Aerial firefighting

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"Airtanker" redirects here. For the British air-to-air refuelling project, see AirTanker
Services.
Aerial firefighting is the use of aircraft and other aerial resources to combat wildfires.
The types of aircraft used include fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters. Smokejumpers
and rappellers are also classified as aerial firefighters, delivered to the fire by parachute
from a variety of fixed-wing aircraft, or rappelling from helicopters. Chemicals used to
fight fires may include water, water enhancers such as foams and gels, and specially
formulated fire retardants such as Phos-Chek.[1]

A DC-10 Tanker operated by a private contractor for the U.S. Forest Service demonstrates a water drop during
"Thunder Over The Empire Air Fest" at March Air Reserve Base, Calif. (2012)

A Neptune Aviation Lockheed P2V drops flame retardant at Pine Mountain, Oregon. (2014)

Contents

 1Terminology
 2Equipment
 o 2.1Helicopters
o 2.2Water bombers
o 2.3Comparison table of fixed-wing, firefighting tanker airplanes
o 2.4Leadplanes
o 2.5Fleet grounding
 3Fire retardant
 4Tactics and capabilities
 5Incidents
 6Urban legends about aerial firefighting
 7In popular culture
 8See also
 9Notes
 10References
 11External links

Terminology[edit]
The idea of fighting forest fires from the air dates back at least as far as Friedrich Karl
von Koenig-Warthausen's observations on seeing a blaze when overflying the Santa
Lucia Range, California, in 1929.[2]:142
A wide variety of terminology has been used in the popular media for the aircraft (and
methods) used in aerial firefighting. The terms airtanker or air tanker generally refer to
fixed-wing aircraft based in the United States; "airtanker" is used in official
documentation.[3] The term "waterbomber" is used in some Canadian government
documents for the same class of vehicles,[4][5] though it sometimes has a connotation
of amphibians.[6]
Air attack is an industry term used for the actual application of aerial resources, both
fixed-wing and rotorcraft, on a fire. Within the industry, though, "air attack" may also
refer to the supervisor in the air (usually in a fixed-wing aircraft) who supervises the
process of attacking the wildfire from the air, including fixed-wing airtankers, helicopters,
and any other aviation resources assigned to the fire. The Air Tactical Group Supervisor
(ATGS), often called "air attack," is usually flying at an altitude above other resources
assigned to the fire, often in a fixed-wing plane but occasionally (depending on assigned
resources or the availability of qualified personnel) in a helicopter.
Depending on the size, location, and assessed potential of the wildfire, the "air attack"
or ATGS person may be charged with initial attack (the first response of firefighting
assets on fire suppression), or with extended attack, the ongoing response to and
management of a major wildfire requiring additional resources including engines,
ground crews, and other aviation personnel and aircraft needed to control the fire and
establish control lines or firelines ahead of the wildfire.[5]

Equipment[edit]
A wide variety of helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft are used for aerial firefighting. In
2003, it was reported that "The U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land
Management own, lease, or contract for nearly 1,000 aircraft each fire season, with
annual expenditures in excess of US$250 million in recent years". [7]
Helicopters[edit]
Main article: Helitack

State Emergency Service of Ukraine (MChS) Mil Mi-8MTV picking up water near Nezhin

Helicopters may be fitted with tanks (helitankers) or they may carry buckets. Some
helitankers, such as the Erickson AirCrane, are also outfitted with a front-mounted foam
cannon. Buckets are usually filled by submerging or dipping them in lakes, rivers,
reservoirs, or portable tanks. The most popular of the buckets is the flexible Bambi
Bucket. Tanks can be filled on the ground (by water tenders or truck-mounted systems)
or water can be siphoned from lakes, rivers, reservoirs, or a portable tank through a
hanging snorkel. Popular firefighting helicopters include variants of the Bell 204, Bell
205, Bell 212, Boeing Vertol 107, Boeing Vertol 234 and the Sikorsky S-64
Aircrane helitanker, which features a snorkel for filling from a natural or man-made
water source while in hover. Currently the world's largest helicopter, the Mil Mi-26, uses
a Bambi bucket.

Kaman K-Max K-1200 used for aerial firefighting in Idaho

 
 

Kern County (California) Fire Department Bell 205 dropping water during a training exercise at the
Mojave Spaceport
 

Los Angeles County Fire Department's Sikorsky S-70C Firehawk during a water drop demonstration
at Station 129 in Lancaster, California
 
 U.S. Airmen with the 129th Rescue Wing, California Air National Guard drop water on the Rim
Fire near Yosemite, CA, Aug. 26, 2013

Water bombers[edit]
A Consolidated PBY Catalina amphibious flying boat air tanker

An Italian Canadair CL-415 at work

Lockheed P-3A Orion operated by Aero Union

A PZL M-18 Dromader drops water near Mobridge, South Dakota in the US.

Beriev Be-200 filling water tanks in the Mediterranean Sea while in operation in Mount Carmel forest fire in
Israel

An Ilyushin Il-76TD of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps demonstrates aerial firefighting at an air show.

An Antonov An-32 of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine dumps water on a forest fire.

Airtankers or water bombers are fixed-wing aircraft fitted with tanks that can be filled
on the ground at an air tanker base or, in the case of flying boats and amphibious
aircraft, by skimming water from lakes, reservoirs, or large rivers without needing to
land.

Boeing 737-300 operated by Coulson Aviation

Various aircraft have been used over the years for firefighting. In 1947, the United
States Air Force and United States Forest Service experimented with military aircraft
dropping water-filled bombs. The bombs were unsuccessful, and the use of internal
water tanks was adopted instead.[8] Though World War II- and Korean War-era bombers
were for a long time the mainstay of the aerial firefighting fleet, [9] newer purpose-built
tankers have since come online. The smallest are the Single Engine Air Tankers
(SEATs). These are agricultural sprayers that generally drop about 800 US gallons
(3,000 l) of water or retardant. Examples include the Air Tractor AT-802, which can
deliver around 800 US gallons (3,000 l) of water or fire retardant solution in each drop,
and the Soviet Antonov An-2 biplane. Both of these aircraft can be fitted with floats that
scoop water from the surface of a body of water. Similar in configuration to the World
War II–era Consolidated PBY Catalina, the Canadair CL-215 and its derivative the CL-
415 are designed and built specifically for firefighting. The Croatian Air Force uses six
CL-415s as well as six AT 802s for firefighting purposes.
Medium-sized modified aircraft include the Grumman S-2 Tracker (retrofitted with
turboprop engines as the S-2T) as used by the California Department of Forestry & Fire
Protection, as well as the Conair Firecat version developed and used by Conair Group
Inc. of Canada, while the Douglas DC-4, the Douglas DC-7, the Lockheed C-130
Hercules, the Lockheed P-2 Neptune, and the Lockheed P-3 Orion – and its commercial
equivalent, the L-188 Electra – have been used as air tankers. Conair also converted a
number of Convair 580 and Fokker F27 Friendship turboprop airliners to air tankers.[10][11]
The largest aerial firefighter ever used is a Boeing 747 aerial firefighter, known as
the Global Supertanker, that can carry 19,600 US gallons (74,200 l) fed by a
pressurized drop system. The Supertanker was deployed operationally for the first time
in 2009, fighting a fire in Spain.[12] The tanker made its first American operation on
August 31, 2009 at the Oak Glen Fire.[13][14] It has since been replaced by a Boeing 747-
400.[15] Another wide body jetliner that is currently being used as an air tanker is the
modified McDonnell Douglas DC-10 operated by the 10 Tanker Air Carrier company as
the DC-10 Air Tanker.[16] It can carry up to 12,000 US gallons (45,400 l) of fire fighting
retardant.
The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations operates convertible-to-cargo Ilyushin Il-
76 airtankers that have been operating with 11,000-US-gallon (41,600 l) tanking
systems, and several Beriev Be-200 jet powered amphibians. The Be-200 can carry a
maximum payload of about 12,000 litres (3,200 US gal) of water, making "scoops" in
suitable stretches of water in 14 seconds.
Bombardier's Dash 8 Q Series aircraft are the basis of new, next-generation air
tankers. Cascade Aerospace has converted two pre-owned Q400s to act as part-time
water bomber and part-time transport aircraft for France's Sécurité Civile,[17] while
Neptune Aviation is converting a pre-owned Q300 as a prototype to augment
its Lockheed P-2 Neptune aircraft. The Sécurité Civile also operates twelve Canadair
CL-415 and nine Conair Turbo Firecat aircraft. Neptune Aviation also currently operates
converted British Aerospace 146 jetliners as air tankers.[18] The BAe 146 can carry up to
3,000 gallons of fire fighting retardant. Air Spray USA Ltd. of Chico, California has also
converted the BAe 146 jetliner to the role of air tanker. [19] Another modern-era passenger
aircraft that has now been converted for aerial firefighting missions in the U.S. is
the McDonnell Douglas MD-87 jetliner.[20][21] The MD-87 can carry up to 4,000 gallons of
fire fighting retardant. Coulson Aviation unveiled the future of aerial fire fighting with the
Boeing 737-300 in May 2017. Six aircraft have been purchased from Southwest Airlines
for the RADS system conversion which is set to enter service in December 2017. The
737 aircraft is smaller than the C-130Q which allows for a wider range of airfields to be
utilized. Britt Coulson further explained the aircraft will be able to retain the current seat
and galley configuration for tanker operations. [22] On 22 November 2018, the 737 was
used for the first time to fight a fire new Newcastle, Australia. [23]
Comparison table of fixed-wing, firefighting tanker airplanes[edit]
All links, citations and data sources are listed in the paragraph above. For accident and
grounding citations, see paragraph below table.

Make and Country of Water/retardant capacity, US

Category Notes
model origin gallons (litres)

747 Supertanker United States Super heavy 19,600 US gal (74,000 l)

Air Tractor AT-

United States Light 807 US gal (3,050 l)
802F

AN-32P Firekiller Ukraine Medium 2,113 US gal (8,000 l)

AT-1002 United States Medium 1,000 US gal (3,800 l)

United
BAe 146 Medium 3,000 US gal (11,000 l)
Kingdom
 Make and Country of Water/retardant capacity, US
Category Notes
model origin gallons (litres)

Beriev Be-200 Russia Medium 3,173 US gal (12,010 l)

Boeing 737-300 United States Medium 4,000 gal (15,000 l)

Bombardier CL-
Canada Medium 1,621 US gal (6,140 l)
415

Bombardier Dash
Canada Medium 2,600 US gal (9,800 l)
8 Q400-MR

Canadair CL-215 Canada Medium 1,300 US gal (4,900 l)

No longer in
Douglas B-26 United States Medium
service

No longer in
Douglas DC-4 United States Medium
service

Douglas DC-6 United States Medium 2,800 US gal (11,000 l)

Douglas DC-7 United States Medium 3,000 US gal (11,000 l)

Fairchild C-119 No longer in

United States Medium
Flying Boxcar service

Grumman S-2
United States Medium 1,200 US gal (4,500 l)
Tracker

Ilyushin Il-76 Russia Heavy 11,419 US gal (43,230 l)

 Make and Country of Water/retardant capacity, US
Category Notes
model origin gallons (litres)

Lockheed C-130 National Guard

United States Medium 3,000 US gal (11,000 l)
Hercules MAFFS units

Lockheed C-130Q Coulson RADS-

United States Medium 3,500 gal (13,249 l)
Hercules XXL

Lockheed L-188
United States Medium 3,000 US gal (11,000 l)
Electra

Martin Mars United States Medium 7,200 US gal (27,000 l)

McDonnell
United States Heavy 12,000 US gal (45,000 l)
Douglas DC-10

McDonnell
United States Medium 4,000 gal (11,000 l)
Douglas MD-87

North American No longer in

United States Medium
B-25 service

P-2V Neptune United States Medium 2,362 US gal (8,940 l)

military version of
P-3 Orion United States Medium 3,000 US gal (11,000 l)
the L-188 Electra

1,000 US gal (3,800 l) or
PBY Catalina United States Medium 1,500 US gal (5,700 l) for the Super
model

PZL-Mielec M-18
Poland Light 570 US gal (2,200 l)
Dromader
 Make and Country of Water/retardant capacity, US
Category Notes
model origin gallons (litres)

ShinMaywa US-2 Japan Medium 3,595 US gallons (13,610 l)[24]

Category legend: Light: under 1,000 US gallons (3,800 l), Medium: under 10,000 US
gallons (38,000 l), Heavy: under 20,000 US gallons (76,000 l), Super heavy: over
20,000 US gallons (76,000 l) – currently only used for the B747 Supertanker.
Other former military aircraft utilized as firefighting air tankers in the U.S. in the past
included the B-17 and the PB4Y-2, a version of the B-24.
Leadplanes[edit]
The Lead Plane function directs the activities of the airtankers by both verbal target
descriptions and by physically leading the airtankers on the drop run. The leadplane is
typically referred to as a "Bird Dog" in Canada or "Supervision" aircraft in Australia.
The O-2 Skymaster, Cessna 310 and OV-10 Bronco have been used as spotter and
lead plane platforms. The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources has also used
the Cessna 337. The Beechcraft Baron was long used as a leadplane or air attack ship,
but most were retired in 2003; more common now is the Beechcraft King Air and
the Twin Commander 690. A Cessna Citation 500 jet owned by Air Spray (1967) LTd.
was used by the British Columbia Ministry of Forests beginning in 1995 and used for
two fire seasons to lead the very fast Electra L188 air tanker to the fires. This was the
first time a jet aircraft was used as a lead plane or "bird dog". The Department of Parks
and Wildlife in Western Australia operates a fleet of nine American Champion
Scouts 8GCBC during the summer months as spotter aircraft and Air Attack platforms.
The Provinces of Alberta and British Columbia and the Yukon Territories contract to
supply Twin Commander 690 as bird dog aircraft for their air tanker fleets. Air Spray
owns 9 Twin Commander 690 for use as bird dog aircraft.
Fleet grounding[edit]
In the United States, most of these aircraft are privately owned and contracted to
government agencies, and the National Guard and the U.S. Marines also maintain fleets
of firefighting aircraft. On May 10, 2004, The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and
the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced that they were cancelling contracts
with operators of 33 heavy airtankers. They cited liability concerns and an inability to
safely manage the fleet after the wing failure and resulting crash of a C-130A Hercules
in California and a PB4Y-2 in Colorado during the summer of 2002. Both aged aircraft
broke up in flight due to catastrophic fatigue cracks at the wing roots. After subsequent
third-party examination and extensive testing of all USFS contracted heavy airtankers,
three companies were awarded contracts and now maintain a combined fleet of 23
aircraft.

Fire retardant[edit]
A MAFFS-equipped Air National Guard C-130 Hercules drops fire retardant on wildfires in southern California

See also: Fire retardant

Borate salts used in the past to fight wildfires have been found to sterilize the soil and
be toxic to animals so are now prohibited.[25] Newer retardants use ammonium
sulfate or ammonium polyphosphate with attapulgite clay thickener or diammonium
phosphate with a guar gum derivative thickener. These are not only less toxic but act
as fertilizers to help the regrowth of plants after the fire. Fire retardants often
contain wetting agents, preservatives and rust inhibitors and are colored red with ferric
oxide or fugitive color to mark where they have been dropped. Brand names of fire
retardants for aerial application include Fire-Trol and Phos-Chek.
Some water-dropping aircraft carry tanks of a guar gum derivative to thicken the water
and reduce runoff.

Tactics and capabilities[edit]

A helicopter dips its bucket into a river to drop water on a wildfire in California

Helicopters can hover over the fire and drop water or retardant. The S-64 Helitanker
has microprocessor-controlled doors on its tank. The doors are controlled based on the
area to be covered and wind conditions. Fixed-wing aircraft must make a pass and drop
water or retardant like a bomber. Spotter (Air Tactical Group Supervisor) aircraft often
orbit the fire at a higher altitude to coordinate the efforts of the smoke jumper,
helicopter, media, and retardant-dropping aircraft; while lead planes fly low-level ahead
of the airtankers to mark the trajectory for the drop, and ensure overall safety for both
ground-based and aerial firefighters.

Film showing Waterbombers from the California Air National Guard dropping substances used to fight fires.

Water is usually dropped directly on flames because its effect is short-lived. Fire
retardants are not typically used to extinguish the fire, and but instead are used to
contain the fire, or slow it down to allow ground crews to contain it. Because of this,
retardants are usually dropped in front of or around a moving fire, rather than directly on
it, creating a firebreak.
Aerial firefighting is most effectively used in conjunction with ground-based efforts, as
aircraft are only one weapon in the firefighting arsenal. However, there have been cases
of aircraft extinguishing fires long before ground crews were able to reach them. [26]
Some firefighting aircraft can refill their tanks in mid-flight, by flying down to skim the
surface of large bodies of water. One example is the Bombardier CL-415. This is
particularly useful in rural areas where flying back to an airbase for refills may take too
much time. In 2002 an Ontario CL-415 crew was able to refill 100 times within a 4-hour
mission, delivering 162,000 US gallons (613,240 l) or 1,350,000 pounds (612 t) of water
on a fire near Dryden, Ontario[citation needed] (June 1, 2002 Dryden fire # 10 Tanker #271 civil
ident C-GOGE).

Incidents[edit]
 July 22, 1960: a North American B-25 Mitchell, N3446G SN 44-31466, operating
as Tanker 66, impacted the earth during a water bombing run in Mill Canyon in the
San Gabriel Mountains on the Magic Mountain Fire. The three crew members were
killed.
 June 27, 1969: a North American B-25 Mitchell, N9088Z SN 44-30733, operating
as Tanker 8Z, crash landed on a sandbar after a multi engine failure shortly after
takeoff in the Tanana River, near Fairbanks Alaska. All crew members survived with
no injuries. The airplane was recovered in June 2013 and is now under restoration,
flying under the name "Sandbar Mitchell." [27]
 August 13, 1994: a Lockheed C-130A, N135FF, operating as Tanker 82,
impacted mountainous terrain near Pearblossom, California. [28] All three crew
members sustained fatal injuries.[29]
 June 21, 1995: a Douglas C-54G, N4989P, operating as Tanker 19, and a Beech
B58P, N156Z, operating as Lead 56 collided in mid air in Ramona, California. 2 crew
members of Tanker 19 as well as the pilot of Lead 56 were killed in the collision. [30][31]
 2002 airtanker crashes: loss of Tanker 130 and Tanker 123.
 July 16, 2003: a Lockheed L188 Electra operated by Air Spray Ltd. struck the
terrain on the side of a steep ridge while fighting a wildfire near Cranbrook BC. Two
pilots were killed.
 July 31, 2010: a Convair CV580 operated by Conair Aviation crashed battling a
wildfire near Vancouver BC. The two pilots were killed in the crash. [32]
 May 21, 2011: a Bell 212 helicopter went down just offshore in Lesser Slave
Lake, Alberta, killing the pilot.[33][34]
 June 3, 2012: a Lockheed P2V-7, operating as Tanker 11, crashed into
mountainous terrain while fighting a wildfire in Utah. The 2 pilots were killed in the
crash.[35]
 July 1, 2012: a Lockheed C-130 operated by the North Carolina Air National
Guard's 145th Airlift Wing crashed in the Black Hills of South Dakota while
supporting efforts to contain the White Draw Fire. Four airmen were killed, while two
airmen survived the crash but sustained serious injuries. [36][37]
 October 24, 2013: a modified PZL-Mielec M-18A Dromader, operated by Rebel
Ag crashed after the left wing separated in flight while conducting waterbombing
operations west of Ulladulla, New South Wales, killing the pilot.[38]
 October 7, 2014: witness reports an S2T impacting terrain while engaging the
Dog Rock Fire near Yosemite National Park California [39]
 May 22, 2015: an Air Tractor 802F Fire Boss amphibious air tanker, operated by
Conair Aviation crashed battling a wildfire near Cold Lake, Alberta, killing the pilot. [40]
 July 10, 2015: an Air Tractor 802F Fire Boss amphibious air tanker, operated by
Conair Aviation crashed and sank while scooping water from Puntzi Lake, British
Columbia.The pilot was not injured.[41]
 17 August 2018: a BK117 owned by Sydney Helicopters crashed after hitting a
tree while supporting operations on the Kingiman fire west of Ulladulla, New South
Wales, Australia, with the pilot dying.[42]
 23 January 2020: C-130H N134CG of Coulson Aviation was destroyed when it
crashed near Cooma, New South Wales during operations to fight a bushfire of
the 2019–20 Australian bushfires. 3 fatalities.[43]

Urban legends about aerial firefighting[edit]

 An urban legend arises sometimes about a water bomber, or a helicopter with a
dangling water bucket, inadvertently scooping up a scuba diver and dumping him on
a wildfire site. Urban legend debunking site Snopes.com reports there are no proven
cases of this happening in reality.[44]
In popular culture[edit]
 The CGI movie Planes: Fire & Rescue depicts aerial firefighting.
 The plot of Steven Spielberg's 1989 remake movie Always centers around aerial
firefighting.
 The 2017 movie Only the Brave  depicts several instances of aerial firefighting.

See also[edit]
 Glossary of wildfire terms
 Smokejumper
 Wildfire suppression
 Modular Airborne FireFighting System
 Aerial firefighting and forestry in southern Australia

Notes[edit]
1. ^ "USDA Forest Service Wildland Fire Chemicals". Retrieved  2008-11-13.
2. ^ von Koenig-Warthausen, Baron F K (1930). Wings Around the World.
3. ^ "FindLaw's United States Ninth Circuit case and opinions". Retrieved 19 November 2016.
4. ^ Aviation Services - Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services, Ontario Ministry of
Natural Resources
5. ^ Jump up to:a b "Interagency Standards for Fire and Aviation Operations 2007, Chapter 17"  (PDF).
National Interagency Fire Center. Archived from  the original(PDF) on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2007-08-
31.  The popular media also frequently use the terms  water bomber,  fire bomber  or  borate
bomber. Helicopters often are used to drop retardant or water on a wildfire, whether they're
functioning as helitankers (a heavy helicopter outfitted with a belly tank for dropping water or retardant
on a fire), or medium- or light-weight helicopters equipped with buckets for smaller drops on fires).
Some helicopters are used on fires for cargo (helitack) delivering supplies to firefighters, usually with
netted cargo slung under a helicopter, and other helicopters are certified for and used for personnel
transport -- ferrying wildland firefighters to remote locations where ground transport is either difficult or
impossible.
6. ^ "Wildfire Fighting: Provincial & Territorial Approaches to Air Tankers". Canadian American
Strategic Review. May 2016. Archived from  the originalon 2016-06-11.
7. ^ "Statement of Larry Hamilton National Director, Office of Fire and Aviation, Department of
the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, National Interagency Fire Center Oversight Hearing".  Blue
Ribbon Panel Report and Aerial Firefighting Safety Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests. March 26, 2003. Retrieved 2007-09-27.
8. ^ Hearst Magazines (October 1947). "Water Bombs for Forest Fires".  Popular Mechanics.
Hearst Magazines. p.  126.
9. ^ "AT&T - Page Not Available". Retrieved  19 November  2016.
10. ^ "Photos of Convair 580".  Airliners.net. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
11. ^ "Photos of Fokker F-27".  Airliners.net. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
12. ^ ABC - El 'superavión' bombero no fue efectivo en incendio Serranía de Cuenca (in Spanish)
13. ^ "Incident Report". Rimoftheworld.Net. Archived from  the original on 2009-09-02.
Retrieved 2010-05-28.
14. ^ "InciWeb the Incident Information System: Oak Glen". Inciweb.org. 2009-08-30.
Retrieved 2010-05-28.
15. ^ "Like the phoenix, the SuperTanker to rise again". Fire Aviation. Retrieved 2016-11-22.
16. ^ "10 Tanker LLC". Retrieved 19 November 2016.
17. ^ Q400 Airtanker Conversion
18. ^ "Operations".  neptuneaviation.com. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
19. ^ Gabbert, Bill (2 October 2012).  "Air Spray moves into California, will convert the BAe 146 jet
into air tanker".  Wildfire Today. Retrieved  9 January  2013.
20. ^ "Erickson Aero Tanker places its first McDonnell Douglas DC-9-87 into fire tanker
operations".  worldairlinenews.com. Retrieved  July 26,  2017.
21. ^ "Air tankers could mean more jobs in Madras". Archived from the original  on 2013-05-01.
Retrieved 2013-07-24.
22. ^ "Coulson to convert 737s into air tankers".  Fire Aviation. Retrieved  2017-10-02.
23. ^ "Coulson 737 waterbomber used for the first time".  ABC News. Retrieved  2018-11-23.
24. ^ "Infinite Possibilities of the US-2; Firefighting Amphibians".  ShinMaywa. Archived from the
original on January 29, 2018. Retrieved  July 26,  2017.
25. ^ "UDSA Forest Service Specification 5100-304c Long-Term Retardant, Wildland
Firefighting"  (PDF). June 1, 2007. p. 2. Archived  (PDF)  from the original on 8 November 2008.
Retrieved 2008-11-24.
26. ^ Christopher, Ben. "Does Using Airplanes to Put out Forest Fires Actually
Work?".  Priceonomics. Retrieved  23 July 2016.
27. ^ "WARBIRDS OF GLORY B-25J SANDBAR MITCHELL RECOVERY & RESTORATION".
Retrieved 27 November 2013.
28. ^ "National Transportation Safety Board Aviation Accident Final Report Accident Number:
LAX94FA323". National Transportation Safety Board. December 19, 1995. Retrieved  July 26,  2017.
29. ^ "27 Deaths in Air Tanker Crashes Since 1991".  KOLO-TV. Retrieved  26 July 2017.
30. ^ "National Transportation Safety Board Aviation Accident Final Report Accident Number:
LAX95GA219A". National Transportation Safety Board. June 25, 1996. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
31. ^ "National Transportation Safety Board Aviation Accident Final Report Accident Number:
LAX95GA219B". National Transportation Safety Board. June 25, 1996. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
32. ^ "Air tanker pilots killed in B.C. crash identified". CTV News  Vancouver. May 18, 2012.
Retrieved July 26, 2017.
33. ^ "Firefighting helicopter crash in Slave Lake, one fatality". wildfiretoday.com. Retrieved 25
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References[edit]
 Keijsper, Gerard. "Water-Bombers Required!" Air Forces Monthly, London: Key
Publishing, July 2008 Issue.
 Marsaly, Frédéric and Prétat, Samuel. "Bombardiers d'eau Canadair
Scoopers" Editions Minimonde76, May 2012, ISBN 9-782954-181806.
 Pickler, Ron and Larry Milberry. Canadair: The First 50 Years. Toronto: CANAV
Books, 1995. ISBN 0-921022-07-7.

External links[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has
media related to Aerial
firefighting.

 The Effectiveness and Efficiency of Aerial Firefighting in Australia

 Wolfgang Jendsch: "Aerial Firefighting", detailed book about international aerial
firefighting
 Wildlandfire.com fixed-wing gallery
 wildfirenews.com
 Meet the legendary Bambi Bucket® — 30 years of firefighting history
 Associated Aerial Firefighters website. Retrieved 2010-03-12
 Peuch, Eric "Firefighting Safety in France", Eighth International Wildland Fire
Summit, April 26-26, 2005
 Drop Testing Airtankers: A Discussion of the Cup-and-Grid Method
 How to Conduct Static Tests of Aerial Retardant Delivery Systems
 Fire Aviation in Victoria Australia
 CL-215 and CL-415 in action
show
Forestry tools and equipment