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airtankers

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Humty72

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 2, 2002
Posts
143
Last edited:
car dealership

I guess one of the tankers had an engine failure on upwind yesterday and had to dump its slurry. It covered one of the car dealerships in town....
 
The shocking part isn't the engine failure. It's that a tanker crew would take the time to fly an upwind.

If all four are turning then something is wrong.

We stopped calling it "slurry" in the late 70's.
 
I just got finished flying "air attack" over the fire near Santa fe. I was flying C-340 over the fire, with a forest service guy with me, and he does the ordering of tankers, etc.

Was really interesting, orbiting over the fire, and watching the tankers come in under me and drop retardant. Saw P-3, P-2, C-130, DC-4. There were plenty of free tankers, so they just boxed that fire in and took care of it quickly.
 
PRC fire

Anyone know if the Neptune, Tanker 51, I believe, is working that fire?

That Neptune used to be based at PRC. Some of us Riddle instructors would watch in awe when it would depart.
 
a/c

Today I've seen the following making runs on the fire: P-3, P-2 (may be the one you are asking about), B-24, DC-4, and the skycrane is draining Willow Lake for water...
 
whiskey row will survive..

Well the fire's pretty much contained. I think they really had it under controll midday yesterday. Man, those folks do amazing work.....
 
That's no B-24. It's a PB4Y-2 Super Privateer (CVP4Y).

Bobby, You're probably thinking of T55, which is Minden's P2V. I don't know if it was working out of PRC this time, but it's regular assignment now is Albuquerque and Kalispell. There isn't a T51 presently.

There's a T151, and that's a DC-4 based in Lancaster, CA.

The assignments go up for bid every three years, and 2002 marked the change year.
 
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The P-2V's I've seen are Minden Air's #99, and one of the H&P P-2Vs (I think I might have seen 140 on it). I haven't noticed any Neptune airplanes here this season.

But then again, this is just me watching from my house outside Albuquerque, and on my occasional jaunts into town when I sometimes get a better look (can't go into the city too often, it's expensive with no job to be a city folk :) )

They do do excellent work, first time in a while that I haven't been able to see something burning from the house...

Dan

PS-99 has been here (other than jaunts to the southern part of the state) since early April...
 
Tanker 55 and Prescott

Avbug, you are correct. That P2V is exactly the one I was thinking of. Somehow, 51 was sticking in my mind. Memories from eleven years do fade sometimes.

I remember well how that aicraft was based in Prescott from the spring through August. I never made it over to talk to the crews, though.

I vaguely recall a C-130 come in one time during the early 90s; was it yours? I also remember the big four-engine recips, but I don't think they were DC-4s. Maybe DC-6s or 7s.

Glad to hear Whiskey Row survived. I never once made it to the Palace. There was this more upscale place we used to go to. I don't remember the name, but it was around the block from the movie theater and down the same block from the camping and outdoor sports shop. It served great pitchers of beer. I don't remember the street, but the cross street was Sheldon, I think.
 

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