The 747 SuperTanker is back - fighting Cal. wildfires

[JFDee]

It looks like the ex-Evergreen plane finally has its great moment.

The state of California has enlisted one of the most powerful firefighting tools on the planet: a modified Boeing 747 aircraft that can drop 19,200 gallons of fire retardant.
[...]
Built in 1991, the 747-400 first flew for Japan Airlines before being converted to a tanker aircraft in 2012 by its previous owner Evergreen International Airlines. Though the aircraft has been under contract by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection since last month, previous missions have taken it to Chile Israel, Mexico and Spain.

https://www.cnet.com/news/747-supertanker-fights-california-wildfires/



Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=Fox_xomGgFg

 

[Whitebeard]

One interesting aside. That is, or so I have been lead to believe, the largest flying tanker in the world. Yet it appears to dump its entire load in around 10 seconds. Put the whole jets laying a horizon to horizon 'chemtrail' into context.

 

[M Bornong]

. Yet it appears to dump its entire load in around 10 seconds. Put the whole jets laying a horizon to horizon 'chemtrail' into context.

The two separate, but identical constant flow systems are pressurized which allows for either continuous discharge or up to 8 segmented drops.

http://globalsupertanker.com/b747-400-supertanker/

 

[M Bornong]

I caught the Global Super Tanker (GST944) on Flightradar24 during one of it's first deployments in California, This was the Ponderosa Fire. August 31, 2017.

 

[cloudspotter]

One interesting aside. That is, or so I have been lead to believe, the largest flying tanker in the world. Yet it appears to dump its entire load in around 10 seconds. Put the whole jets laying a horizon to horizon 'chemtrail' into context.

Screenshot from the video

http://globalsupertanker.com/b747-400-supertanker/


(ETA make sure you watch the video to the end )

 

[JFDee]

(ETA make sure you watch the video to the end )

It's indeed worth it. However, the umbrella did look somewhat battered ...

 

[David Fraser]

Slightly off topic but I was interested to find that Evergreen were not the only ones to adapt a big jet. There are a couple of DC 10s flying about, Although their payload is carried in a pod under the belly.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/DC-10_Air_Tanker

 

[SR1419]

It looks like the ex-Evergreen plane finally has its great moment.

Not sure if this is the same plane or not (I think so) but its an awesome video of a drop on the recent Paradise fire. Interesting that the smaller lead plane marks the spot for the big jet.


Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=44&v=N59FEqoRvJo

 

[Mick West]

Interesting that the smaller lead plane marks the spot for the big jet.

Yeah, when I watched that I was first like "pfft, that's not very big", and then I was like "OMG!"

 

[SR1419]

Yeah, when I watched that I was first like "pfft, that's not very big", and then I was like "OMG!"

Yea- when I first posted I realized some might think it was joke- so edited to mention the lead plane

 

[Mechanik]

They did something similar during the Sand fire in 2017. I think it was the DC-10 they deployed during that one but they also had the smaller prop-driven Canadian droppers in the mix. It took a bit to figure out what was happening, but the spotter planes would circle the fire for 20-30 minutes, but then would suddenly head towards Van Nuys (where the Poland's were reloading) and then turn around and lead the big guy onto the target. The press at the time indicated that the spotter was taking direction from the ground crews, combined with their own high level view to try to determine the best path for the huge Phos-Chek dumps.

This was happening anywhere from a mile to 5 from my house and the suppression effect on the fire line was astounding. Our local mountains were pink for nearly 6 months.

 

[Trailblazer]

to try to determine the best path for the huge Phos-Chek dumps.

I was going to ask what the red stuff actually is, so thanks for that.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phos-Chek

Some of the main components of Phos-Chek retardants include ammonium polyphosphate, diammonium phosphate, diammonium sulfate, monoammonium phosphate, attapulgus clay, guar gum (or a derivative of guar gum), and trade secret performance additives.

Attapulgus clay is an magnesium/aluminium silicate, so they're actually dropping aluminium compounds to suppress fires, not to accelerate them, as the conspiracy theorists would have it.