IL-76 Waterbomber Promoted for US Firefighting

[budthespud]

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Huntington Beach, a supporter of the Russian Ilyushin-76 Waterbomber, scheduled a news conference today in support of employing the 12,000-gallon tankers and to criticize the Forest Service.

The Forest Service has rejected the Russian plane as well as Canadian firefighting planes until they recently hired two. They prefer to use a handful of private U.S. contractors, according to critics.

http://www.insidebayarea.com/localnews/ci_2679400

[budthespud]

http://www.insidebayarea.com/dailyreview/localnews/ci_2682319

[budthespud]

And there's more:

http://www.insidebayarea.com/dailyreview/localnews/ci_2684909

[budthespud]

update: http://www.insidebayarea.com/argus/oped/ci_2687904

[ullrichk]

Just out of curiosity, what interest do you have in this Russian water bomber, budthespud?

[budthespud]

I don't write 'em.

I just post 'em.

[ullrichk]

Yer honor, would you please direct the witness to answer the question. . . :rolleyes:

[budthespud]

Tell the mods to take the thread down.

[Bones42]

ullrichk, he appears each year towards the beginning of the "wild fire" season and posts numerous threads about the Russian aircraft and why the US government won't use them. He believes, very strongly, that the Russian craft is the best way to go. I don't know if he puts any pressure on his Canadian government to get them or he just complains the US doesn't use them.

[budthespud]

As you'll see from this report:
http://www.findarticles.com/cf_0/m0UBT/46_16/95281483/p1/article.jhtml
US experts have only good things to say
about the Canadian system; especially
about its safety.

Now that there are perhaps NO large
US tankers anymore, I'd say you need
'em far worse than Canada does.

Canada's position is that they'll
go with the big aircraft if the US
does.

It could have been used at Kelowna
and they know that up here.

[Bones42]

December 9, 2002. Any a little bit more current?

[budthespud]

Boy that's weak, bones. Really, really weak.

Sorry your bubble-system is in so much trouble.

You want American? Convert a C-17.

[hwoods]

I would think that you should be working to improve AMERICAN aircraft firefighting capability, instead of promoting foreign clunkers. This IS America, Love it or Leave it.

[budthespud]

Be careful what you wish for.

The IL-76 waterbomber may not be
there for you when you need it this season.

You're lucky you had Soyuz to rely on.

[budthespud]

I just post 'em, folks.

I don't write 'em:

http://www.insidebayarea.com/dailyreview/localnews/ci_2700243

[Bones42]

assertions the program is a front for tough, secret overseas CIA missions that abuse the aircraft. ROF-LOL! :rolleyes:

[budthespud]

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Huntington Beach, announced he would make a five-minute speech late Tuesday on the C-Span cable television channel to advocate the use of the Ilyushin Il-76 jets that can carry 11,000 gallons of water.

Reportedly, Rohrabacher has spoken to the IL-76 waterbomber on the
floor of the House of Representatives (US Congress)

[DennisTheMenace]

If you are using Dana Rohrabacher as an intellegent spokesman for your cause, you are in more trouble then you realize. He is a really nice guy, but was taking a beer break when God was passing out the brains.

[budthespud]

Using the IL-76 is and has always been
a no-brainer, unless, of course, you
make your living off wildfire and lose
hours on the line because of it.

Then, in that personal and up-close
financial sense, let those fires go.

[budthespud]

Originally posted by Bones42
ROF-LOL! assertions the program
is a front for tough, secret overseas CIA
missions that abuse the aircraft.

You know, Bones; that wouldn't be so
funny for you had you read it (like I did)
not only in this article, but also in a
book written by this lawyer, pilot, and author, John J Nance.

http://www.johnjnance.com/aviation/fireflight.htm

Look up the dictionary meaning of corruption sometime.

[budthespud]

How the folks in the countryside feel about hosting Russian firefighting:

http://www.dailydemocrat.com/search/ci_2725251

[budthespud]

It is time for the Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Forest Service to change its attitude, quit trying to protect a good-old-boy network which is unable to function, and to permit others to get into this business, including the Russians, who we would like to have invest in this type of domestic, peaceful technology.




Rep Dana Rohrabacher
46th District of California

[neiowa]

How much are the ruskies paying you for this nonstop shilling for their obsolete garbage scow of an aircraft?

[budthespud]

Forgive me for saying this as I'm not
a judgmental type (per Myers-Briggs)
....but you sound a tad bitter.

My advice to you: Get over it, chum.

And that wasn't me on the floor of the
House.

That was Dana Rohrabacher, father of
triplets, on the floor of the House.

I suppose that he has far more solid info
on the airplanes than you do, huh?

Peace - out.

[budthespud]

NIFC/Forest Service's spokesperson, Rose, says
No thanks, Rep Rohrabacher....we're covered.

http://firechief.com/news/calif-crash-renews051305/

[budthespud]

all video at waterbomber.com now available in better resolution.

[budthespud]

NTSB: No answers on latest airtanker crash
http://www.insidebayarea.com/trivalleyherald/localnews/ci_2756537

[budthespud]

Il-76 waterbomber PodCast: http://www.disasternews.net/podcasts/6-6-05interview.mp3

[DennisTheMenace]

Originally posted by DennisTheMenace
If you are using Dana Rohrabacher as an intellegent spokesman for your cause, you are in more trouble then you realize. He is a really nice guy, but was taking a beer break when God was passing out the brains.

[budthespud]

intellegent s/b intelligent

Have you listened to the PodCast?

http://www.disasternews.net/podcasts/6-6-05interview.mp3

best reading material is still here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilyushin_Il-76

[mtnfireguy]

What the hell... lets try one

And when the big bastard piles into the a subdivision full houses or wipes out a crew on the ground by dropping a gazillion gallons of water on them.... They will ground them too....

[budthespud]

BC Forest Service doesn't want YOU to know
the IL-76 waterbomber could have been used
out of Kelowna.

[budthespud]

Originally posted by mtnfireguy
What the hell... lets try one...

FEMA actually ordered two (2) for
Cerro Grande as the damn
wildfire looked set to get into
the damn nuclear materiel. But
then, the Forest Circus got involved
and the Russians got caught on the
runway, ready to roll with sufficient
crew for 24-hour sorties.

Venik wrote the incident up in the
contemptuous tone it so well and truly
deserved here:

http://www.aeronautics.ru/nws002/los-alamos-01.htm

I mean, if the best the US Forest Circus
can do is this....

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0UBT/is_46_16/ai_95281483

...there's something very wrong.

[budthespud]

http://www.desastres.org/noticias.asp?id=15062005-4