[Paul_Sengupta]

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-40348252

A water-bombing plane fighting huge forest fires in central Portugal has crashed, local officials say.

[Gertie]

We were caught up in one of those fires a few years ago.

Woke up in the middle of the night, saw the glow on the horizon. Watched it for a few hours, then come dawn decided maybe we'd be better off elsewhere, loaded the kids into the car and set off to the village.

"Why did you stay there so long? - get the hell out of here," we were told, as we watched the choppers refill their water buckets from the river we'd been playing in the day before.

Drove off and stayed in a nearby town for a couple of days, then returned to our cottage. But the fire came back, and we scarpered again. On finally returning to have a look, the fire had burned trees all round the cottage, and had burned half way across the lawn, but not actually damaged the house.

This was a worse-than-usual year for Portuguese forest fires, but I don't think anyone got killed that year, certainly nothing like on this year's scale.

[Genghis the Engineer]

Latest, hopefully correct, is that an aeroplane hasn't crashed.

I flew 10ish miles downwind of a forest fire once in a C150, through the plume. Not the cleverest thing I've ever done, I concluded, as it rotated me 60-70 degrees in sudden IMC. Fortunately, only lasted a few seconds, but not something I'd ever choose to do again.

The chaps who fly the water bombers have both my admiration, and envy - it must be a thoroughly rewarding flying job. A little like warfighting, except that you don't have to ever try and kill somebody.

G

[Paul_Sengupta]

Hmm, confusion.

I've flown in California when there have been raging forest fires, and even called into Hemet Ryan (home of "Top Mud, Tankertown USA" as it says on the sign!) airfield while the water bombing operation was going on. They were refilling the fleet of aeroplanes with fire retardant as they came in, then they'd go out again. There's usually a restricted area where the water bombers are actually dumping.

It amused me slightly to see a prominent "No smoking" sign on the fire retardant outlet...





http://media.gettyimages.com/photos/hemet-may-02-2004-sign-hangs-on-the-control-tower-at-hemetryan-air-picture-id564010401

[JoeC]

What type are those Calfire aircraft?

[Paul_Sengupta]

Grumman S2T.

http://fireaviation.com/2016/03/09/cal-fires-aircraft-lineup-for-2016/

[OCB]

Having stood on a spot on the Cote D'Azure that subsequently ended up as toast a few days later (that was less than 100m from the Med) I don't get the lack of preparation.

If there is any intention of saving such areas - build water towers. Even have fire retardant stores or eco friendly sticky water additive close by.

As my annoying architect friend says right now "it's not rocket science ".
Yes it means a lot of money, sheds loads of concrete. Slow and steady though - it's not hard

[JoeC]

Water, fire retardant, towers do nothing without people. You can plan and build all you like but without the bodies on the ground in the right place at the right time with the right skills and coordinated planning it won't do any good. A bit like rocket science I guess.