Any fliers?

Was flying a C-54E up until the forest service tanker massacre last week.

Hopefully it will be fixed and I will have a airtanker pilot career of more
than 3 weeks duration.


Ron
Tanker 65, C-54E (DC-4)
Silver City Tanker Base

Was flying a C-54E up until the forest service tanker massacre last week.

Hopefully it will be fixed and I will have a airtanker pilot career of more
than 3 weeks duration.


Ron, I was thinking about you when I heard the decision to ax all the old
firebombers in the fleet. Any word yet on how soon they will replace them, or
how they will provide qualified pilots for the "new" firebombers? That 747
firebomber is freakin' amazing.

Good luck in the future.
v/r
Gordon

"Krztalizer" wrote in message
...
|
| Was flying a C-54E up until the forest service tanker massacre last week.
|
| Hopefully it will be fixed and I will have a airtanker pilot career of
more
| than 3 weeks duration.
|
|
| Ron, I was thinking about you when I heard the decision to ax all the old
| firebombers in the fleet. Any word yet on how soon they will replace
them, or
| how they will provide qualified pilots for the "new" firebombers? That
747
| firebomber is freakin' amazing.
|
| Good luck in the future.
| v/r
| Gordon



Is the 747 firebomber a serious proposition ???????


I first thought it was a Photoshop fantasy - then a proof of concept - but
is it actually something that sober people are actually doing the numbers on
?



Cheers


Dave Kearton

Is the 747 firebomber a serious proposition ???????


I first thought it was a Photoshop fantasy - then a proof of concept - but
is it actually something that sober people are actually doing the numbers on
?



Cheers


Dave Kearton

They have an aircraft tanked up, and have done lots of drops. I think there
are some situations that it can be good in, but I can think of a whole lot of
others too it might not be that great.

However, a lot of the concerns expressed about it being too big, were also said
when the B-17 was being introduced into forest fire work.


Ron
Tanker 65, C-54E (DC-4)
Silver City Tanker Base

Is the 747 firebomber a serious proposition ???????



Dave, would I ever lie to you?

no comments, all the rest of you bums out there.

G

Ron, I was thinking about you when I heard the decision to ax all the old
firebombers in the fleet. Any word yet on how soon they will replace them,
or
how they will provide qualified pilots for the "new" firebombers? That 747
firebomber is freakin' amazing.

Good luck in the future.
v/r
Gordon

The contracts were cancelled after the NTSB published a report saying that
there was not a system in place to assure airworthyness, and the Forest Circus
took that to mean they are the ones liable if anything goes wrong.

The western governors are up in arms, and congress might work on some kind of
emergency measure to bring the FAA into it somehow for some kind of inspection
program that they sign off on. The planes have been inspected heavily over the
past 2 years, and are probably safer than anytime since they came out of the
factory.

The planes are not grounded, we flew them back to the home base, they could
still be hired by states if they want. but I am optimistic something will be
soon soon to bring them back in operation.

As for that 747 system, thats an evergreen project, with some rumors of
homeland security funding. They are tanking up some additional planes now too
apparently, so I kinda suspect something fishy might be going on there.

I was out your way 2 weeks ago out of San Bernardino. Flew on a fire on camp
pendleton, temecula, riverside, and others during that busy week there.

The fleet has to be replaced soon, and hopefully forest service and congress
will help, because at the low ball rates the FS pays, they only maintain the
planes they have.

50 hours in the C-54 and hoping for more!



Ron
Tanker 65, C-54E (DC-4)
Silver City Tanker Base

"Ron" wrote in message
...

Ron, I was thinking about you when I heard the decision to ax all the old
firebombers in the fleet. Any word yet on how soon they will replace them,
or
how they will provide qualified pilots for the "new" firebombers? That 747
firebomber is freakin' amazing.

Good luck in the future.
v/r
Gordon

The contracts were cancelled after the NTSB published a report saying that
there was not a system in place to assure airworthyness, and the Forest Circus
took that to mean they are the ones liable if anything goes wrong.

The western governors are up in arms, and congress might work on some kind of
emergency measure to bring the FAA into it somehow for some kind of inspection
program that they sign off on. The planes have been inspected heavily over
the
past 2 years, and are probably safer than anytime since they came out of the
factory.

The planes are not grounded, we flew them back to the home base, they could
still be hired by states if they want. but I am optimistic something will be
soon soon to bring them back in operation.

As for that 747 system, thats an evergreen project, with some rumors of
homeland security funding. They are tanking up some additional planes now too
apparently, so I kinda suspect something fishy might be going on there.

I was out your way 2 weeks ago out of San Bernardino. Flew on a fire on camp
pendleton, temecula, riverside, and others during that busy week there.

The fleet has to be replaced soon, and hopefully forest service and congress
will help, because at the low ball rates the FS pays, they only maintain the
planes they have.

50 hours in the C-54 and hoping for more!

I hope you enjoyed them.....I know I did in the Rescue versions we flew, and I
hope you have many more. She's almost as good and forgiving a bird as the
gooney, an earlier Douglas contribution to aviation history.

George Z.

I was out your way 2 weeks ago out of San Bernardino. Flew on a fire on camp
pendleton, temecula, riverside, and others during that busy week there.

That area is such a tinderbox, I believe it will be keeping firefighters in
business forever. :\

Thanks for helping - sure not looking forward to late summer here. I'm betting
you'll be invited back.

v/r
Gordon

"Krztalizer" wrote in message
...

Was flying a C-54E up until the forest service tanker massacre last week.

Hopefully it will be fixed and I will have a airtanker pilot career of
more
than 3 weeks duration.


Ron, I was thinking about you when I heard the decision to ax all the old
firebombers in the fleet. Any word yet on how soon they will replace
them, or
how they will provide qualified pilots for the "new" firebombers? That
747
firebomber is freakin' amazing.

Good luck in the future.
v/r
Gordon

Up here in BC, we are still using a couple of Mars flying boats !!!! for
fire fighting, they still look pretty impressive. They often send them South
of the 49th to help out .

BMC

"Garamondextended" wrote in message
Any fliers on this NG? Any at all?

Started in a Thomas-Morse-Boeing MB-3 Scout, then
Curtiss JN-4
Curtiss Tanager
Piper Cub
Aeronca
Waco
Howard
N3N
SNJ
Lysander
AT-7, 9,10,11
B-24
B-25
A-26
B-17
B-47
C-45
Beech 18
C-46
C-47
C-54
C-97
T-29
Sabreliner
KingAir
Staggerwing Beech