Lt51506 wrote:
I suppose the ideal platform depends on who you talk to. Realistically, the aircraft is just another tool in the box and seeing as how each fire is different with it's own set of dynamics, you use the proper tool...right?
SEAT's and S2's are great for some areas and terrain where getting something larger, like a P3 or a Neptune, are not only impractical, but dangerous. Terrain has a lot to do with how effective a certain tanker type will perform. Fire generates it's own weather, thus, thermals in certain areas will toss a smaller tanker quicker than a larger one. Wind speed, airspeed, and drop altitude all figure into this as well. Retardant coverage is another factor that is part of the equation. Fuel density on the ground requires different coverage levels, which brings us back the different aircraft being used. There was a time when either you dropped a half load or a full load. Nowdays, with the computer controlled system, that part of the game has changed.
Hopefully, Larry Kraus or Kenny Chapman will chime in for this subject, as both are current in the industry.
Larry and Kenny can most certinelly fill you in on the different tools for the tool box. Kenny on helicopters, because he's flown them all, from the smallest to the biggest. Larry can fill you in on the tankers, as he currently fly's the DC-7. And as far as the 7 goes, as our old mentor, Don Ornbaum used to say, he can put that DC-7 anywhere you can put an S2. And he did.
Bob