wish I could fly a plane are helicopter. I would fight the chance to help with the fires . Where ever they are. That is so cool to watch these guys give it there all to fight the fires. Save safe! 😀👍
Carl Helmick go to flight school and fire academy to graduate and become a Ariel firefighter
@ThePolyweave Actually they are already coming up with replacement aircraft for the next generation of tankers, Neptune Aviation is testing a BAE 146-200 Regional jet that has been making test water drops around Missoula, along with looking at the Dash 8 Turbo Prop for a possible replacement for their P-2 fleet.
The french have beaten us to the punch with Several Dash 8 tankers {Q-400 models}. with airlines trimming routes and regional planes, airframes are not hard to come by nor are parts
As a kid I remember seeing TBM Avengers flying out of Twin Falls, Idaho on desert brush fires.
RIP 123
kel Grew up watching it fly out of Ramona air attack base.... 1993-95.
Mr.Clem me to I’m from San diego
This is why they are called the “Air Attack” squadrons. 👍
So why do the larger tankers like the Orion and the DC-10 use gondolas instead of internal retardent carriage? Too costly to modify the internal structure?
we need these for the UK
I wish we could see the effect the drops had on the fire in addition to the drop plume. The plume is pretty but what it does to a fire is the goal..... Whish there were a few you could follow all the way down to see the flames die.
I was gonna ask the same thing. Does it put out the fire or does it coat flammable material preventing further escalation of the fire?
C'mon dammit, what does it do besides turn the forest ted?
@@danielstewart7163 There's actually a few different applications. Most are (the red ones) to create "fire lines" to contain the fire & cut it off from more fuel. So yes, it essentially coats flammables and makes burning harder. Water just is an attempt to put out fire.
I wonder if multiple passes are made one behind the other over hot spots. Surprised with all the air power these fires grow so fast.
The best video ever of fires
fithing
Incredible !!! A good old B-24.
Thanks, I agree.
I guess my question is, let say we never have another fire -- what happens to the tinder? It would seem that the fires are natural - if there's a tree or a bush - there will be tinder? So if we never have another fire - does the tinder just mount up ad infinitum?
Oh they were doing a great job but their only draw back is they have to have a lake with enough space to touch down fto scoop up the water. Here in East Texas we have a lot of lakes but you can't go 1 mile without seeing a large pond. This is what gave the helicopters a huge advantage. They could find water within a mile or two of the fire which made their turn around super fast. I realize it's not the same in all states though.
Nice video great footage, great planes too, you should add the Beriev Be-200 its to this collection
When the P-8 gets into production...there will be about 100 P-3 available for tanker conversion...with 15k+hours left on them.
We saw a lot of P2V's, CL-215's, Black Hawks and Chinook's during the wild fires here in East Texas last year. Even saw Neptune's newest plane, the BAE-146, makes it's first apperance on an actual fire. The CL-215's didn't stay to long but the Helicopters stayed busy scooping water from local ponds and lakes. Someone mentioned the CL-215 as being great? The helicopters had a huge advantage because the CL had to touch down to scoop water when the Helicopters just hovered and scooped it up.
Agree. Also, the CL-215s need somewhere long enough to touch down. Effective in Canada where they have lots of long lakes, but not so much in the US.
i have a question, why the red water, is it to mark where water has been dropped before?
The Aero Union P-3's seen in this video have not flown for the past two fire seasons. Their contract was not negotiated again I believe due to maintenance issues.
ahaha your ass is showing loud and clear.
The Neptunes are beautiful. I suppose that the engines were difficult to maintain, but the airplane supposably was nice to fly
does anyone know if the Aero Union P3's were bought and placed in service, it's gonna be a long summer without those P3's supporting us on the ground.
A good tribute to tanker 123
top video thanks from italy
wait..... How the McDonnel Douglas get the water??? ( 4:39 )
when the planes are going that fast is it really doing anything the phoschek looks like a fine mist by the time it hits the ground
really informative and interesting
Can anyone tell me the type of WW2 and post war aircraft these were.?
I recognize the pb4y privateer.
When I was growing up, the S-2 Trackers were green and had radials.
Sadly , the Orions have been sold for scrap and Aero Union is mo more. I believe the MAFFS system was made by them and I don't think anyone has assumed production. Correct me if I'm wrong.
I believe you are wrong. The WWII planes and P2V's have been retired.
The Orions are gone, but a company called MAAFS.com (go figure!) has formed up to provide services and material for the modules, and to build new ones.
What the last few planes that didnt have their name put up?
(read my comments of today in reverse order, this one being the last)
Then again, the CL-415 was designed for use in Québec. Take a look on our territory on Google Earth and you'll understand. Our water surface is a little more than half the size of Texas (51% to be precise).
Excelente trabajo
Why don't they convert a kc-10 to pass water/retardant to these aircrafts? Less landings more air time.
I'm sure they could, but someone has to pay for the flight time. Originally the DC-10 contract was $48,000 per hour. Double that for a refueling tanker.
when i lived in phoenix az there was a p 3 orien statined there with the tail number 00 dont know if this could have been the same one or the forrest service based there out side of cutter aviation bldg at sky harbor international airport this was back in 1980s till 1992 before i mpoved when i last seen the p3 00 was there two with same number but different companies also in phx az they had an 0v10 bronco spotter and a p2 neptune
nice video and a intresting wideo
Does anyone know what music was used in the video?
Other land-based airplanes must go back to base, land, taxi to the refilling area, connect hoses, wait for the tanks to fill, disconnect hoses, taxi back to the runway, take-off again and fly back to the fire. If there's a lake, river or ocean near the fire, a CL-415 can do this in less than 5 minutes.
They can’t carry retardant though(because that requires a refill). The time it takes to get to a fire depends on the nearest safe to scoop water source.
anybody else notice the length is 7:57
I thought that nose familiar same type nose as the OV-1Mohawk! Have many hours in one.
I wonder if that B 25 is the one I saw at the Port Hardy airport over 40 yrs ago back in the mid to late 70's. The 4 engines were off and standing on their noses. I heard that it had been bought by Americans.
Chilling to see 123 in here, considering the fate of her and her crew. Blue Skies boys…
Perhaps you guys could de-interlace your videos that go up on to RUclips?
It was scary cause there was a fire really close to us
@HerkMeck : how do you get this kind of info?
Too bad they are big but I think the C-141 Starlifter would make a mean air attack plane.
BIGBLOCK5022006What about the decommisioned shuttle crafts, put motors on them. Bring back the martin Mars, put turbo props on them.
RIP 123, I hope to change these planes up to date asap.
why fix it if it isnt broke. effective little guys
Unfortunately we live in a state known for fires and the years of both 2003/2007 are reminders of what hell these fine men have to go through.
Hmmmmpphhh GIRLS CAN BE FIRE FIGHTERS TOO!!!
@@KimberlyVanilla i think by men they mean like humanity
@@ov10bronco9 Yeah, and I think humanity ka swift boot in da tail too.
un video genial, impresionantes maquinas, me imagino ahora que es una mala epoca para el airbus 380 que modificaran este fantastico aparato para lucha contra los incendios a nivel mundial y que los paises estubiera obligados atener mas aviones antiincendios de los necesarios para atravesar fronteras con o sin permiso de los paises
The best profession in the world
Que coraje!! , si no se abre la descarga se va a la chachu.
The first thing I thought seeing the B-24 was don't they have a shitty wing box?
That wasn't a B-24 it was a Privateer... The navy version of the B-24... It had the single tail for added range for costal patrol and attack...
@HerkMeck Anyone on a boat near a forest fire is NUTS.
"water body that is not protected" ??
What harm does it do to a lake to pick up a few thousand gallons of water ?
Fire retardant MAY be more effective (per weight) than water (that remains to be prooven), but you can put a lot more water per hour on a fire with a CL-415 filling up at a nearby lake than with a big land-based plane that has to go back to base to refill its tanks.
Why is it being wasted where there's no fire? Have others pouring it directly where the fires at!
Where is the 747??
10 years ago this July.
👍
DC-10 is my favorite!
Global Supertanker 747.
I missing the Supertanker Boeing 747, in this video..