BAe146 Fire Bomber

I wonder if the 146 has the wing strength to hold up in the long run?
Low altitude pull ups isn’t what it was designed for.
I have the idea that most airliners today are “underbuilt” for weight and fuel savings…at least compared to old military types.

Also, four engines to feed isn’t goint to be cheap…and are there enough of the engines and other out there at reasonable prices?

A few DC-10s in use round California and Arizona too.
Being able to drop 50 tons in one go is more effective than several smaller drops.

I flew out to Durango at Memorial day weekend and there was a TFR for aerial firefighting at nearby Pagosa springs. Taking the steam train to Silverton, a fire fighting tender followed to put out the (several) fires we left in our wake, but even one of those got out of control and needed chopper support.

More info. on the Tronos BAe.146 fire bomber here. I think there are several 146’s on a desert holiday suitable for conversion.

http://www.tronosjet.com/forest-fire

Seems a strange aircraft choice to me too. I suppose logically the 146 has a good payload, the aircraft are easily available with plenty of spares. Lets face it the likes of the Trackers and Neptunes are 50-60 years old and getting towards the end of their life.

Intriguing – what is the logic behind using a modestly sized 4-engined jet aircraft as a fire bomber; the cost of operating it must be quite startling ?

Very good shot 🙂 Something nice and different. Many thanks for sharing 🙂