7 Air Tankers in Action Today

dbrown · **Posted:** Tue Sep 07, 2010 11:49 pm

Day two of the Boulder fire saw no less than 7 tankers in action at the same time. :shock:

Four P-2V's and three P-3's. Once the smoke cleared these planes flew mission after mission - those ops guys can slurry and gas a plane faster than an Indy 500 crew. The P-2Vs move almost as soon as they start up, and the P-3 guys can maneuver those big planes like they’re parking a sports car. Amazing to watch all 7 planes in constant motion moving in and out of one small section of the airport, but I hope to never have to see it again given the devastation that is happening west of Boulder.

Here are some pics from today for you fire bomber fans.

BUFFIE

michaelharadon · **Posted:** Wed Sep 08, 2010 8:44 am

Why aren't 747's and DC-10's (?) being used?

Craig59 · **Posted:** Wed Sep 08, 2010 9:12 am

Great picture thread - thanks for taking the time to share!

Taylor Stevenson · **Posted:** Wed Sep 08, 2010 10:49 am

I love the spinners on #45 neptune. I think a military schemed neptune on the warbird circuit would be too cool...

Quick question though, can a Neptune feather its props and fly solely on the jet engines?

T

mustangdriver · **Posted:** Wed Sep 08, 2010 10:52 am

The Mid Atlantic Air Museum has a Neptune that is very stock, and was at one time flyable. I saw it a t a few shows, but I think the main focus of the museum is now on the P-61. Great pics. Sorry that the planes have to be there under the circumstances, but cool to see them still flying.

dors · **Posted:** Wed Sep 08, 2010 11:27 am

mustangdriver wrote:

The Mid Atlantic Air Museum has a Neptune that is very stock, and was at one time flyable. I saw it a t a few shows, but I think the main focus of the museum is now on the P-61. Great pics. Sorry that the planes have to be there under the circumstances, but cool to see them still flying.

They used to have a second flyable Neptune as well, which became a firebomber. Anyone know which firebomber that might be? Is it one of these four?

mustangdriver · **Posted:** Wed Sep 08, 2010 11:39 am

There was also one at the Beaver County Airport for years. It was very very stock, but it went off to be a fire bomber. I have since heard that it is in storage somewhere. Never could figure out how it ended up in Beaver Airport.

K5DH · **Posted:** Wed Sep 08, 2010 2:21 pm

Three things:

First, and most important: Condolences to those in Colorado whose lives have been affected by the fire.

Second: I love the American flags hanging in the noses of the Neptunes!

Third: T07, T10, and T45 belong to Neptune Aviation. Is T48 (yellow trim) theirs also? :?:

Dewayne Doud · **Joined:** Fri Dec 25, 2009 7:01 pm **Posts:** 47

Hi, T-48 belongs to Minden Air Corp out of Minden, Nevada

eallen · **Posted:** Wed Sep 08, 2010 3:35 pm

the black/yellow tanker belongs to minden air tankers out of minden NV...they have another P2 that has a red/grey scheme...tanker 55...if i remember correctly...

they are also the company who is converting a BAE-146 to be an airtanker...nice folks...been by there shop/hanger a couple of times...

Nathan · **Posted:** Wed Sep 08, 2010 4:47 pm

Our fire bomber crews are heroes. Wish they got more credit!.

Thanks for the wonderful pictures! You can NEVER kill a radial!

corsair166b · **Posted:** Wed Sep 08, 2010 9:25 pm

Well, Luckily, along most of the front range tonight it RAINED....took my break at work today about 3 pm and there looked to be a storm smack dab over the mountains west of Boulder....later when I got off work at 6;45 pm Greeley had been rained on, so I'm sure the tankers got a break for a while while mother nature took over. The news has it that a car hitting a propane bottle is what started the whole thing....dunno if it was a small barbecue grill type bottle or a larger house supplying propane tank that are common in the mountains at houses that hold hundreds of gallons.

Mark

skippyscage · **Posted:** Fri Sep 10, 2010 12:36 pm

not all seven tankers flew as at least two were on days off - and btw it's not "slurry" (that's a 1950s term for the stuff they used back then, but our local media cannot keep away from) - the correct term is fire retardant.

only four flew yesterday - they are just waiting to be called in when needed.

there are also 3 or so choppers being used - one Skycrane a UH-1 plus one other.

skippyscage · **Posted:** Tue Oct 05, 2010 12:31 pm

here's an article I wrote on the Fourmile and Reservoir Road wildfires from an aviation POV.

http://www.globalaviationresource.com/r ... dfires.php

Malo83 · **Joined:** Sat Sep 23, 2006 3:31 am **Posts:** 309

skippyscage wrote:

not all seven tankers flew as at least two were on days off - and btw it's not "slurry" (that's a 1950s term for the stuff they used back then, but our local media cannot keep away from) - the correct term is fire retardant.

only four flew yesterday - they are just waiting to be called in when needed.

there are also 3 or so choppers being used - one Skycrane a UH-1 plus one other.

Instead of "slurry" i've often heard it called "Borate" ?

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