Heavy Air Tanker Situation for 2005

[RockyMnt1]

Anybody have an idea of what the heavy air tanker situation will be for next fire season?? Any new tankers coming on line? Has the strategy for using SEATs and helos changed as a result of experience with the 2004 strategy? Any progress on using the A-10s for fire support? I haven't heard anything about the B-747 tanker for a while even though the general opinion of the expereinced is that it would be worthless as a tanker.

The good news is that there have been plenty of prescribed burns lately around my place.

Living in the forest, I just want an idea of how many more trees I need to take down.

 

[avbug]

Since several companies have already gone bankrupt and sold out as a result of the underhanded doings this spring, you may see P-3's next year and MAFFS units. Possibly the P-2's but don't count on them yet (two put in service late this season, with the proviso that they must fly 400 hours each to return; an impossible demand).

Nothing changed with SEAT platforms this year, and probably won't next year. Same for helicopters. No "stragety" changes took place, and probably won't take place.

A-10's were never inended, nor seriously considered, for fire operations. The A-10 story was a method of delivering the equipment for clandestine use outside the country, nor for firefighting...the same way the C-130's were intended to be used, and were used, in the beginning. Their inclusion in the program was just a way of slipping them past congress.

The firehog efforts were several ex-warthog drivers who were trying to build a market for themselves. Their efforts got as far as a demo flight at El Toro, and then died. Nobody took that seriously, either.

The rumor mill talked about seeing the 747 project in service. I guess we'll see.

Prescribed fire runaways account for more tanker missions than any other single source, in my experience. I don't know if prescribed fire is good or not in general. It can be.

What to clear away? Don't make any decisions based on the availability of air support. Create defensible space and a good exit route, and go with a metal roof.

 

[RipCurl]

How does one get on with the forest service flying bombers or maybe smokejumpers? I realize that I am nowhere near qualified, I'm just curious.

 

[414Flyer]

I am very pessimistic about the large airtanker program for the time being unfortunately. There is nothing more I would like to be back in it though. Its hard to describe how much I enjoyed it, and what it was like. Its a kind of aviation with a lot of comradery and working together for a common purpose, much different than typical aviation crap.

USFS doesnt operate retardant aircraft. The process for being a USFS pilot is like the other federal agencies, it gets posted online and you submit a resume.
Wildland Firefighter, Air Attack Pilot, and copilot on T-65 for 3 weeks this year.

 

[Dan CFI/CFII]

These guys know more about the Heavy airtanker stuff than I do, and they're right on.

I'll quickly pontificate what little I know about the Smokejumper Flying. Basically, that's just as tough to get into. The number of captains who get carded for that is so small that they've pretty much got that market locked down. There are some low-time F/Os who get into it, but from the few that I have met, they are even more underpaid than I am.

All of the F/Os I was with this past summer (I was flying logistics, in the same type as the somkejumper planes) were hired into the right seat off of the shop floor.

I understand that the Forest Service operates one or two of thier own smokejumper planes, and the jobs are posted online just like 414Flyer said.

Dan