Thank you!

[Marty_d]

At the moment there's a bushfire in Snug Tiers national park, which is only about 10km or less from our place as the crow flies.

For the last 2 days there's been between 3 and 5 Air Tractor AT8T's constantly bombing the fire.  For the first part of yesterday they seemed to be going to the upper Derwent near New Norfolk to reload with water, but later - and all of today - they've just been touching down on North West Bay near Margate, obviously loading very fast (they're only on the water for 10 or 15 seconds before going again), doing the 3 or 4 minute flight to the fire and back for more.

 

Apparently the fire is very difficult for regular vehicles to get to because of the terrain, so it's been fantastic to see these planes scoop up water every 10 - 15 minutes and hit the fire.

 

So to the pilots of these planes, as well as the Bell 214 choppers that have been bucketing water - you are bloody heroes, thank you for your efforts to keep our properties safe.

(Having said that, I really hope it doesn't spread quickly and burn us out!)  Not to mention the people on the ground - the firies, police, coordinators, volunteers and everyone else involved - very grateful to you all.

 

Tried to get some pics after work today but my phone camera is crap.

[Thruster88]

Airtractor 802 fire boss is a very impressive aircraft. 

[Red]

Looks like that guy just broke his clavicle, is there a story to that?

 

[Thruster88]

Farm, motorbike, our best engineer.

[Red]

That would explain it, done both mine one of em  into 4 pieces...crashing sucks

[skippydiesel]

For stock work, riding a horse is safer. The horse is watch where it is going, while the rider watches the stock - teamwork!😈

[facthunter]

Might be wearing a Kidney belt. You get a lot of turbulence near bushfires, especially on Hot, windy days .  Nev

[onetrack]

Wow, that Airtractor on floats is certainly a very imposing machine! Does it lose much capacity or abilities with the floats, as compared to a standard Airtractor?

 

I see them quite often in the wheatbelt here in W.A., doing cropdusting. Fast, manoeuvrable, and powerful. 1300HP to 1600HP makes them very impressive to watch.

 

Edited January 30 by onetrack

[sfGnome]

2 minutes ago, onetrack said:

1300HP to 1600HP makes them very impressive to watch.

1300HP! And here was I thinking that 130HP was impressive… 😝

[facthunter]

I like them without floats better.  Nev

[facthunter]

Some  high Bypass Jets have over 60,000 HP equivalent in each engine..   Nev

[Marty_d]

1600 hp I think.

https://www.firebossllc.com/

[facthunter]

A lot for a PT 6.  Maybe it isn't? Nev

[onetrack]

The PT6A can put out up to 1940HP. They have a staggering reliability record, 1 shutdown every 651,000 hrs! They were first built in 1958.

[Marty_d]

I went up and took the wings off just in case I need to grab a car trailer and get the plane away.

Most stuff in the house is replaceable, but that thing owes me 15 years.

With the "T shirt arms" of the cover drooping, she kind of looks like a floppy eared dog...

[Red]

3 hours ago, Marty_d said:

I went up and took the wings off just in case I need to grab a car trailer and get the plane away.

Most stuff in the house is replaceable, but that thing owes me 15 years.

With the "T shirt arms" of the cover drooping, she kind of looks like a floppy eared dog...

Hope it doesnt come to that for you Marty

 

[sfGnome]

May you and your floppy-eared dog remain fire free… My brother and sister both lost their farms in the Black Summer fires of 19/20. My brother rebuilt, my sister sold up, but the psychological scars remain for both. 

[facthunter]

I had the worst Christmas ever in 2024,having to  evacuate to the other side of Geelong  for a place suitable for the Dogs and moved a lot of stuff to the 4 corners of the earth or so it seems.. The '83 fires got to the corner of my block then. Fires are about the Worst thing there is. to be involved with. Stay OK Marty..  Nev

[nomadpete]

I was sailing past Margate, watching the flying circus. Very impressive piloting. There were times when four aircraft were skimming the water, loading on the run. Spray everywhere. Not sure but I heard that they drop about 1200kg at a time. The rate of climb was not looking impressive with a load.

[nomadpete]

 

Fire work takes a special skillset. Low level work (treetops), precision drops, localised crazy wind shifts.... must be exhausting work.

Pic of heli work on a fireground I attended last summer. We were often looking down on the choppers! They could drop accurately within metres of us.

 

[Marty_d]

1 hour ago, nomadpete said:

I was sailing past Margate, watching the flying circus. Very impressive piloting. There were times when four aircraft were skimming the water, loading on the run. Spray everywhere. Not sure but I heard that they drop about 1200kg at a time. The rate of climb was not looking impressive with a load.

Capable of 820 US gallons according to the Fire Boss site. So a smidge over 3000 litres.

[facthunter]

How much is that in KG's? Hands up.   Nev

[spacesailor]

Gallons US = 4 litres   SO , about , very roughly  4,000grams ./ 4 kgrms per gallon.

 

spacesailor

[Marty_d]

1 hour ago, facthunter said:

How much is that in KG's? Hands up.   Nev

Huh? It's water. 1:1

[onetrack]

1 U.S. gallon is 3.8 litres, so 820 U.S. gallons is 3,116 litres = 3,116kgs. That's a lot of payload to be trying to climb rapidly with.

 

Edited Saturday at 11:09 AM by onetrack