Elected officials "helping" the Air Tanker industry

[bocefus]

http://www.insidebayarea.com/dailyreview/localnews/ci_2682319

 

[A Squared]

It's (the Il-76) as huge as a 747 U.S. commercial airliner or a U.S. military C-5 cargo plane with a belly meant to carry full-size battle tanks.

Huh? It's MTOW is less than half the 747. THe overall length is about 60% of the 747. Next to a 747 the thing looks positively puny. Not to knock the airplane, I just get irritated by journalists spouting meaningless crap they obviously haven't verified. If he's so far off base on the stuff we know about, should we trust what he says on the stuff we can't check?

 

[urflyingme?!]

This article mentions that the US Forest service doesn't like SuperScoopers. I'm guessing they are talking about the Canadair Flying boats? What gives?

 

[414Flyer]

Scoopers will not work in much of the west. Also IL-76 can apparently only drop in horizontal fight. I believe it has already been tested here.

 

[MTpilot]

Sheeeeat

They may use em up on the flat tundra country, but no way is one of those things going to be 150 feet over the timber in the rockies.