FIRE!!!
 

Yesterday afternoon a forest fire broke our just a few km from where I live and on the way to our flying field.With winds gusting to 70k,with in 30 minutes,it was out of control and headed for 100 plus homes.With 9 fire departments,Lands and forest personnel and 8 water bombers-5 airtruks,1 TBM and 2 Canadair 415 L's.The 415L's drop run brought them righ over my house on the way into the fire area and circles to Lake Peticodiac for pick up.The lake is about 1/8th of a mile from my house.Needles to say,I quickly beat it to the lake to watch and forgot my camera.Darn!!! Traffic came to a stand still as everyone watched thes masters of flying drop in,scoop up a load of water and back to the fire site.They were dropinf a load ever 45 seconds or so for over an hour.These 8 aircraft and ground crew had the fire under control by sundown with no homes lost and no injuries.
Great job guys.
Ian Gunn
MAAC 25307 [/b]

Great story, but you should be pelted with empty film canisters for forgetting your camera! :twisted:

Dave

FIRE!!!
 

Have no fear.My better half already did! I have the bruses to prove it too!!!
Ian Gunn
MAAC 25307

hey Ian, I know what you mean... Out here in BC things are warming up and we might have another summer like last year... "lets hope not" Anyhow, the fire service guys were using our R/C field to pratice test drops on a simulated fire.. I posted a thread with pics in this forum... https://www.rccanada.ca/bb/viewtopic.php?t=8491

gut

I don't know if anybody has had the opportunity to look at these 415's upclose. I had to go to Sault Ste. MArie to fix a jet there last winter. The jet was in the MNR's hangar with 8 other 415's :yikes: Holy crapp!!!! 1) Soooo, that's what the tax dollars are doing (nice hangar!!) 2) these things aren't some flimsy Cessna!! 2 1/2 foot thick CONSTANT wing chord!! One of the pilots described them as 2 railway box cars bolted together with a wing slapped on top. :D
Cool machine though. :TU:

Chris

That building is the maintainance centre for the MNR planes for the province.The Soo has been a bush plane center since man first put floats on planes,and the original water front hangar and maintainance centre which dates back at least 70 years is still very much here and serves today as the bush plane museum.
Its well worth a visit to the Soo where you can see up close and personal probably the best collection of planes of the type in the world.
We had a club meeting at the current MNR hangar a couple of winters ago and had a guided tour of the whole facility including the ability of climbing all over the water bombers.
These are great huge slab sided whacking trucks, with no grace or fancy interiors,but are the best in the world at what they do ,which is put out fires with no fuss or muss.