The SuperTanker!!!

[jml2992]

Shouldn't you be putting out fires up in our "natural disaster" area outside of town here? A serious question regarding Supertanker, though. I've heard that the phos-blended stuff you guys use for suppression agent has a maximum altitude that it can be dropped from in order to remain effective. In the case of extremely large aircraft such as the DC-10 or the 747, is there a limitation to the type of terrain that they are allowed to drop over due to the lag on the engines for spool up or is there a common technique of dropping while moving downhill and out over lower terrain to allow for recovery altitude? Seems like these aircraft work quite a bit on the CWN basis but I haven't heard whether they were planning to use them on the fire in Kern County.

 

[Bumblebee]

I am just finishing my vacation. My tanker was working out of PTV for the last week, but has returned to CIC for the crew swap Saturday. No heavies were flying on that thing today. I think our work is done there.

As far as terrain and altitude limitations, you are correct. Those aircraft don't like canyons much.

 

[MikeD]

So is that red stuff the reason for that huge red streak in the desert near MZJ? I've always wondered what that was.

Am here at MZJ. Thats where they do the test drops here, just adjacent to the firing range.

 

[Mariano]

I was at the beginning of the month...gone by the 11th.

I saw a tanker there, and I thought "wouldn't be awesome if that was Bumblebee"

Unfortunately I can't log in JC from my Blackberry , so I couldn't send you a message and ask.