Company Turning Old 747 Into Supertanker For Fighting Arizona Wildfires
That's seven times the load carried by a standard air tanker.
The retrofitted 747 is expected to be ready by Sept. 1, and Evergreen International Aviation administrators hope the U.S. Forest Service will begin leasing the aircraft as early as next summer.
``This could mean the difference between a small fire and a tragic, massive wildfire,'' said Cliff Hale, vice president for special projects for Evergreen, which operates a hangar at the Pinal Air Park north of Tucson.
Some critics are skeptical of Evergreen's concept, saying the company is touting an ineffective aircraft that won't hit its targets and can't fly low enough to make a difference in a forest fire.
``Bigger may not necessarily be better,'' said Rose Davis, a Forest Service spokeswoman at the National Interagency Fire Center in Idaho.
The supertanker, which can fly 400 feet above the ground, is equipped with a row of large tanks filled with water or fire retardant.
Additional tanks loaded with compressed air will force the liquid out of four holes the size of frying pans in the jetliner's belly, producing a fast-moving stream of fluid that will coat the ground below.
Although standard heavy air tankers used for years to battle wildfires cost an average of $5,000 an hour to operate, the rate for the supertanker could exceed $20,000 an hour, a bill that would be footed by taxpayers.
Davis said government officials are concerned that the tanker has yet to receive its mandatory Federal Aviation Administration safety certification, and it remains unclear whether such a large load of water could injure firefighters working on the ground.
Nonetheless, Evergreen officials intend to begin renovation of another 747 by the end of the summer.
Company administrators believe the fleet will grow to include a half-dozen supertankers.
