747 Fire Bomber

[agpilot34]

Well, at any rate, I've got alot of respect for the tanker drivers, whether it be SEAT pilots OR heavys. Being a volunteer firefighter here in the town where I live, I've seen what they can do up close and personal. One of the P-3's that based out of Ardmore back in Feb. and March really saved our a$$es on a couple of occasions up in the Arbuckles. I'd love to get a SEAT position, and I've got enough ag hours to probably do it, but the away from home time just wouldnt work out for me. My hats' off to you guys, though.

 

[stearnst]

PRC has a fairly large USFS base on the airport with a number of P2's, P3's, heavy-lift choppers, and all their support (King Air's, Bell's, etc) based on the field for a couple months during the summer. Just like agpilot mentioned about ADM, PRC has a 7,500' runway, except it's at 5,000' MSL, and when the temps get up into the 90's on a regular basis during the summer those loaded tankers use up every available inch of the runway on takeoff, so there would be no possible way a 747 would be able to be based here. There are only a few strips in the state the I could see a 747 feasibly operating out of, in my opinion. So what the forest service would be gaining in quantity, they would be sacrificing in location, I imagine. What I'd give to watch one drop, though!

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1790531163526393852&q=prescott+tanker&pr=goog-sl