Warbird Information Exchange

Hawkins and Powers are going to be re-equipping with Beriev, Be-200's. They signed a letter of intent to buy them back in February. I remember reading it in the NY Times financial pages, and there is mention of it too at the site below.

http://www.aerospace-technology.com/projects/beriev_be-200/

Should be interesting to see these monsters flying around the canyons!

Cheers,
Richard

PS. I think it's both unfair, and crazy that the USFS cancelled the large fixed wing contracts without so much as a by-your-leave. A: they put a whole industry out of work, or close to it, at the drop of a hat, and B: the pilots who do the job will be lacking in practice when they haul them back in again after realizing what a huge mistake they've made.

PPS. I think the 747 firebomber idea is NUTS!!! Sure it will look cool, but I cannot imagine that the airframe, after 30 years of pressure cycles and umpteen landings, will survive very long in the rigorous role of fire bombing.... putting out that fire, when one crashes, will be a huge job in and of itself!

Scott,

Actually ya missed the big one with 'earth', were talking EARTHQUAKES!

Also, saw the news last night and saw the hillside where the Flying Tigers Connie crashed, was burned yesterday, thought I smelled some smoke!

Your absolutely right Roger! I forgot the earthquakes. It's been a long while since I lived there. Forgot about them.

_________________
Scott Rose
Editor-In-Chief/Webmaster
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You are right, Scott! Nice new pic in your avitar!

I was on watch this past friday with nothing else better to do but read. So I picked up a recent edition"Navy Times". In there they announced that the P-3s were being replaced by the Boeing 737 in the ant-submarine role. By as soon as 2012. Also some of the lastest P-3s were built as recently as early 90's. With the discussion focusing on the increasing age of some of the older aircraft. This might be the influx of newer airframes that the airtanker industry needs. Navy in the past few years has decreased the operating number of P-3s from 198 aircraft to 148. And plans are to continuely decrease the number until the 737's begin to come online. All these aircraft are just being shuffled off to the storage yard.

Shay

Oh no.

Those P-3s are coming straight to Canuckland as CP-140 replacements!

_________________
Olivier Lacombe -- Harvard Mk.4 C-GBQB

Just a note. I saw the 747 fire-bomber on the CBS evening news just now. seems they are pushing on with the project. Impressive footage!

The Martin Mars of FT Inc are unaffected by the US wrangling; being Canadian and all, but does this have an effect on their chances of use south of the border? AFIK they are 'available' after Timberwest and the Canadian fire services have first call, but I guess their deployment in US skies is a political no-no at the moment.

Safer and better than a 747 I'd have thought - designed for lower level work than a 747, 'goes around corners' better, and with a better accident record too... Although that's based on rather skewed stats! And you need some water to base on.

Cheers

The Mars is still my favorite.

While mindlessly surfing the evening news over the weekend, I happened to catch a segment concerning the wildfires in Nevada. An operator of a pair of grounded P2V tankers indicated that the FAA was going to begin the examination process of his fleet today (Monday) to return to operations.

The news reporter added that apparently the governor of Nevada had personally expressed his concern to the feds that so much of the air fleet still remained grounded, as the word from the smoke jumpers indicated that the few fire bombers operating had "saved the day".

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It was a good idea, it just didn't work.

Question, i have been reading this topic on and off and might have missed this, but what about the C-415! Why not have the USFS and The FAA get together on the use of the firebomber? It along with the Russian planes beriev Be-12P and Be-200, bot very good, would be what the US needs. I really like the old warbirds, but they are getting long used, first in war then fire work. But on that the C-415 would be a good size and operational. Pluss we get Canadian products

The Be-200 that Hawkins & Powers is going to get will be somthing. I think that they are almost the same size as the 747 yes? WEll that said the jumbo jet idea is just Wrong!!

_________________
“No arsenal or no weapon in the arsenals of the world is so formidable as the will and moral courage of the free men and woman.” –Ronald Reagan 40th President USA.

Thanks Don. I want to thank Ryan K for that.

_________________
Scott Rose
Editor-In-Chief/Webmaster
Warbirds Resource Group - Warbird Information Exchange - Warbird Registry

Be civil, be polite, be nice.... or be elsewhere.
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This site is brought to you with the support of members like you. If you find this site to be of value to you,
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How many beers did that cost you?

Hey guys, just read in "Air International" that France has comissioned Conair in BC to modify and certify two Dash 8Q-400s to fire fighting specs!

Woo-hoo!!

_________________
Olivier Lacombe -- Harvard Mk.4 C-GBQB

But why would they want the Dash 8 when they could get the C-415? Is it just too expensive to bye the plane that was designed from the start as a firebomber? The 415 can do a lot more then that as well and it even is a bit to look at.

_________________
“No arsenal or no weapon in the arsenals of the world is so formidable as the will and moral courage of the free men and woman.” –Ronald Reagan 40th President USA.