Dear Editor:
Western Canada long ago should have established a Fire Fighting Air Group of Canadair/Bombardier 215/ 415 Water Scooping aircraft.
The CB 415 firefighting aircraft cost lists at $40 million U.S.
With a substantial discount for group sales, more than 300 CB 415s could have been purchased in 2017.
The Canadair 215 water scooping aircraft’s maiden flight was 1967 and 125 aircraft were built. The 215 scooped 5,000 litres in 12 seconds.
The 415 scoops 6,160 litres.
Averaging 11-kilometre flights with water to fire the aircraft drops 54,140 litres per hour.
In B.C. the fires and water often border each other.
Quick turnarounds would be the order of the day; in emergencies, short pickups may be necessary.
Water scooping pilots are well trained before they become 415 pilots.
A western fire fighting air group would require a huge aviation infrastructure industry.
Thousands of new well paying long term jobs would be introduced.
Western Canada should quickly get moving.
Were those air detachments now in place, distributed throughout the west, our present day losses would not be so horrific.
For lighting strike fires, in many cases a quick air drop of 6,000 litres of water dropped in two seconds would quickly extinguish the fire.
Kelowna Flight Craft with its Allied Wings pilots and flight engineers training schools and flight maintenance and service centres at Portage La Prairie, Man. would provide easy integration into serving Western interests.
Ernie Slump
Penticton
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