What is the red liquid that planes drop on fires?
Most often, planes will drop a specially designed fire retardant called Phos-Chek, a mixture of mainly water and fertilizer, to help contain the spread of a fire.
How many 747 fire tankers are there?
One plane many aviation enthusiasts may not be familiar with was the Boeing 747 Supertanker. There were only 4 built, and they were not built from scratch by Boeing, but rather, based upon Boeings 747 aircraft that were retrofitted by a company called Evergreen International Aviation to fight fires.
Do fire air tankers fly at night?
In 2020 and 2021 CO Fire Aviation had one of their SEATs working on a night-flying contract in Oregon. The company says they are the only operators of night-flying fixed wing air tankers.
How many air tankers does Cal Fire have?
CAL FIRE’s fleet of more than 60 fixed and rotary wing aircraft make it the largest civil aerial firefighting fleet in the world.
Why are units still reluctant to send air tankers during fires?
IMO, units are going to continue to be reluctant to send air tankers on initial report of a fire because of the cost associated with having to jettison a load when they are cancelled. Helicopters are more cost effective, but may not be enough if the fire starts to escape IA, but at least you get an aerial asset sooner than later.
How many air tankers were cancelled in 2020?
In 2020, 34.3 percent of the requests for large air tankers were either cancelled or unable to be filled. Since 2001 the four years with the highest number of total fire detections in Washington, Oregon, and California have all occurred since 2015, according to satellite data processed by the New York Times in September of last year.
Where are wildfires still active?
Wildfires are still very active where three states meet, Washington, Oregon, and Idaho.
Are airtankers worth it on conflagrations?
This issue has been discussed since the advent of the airtanker and many of us have known the value of airtankers on IA and much less so on conflagrations. 5.