Table of Contents
What is a lead plane?
1. The airborne aircraft designated to exercise command of other aircraft within the flight. 2. An aircraft in the van of two or more aircraft.
How do aerial firefighting planes work?
When a large plane dumps a cloud of red retardant at the site of a forest fire, it helps build a fireline around the flames. By the same token, a helicopter or a small scooper plane dumps water directly onto the wildfire to tamp things down to allow the ground crews to encircle the area with firebreaks.
What types of planes are used to fight fires?
Planes
- Single Engine Airtanker (SEAT) Single Engine Airtankers (SEATs) can deliver up to 800 gallons of fire retardant to support firefighters on the ground.
- Large Airtankers.
- Very Large Airtankers (VLAT)
- Water Scooper.
- Smokejumper Aircraft.
How does a firefighting plane pick up water?
Sheehy: The way the aircraft picks up water, as it does not stop or suck it up, there’s no vacuum, it scoops it. And it scoops it through what you see here, two probes on either side of the keel of the aircraft, about the size of your hands put together, and as soon as you hit the water, they catch.
What type of plane is a lead plane?
A lead plane is a small, twin-engine fixed-wing aircraft that assists and directs larger air tankers that drop retardant on wildfires. Lead planes are also responsible for the initial scouting of appropriate drop zones for airtankers.
How do planes drop fire retardant?
What fire crews are dropping on fires is called Phos-Chek, which is an 88\% water-based retardant mixed with a non-toxic commercial grade fertilizer. It’s has a clay-based dye to make it visible from the air and on the ground.
Do fire planes fly at night?
The night aerial firefighting that does occur in the state is focused on rotary-wing aircraft operated by fire agencies in several counties of Southern California, including Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Diego, Ventura and Kern.
What is in aerial fire retardant?
Cal Fire has the largest aerial firefighting fleet in the world. As planes become increasingly central to fighting fires in California, more and more retardant is served up. The retardant, called Phos-Chek, contains ammonium phosphate, a fertilizer.
What are aerial firefighting aircraft used for?
Aerial firefighting aircraft are a major resource for combating wildfires. Not only are fixed-wing aircraft used but helicopters are employed as well. Some aircraft are used to deliver firefighters called smoke-jumpers who parachute or repel into raging wildfires and these are also considered part of the aerial firefighting arsenal.
What does an aerial supervision module/leadplane pilot do?
Aerial supervision modules/leadplanes coordinate, direct, and evaluate airtanker operations. Aerial supervision module/leadplane pilots and/or air tactical supervisors communicate with firefighters on the ground, other fire aircraft, and airtanker pilots. They release white smoke to show airtanker pilots where to drop fire retardant.
What type of aircraft are used to fight wildfires?
Not only are fixed-wing aircraft used but helicopters are employed as well. Some aircraft are used to deliver firefighters called smoke-jumpers who parachute or repel into raging wildfires and these are also considered part of the aerial firefighting arsenal. These aircraft will drop a variety of solutions for combating the fire.
How do airplanes fight fires?
These aircraft will drop a variety of solutions for combating the fire. These will, of course, include water but also often have water enhancers such as gels and foams. The planes also use retardants that are specially formulated for fighting certain types of fires. 1. Helicopters