WIX Archives
747 firebomber
Posted by Chuck on Fri Feb 06, 2004 09:07:27 AM
In reply top null posted by null on null
COMPANY DEVELOPS FIRE-FIGHTING MONSTER -AOPA
Your state's on fire--who ya gonna call? How about a big, lumbering Boeing 747 filled with enough slurry to kill a fire the size of a small city? The Evergreen Air Center in Marana, Arizona, is developing just such a monster. The center is modifying an old Evergreen International Airlines 747-200 freighter to not only carry fire equipment to the scene, but to help fight the fire once it arrives. The aircraft is still in development, but once in operation it should be quite a sight: It is expected to shoot water from the front at the same time that it sprays slurry from the back. That is to control any weight-and-balance problems that might occur from dumping the slurry. Additionally, spraying water from the front helps dissipate the slurry that otherwise might not spread over a large enough area because of the aircraft's 250-knot speed.