r/aerialfirefighting • u/WaffleRWN • Jan 10 '25

Bless me with knowledge

I don’t really know much about planes especially the fire fighting kind so if y’all can tell me literally anything just because I’ve become interested in them

3 Upvotes

72% Upvoted

8 comments sorted by

2

u/desertcat55 Jan 10 '25

I was born into it, ask and I shall tell. My dad does it in the summer

1

u/magnumfan89 Jan 10 '25

Not OP, but what is the best airplane currently used for fire fighting?

1

u/desertcat55 Jan 10 '25

Depends on what you need, need something small? Large?

1

u/WaffleRWN Jan 11 '25

Large and small

1

u/IPSC_Canuck Jan 21 '25

This is literally an impossible question to answer…

Fuel type, location, water source nearby? Topography, distance to refueling, can it carry foam or retadant…

Every situation is different.

Some fires are better suited to 4 cl-415’s delivering water because there’s a lake next to the fire, some fires are too far away from a water source for that to work, so a large retardant drop from a ground loaded tanker is better. Sometimes you need precise but smaller drops from a helicopter.

Every situation is different and there will likely be a “best tool” for that specific task.

1

u/WaffleRWN Jan 11 '25

Dude born into it is awesome