Aerial firefighting is a crucial tactic for the containment of the blazes that threaten to ravage the west with increasing severity as the planet's climate continues to warm. Despite that, converted firefighting 747s stayed grounded throughout the bulk of this year's fire season due to the U.S. Forest Service's insistence that they are too big. But no longer.
A converted 747 operated by Global SuperTanker Services gained clearance for firefighting from the FAA back in 2016, but the 747's biggest feature—its enormous capacity—also managed to keep it out of service. The Forest Service, which puts emphasis on aerial firefighting as a means of hemming in fires before they get large, has a 5,000-gallon limit on the size of aerial tankers with the exception of a trio of 12,000-gallon DC-10s. The logic being that smaller capacity planes are better at this specific job. The 19,000-gallon 747, as a result, was disqualified from service until a state deal with California specifically put it into action, making 60 drops.
Now, the 747 has been given a chance to get into action now that the U.S. Government Accountability Office has sided with Global SuperTanker Services over the U.S. Forest Service, clearing the plane for firefighting flights nationwide. It's a good thing too, considering that 2017 has been brutal as far as wildfires are concerned, following 2016 which was no picnic either. The trend seems unlikely to let up, so the best shot we have at keeping our country unburnt is having every possible containment tool at our disposal.
Now don't confuse this airplane with a simple dump-and-run water bomber. The 747's liquid drop system is quite advanced. The aircraft houses eight large pressurized tanks each holding 200 lbs. of air and can disperse retardant under high pressure or at the gentler speed of falling rain. The aircraft can also release its entire load on one target or disperse it in up to eight segmented drops.
A converted 747 operated by Global SuperTanker Services gained clearance for firefighting from the FAA back in 2016, but the 747's biggest feature—its enormous capacity—also managed to keep it out of service. The Forest Service, which puts emphasis on aerial firefighting as a means of hemming in fires before they get large, has a 5,000-gallon limit on the size of aerial tankers with the exception of a trio of 12,000-gallon DC-10s. The logic being that smaller capacity planes are better at this specific job. The 19,000-gallon 747, as a result, was disqualified from service until a state deal with California specifically put it into action, making 60 drops.
Now, the 747 has been given a chance to get into action now that the U.S. Government Accountability Office has sided with Global SuperTanker Services over the U.S. Forest Service, clearing the plane for firefighting flights nationwide. It's a good thing too, considering that 2017 has been brutal as far as wildfires are concerned, following 2016 which was no picnic either. The trend seems unlikely to let up, so the best shot we have at keeping our country unburnt is having every possible containment tool at our disposal.
Now don't confuse this airplane with a simple dump-and-run water bomber. The 747's liquid drop system is quite advanced. The aircraft houses eight large pressurized tanks each holding 200 lbs. of air and can disperse retardant under high pressure or at the gentler speed of falling rain. The aircraft can also release its entire load on one target or disperse it in up to eight segmented drops.
