EDWMatt Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 Dropped by the USFS tanker base at Fox Field this weekend and thought you all might enjoy a few pics of some of the old props being flown against the Station fire in the forest above LA: Tanker 48, Minden Air's P2V-7, fires up for a run: Tanker 48: Tanker 21, Aero Union P-3A: Tanker 05, Neptune Aviation's P2V-5: Tanker 12, another P2V-5: Tanker 45, Neptune's P2V-7: Tanker nose art: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
EDWMatt Posted September 8, 2009 Author Share Posted September 8, 2009 USFS AH-1F: A Jaguar lead plane! (King Air 90): Quote Link to post Share on other sites
messy60 Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 very cool, some great pics of some awesome old planes! I have been meaning to get out to Fox Field lately, but work and other things have kept me from it. I went to Van Nuys to shoot the super scoopers (standing idly by) last tuesday, and last sunday went to Hansen Dam to get some shots of the helicopter operations. I got some good shots, perhaps i'll post some up as well. Jason Quote Link to post Share on other sites
richter111 Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 Thanks for posting, interesting birds, difficult job. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Medevac71 Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 Nice pics ! Really interesting... wildfires, air attack & so on Those are jet engines on the P2V-7 ? First time I recognized them. greetings Julian Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Trojan Thunder Posted September 9, 2009 Share Posted September 9, 2009 Great shots, thanks for posting. Looks like I need to pull that P-3 kit out of the stash and start on it! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
EDWMatt Posted September 9, 2009 Author Share Posted September 9, 2009 Those are jet engines on the P2V-7 ? First time I recognized them. Yes, those are Westinghouse J34 turbojets in the underwing pods on the Neptunes. The crews use them during takeoff and during the attack runs. It was about 100 deg. F when I took the photos, and the P-2's needed every ounce of that thrust for take-off. Their climb rate was still not breathtaking, probably less than 1000fpm. Aero Union tried using Neptunes without the jet boosters and found them underpowered. Sometimes the jets can cause their own problems, however. Neptune Aviation lost a P-2 last season just after take-off at Stead, Nevada, when one of the jets had an un-contained failure and hot turbine components pierced the fuel tanks and set the wing ablaze. The wing unfortunately burnt off the aircraft before the crew could complete the traffic pattern to perform an emergency landing. I get a kick out of the sharkmouths on some of Neptune Aviation's jet pods. They also have some rather whimsical nose art on a few of their planes. Here are a couple more shots: Tanker 06, P2V-5: Tanker 55, Minden Air P2V-7: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SimFixer Posted September 9, 2009 Share Posted September 9, 2009 (edited) For a small-ish airframe, that thing's gotta HUGE veritical fin! Bet it gets interesting with a stiff cross-wind. :D Any info on what they use the Cobra for? In flight coordination maybe? Edited September 9, 2009 by SimFixer Quote Link to post Share on other sites
HOLMES Posted September 9, 2009 Share Posted September 9, 2009 WHOA!!! I really LOVE the bright colors on these Tankers... they are BEAUTIFUL ... :P B) HOLMES :) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ST0RM Posted September 9, 2009 Share Posted September 9, 2009 Beautiful photos of some classic aircraft, working on the front line. Thanks for sharing. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Aggressor Supporter Posted September 9, 2009 Share Posted September 9, 2009 Nice pics taken and didn't know the Forest Service uses the Cobra! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
EDWMatt Posted September 9, 2009 Author Share Posted September 9, 2009 Any info on what they use the Cobra for? In flight coordination maybe? The Cobra is used to gather tactical imagery to help the fire managers plan the attack strategy. Note that it has a FLIR turret in place of the gun. This allows them to see hot spots through smoke. It also has a high-resolution color camera. The USFS also has several fixed-wings (Citation and King Airs) equipped with sensors for strategic data gathering. They also sometimes use imagery from NASA sensors mounted in an ER-2 or Predator B, or AF Global Hawk data. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Aggressor Supporter Posted September 9, 2009 Share Posted September 9, 2009 I wonder why they chose the Cobra for that job and not another type of chopper like a Huey or something. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SimFixer Posted September 9, 2009 Share Posted September 9, 2009 If you had big brass clangers like these guys prolly do, which would YOU rather fly? A Huey.....or a COBRA? :D Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DPD1 Posted September 10, 2009 Share Posted September 10, 2009 I think they got a bunch of the cobras for a song from the Army. Enough for spare parts and everything. They've got a lot of interesting stuff in those. I kept listening for the Cobra, but never heard him. He probably stays low most of the time, between the hills. Dave www.TheNorthSpin.com Dedicated to Aircraft Flight Test for the Aviation Enthusiast Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ken Middleton Posted September 10, 2009 Share Posted September 10, 2009 very nice shots! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
EDWMatt Posted September 10, 2009 Author Share Posted September 10, 2009 I wonder why they chose the Cobra for that job and not another type of chopper like a Huey or something. As Dave says, the FS received 25 Cobras for essentially nothing. The Cobra has a few advantages - it has a higher-powered engine than surplus Huey's and a bigger electrical system, the visibility is better (although not as good with the flat-plate canopy as with the bubble) and the old universal turret is a convenient place to mount turreted sensors. Didn't see him fly much while I was out there. He went out for a couple hours in the afternoon and that was it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.