fire bombing

SQ · Post by SQ » Mon Oct 23, 2006 8:40 pm

hi
does anyone really know what it takes to become a fire bomber (f/ w) ? what is the selection and how/where to get rating ?

thanks

SQ · Post by SQ » Mon Oct 23, 2006 8:43 pm

if you know someone in QC, don't hesitate
cheers

Cat Driver · Post by **Cat Driver** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 8:47 pm

The best way into fire bombing is to get one of the OMNR upper management's teen age daughters pregnant and agree to marry her in return for a fire bombing job.

SQ · Post by SQ » Mon Oct 23, 2006 8:58 pm

thanks cat
last time I did that , it didn't work at all... noooooope...

Norskman · Post by **Norskman** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 9:10 pm

scopiton wrote:hi
does anyone really know what it takes to become a fire bomber (f/ w) ? what is the selection and how/where to get rating ?

thanks

I'm not so sure that anyone knows how to really do anything in aviation, especially after reading AvCanada for a couple of hours.

You need to do, what you need to do, to get where you want to go, and if that works for you then great, but if might not work for the next guy. However, one way to head towards water bombing (or so I've heard), is to have experience in crop spraying, since you would then have experience with a plane such as an Air Tractor AT802, which would be converted into an AT802F for fire fighting. I would also imagine (warning - opinion alert)if you have any experience in the aircraft type used for bombing, you might be of some use.

Conair, which does Aerial Fire Fighting, lists these airplanes on its website:
http://www.conair.ca/?action=conair_main&page_id=3200

. Air Attack (Bird Dogs) –
Piper Aerostar PA-60
Twin Commander TC-690A
Cessna Grand Caravan C-208B

· Air Tankers –
Douglas DC 6
Convair 580
Air Tractor AT802F
Air Tractor AT802F Amphib “Fireboss”
Firecat
CL-215 (operation)

Try also asking any of the people who posted in this forum:
http://www.avcanada.ca/forums2/viewtopic.php?t=19003
since it seems like many of them are actively working in the field.

Cat Driver · Post by **Cat Driver** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 9:12 pm

scoption, I have been out of that business for twenty years, but CL Guy or Driving Rain would be up to speed on how things are today.

. ._ · Post by **. ._** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 10:32 pm

Last I heard, the OMNR wants 1000 hours on floats and an ATPL. Then you're in good shape to schmooze your way into a job. BUT I'd imagine with any job, the best schmoozers win, and could probably get away with less if they golf with the Minister or something.

Who knows?

You hear of all of this "minimums" stuff, then people get hired without the "minimums".

Ahh aviation. What a wierd industry.

-istp

Idriveplane · Post by **Idriveplane** » Tue Oct 24, 2006 4:12 am

Im still pissed Air spray got rid of their A-26's

Driving Rain · Post by **Driving Rain** » Tue Oct 24, 2006 7:03 am

scopiton wrote:hi
does anyone really know what it takes to become a fire bomber (f/ w) ? what is the selection and how/where to get rating ?

thanks

Every outfit has different requirements.
Are you Québécois? Then http://www.services.gouv.qc.ca/en/aerien/index.asp
might be the place to apply.

In Ontario check this sight out every Friday. They'll be posting an add soon for 4 CL-415 co-pilots.
http://www.gojobs.gov.on.ca/mbs/gojobs/ ... GoJobsHome!
use the features to find "Natural Resources" only.
You'll need a minimum of 1000 hours on floats and an ALTPL in Ontario

This forum lists every company and operation in Canada except this one.

http://www.tw.gov.nl.ca/dept/responsibi ... 20Services

Contact a few and see what they require.

http://www.avcanada.ca/forums2/viewtopic.php?t=13225

SQ · Post by SQ » Tue Oct 24, 2006 7:15 am

thanks cat

thanks driving rain

Driving Rain · Post by **Driving Rain** » Sun Oct 29, 2006 2:18 pm

http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid= ... 8&q=CL-415

http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid= ... 6&q=CL-415

http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid= ... 9&q=CL-415

Lommer · Post by **Lommer** » Sun Oct 29, 2006 5:06 pm

Driving Rain.... @#$! Yea! Those videos were awesome! I'm definately interested in bombing (though I've got a ways to go) and that was some of the coolest flying footage I've ever seen posted to AvCanada. Were you involved in making the first one? It would've been nice to have intercom/radio audio in the video, but thats my only suggestion for improvement. The birddogging video was also fantastic.

Driving Rain · Post by **Driving Rain** » Sun Oct 29, 2006 6:00 pm

Lommer wrote:Driving Rain.... @#$! Yea! Those videos were awesome! I'm definately interested in bombing (though I've got a ways to go) and that was some of the coolest flying footage I've ever seen posted to AvCanada. Were you involved in making the first one? It would've been nice to have intercom/radio audio in the video, but thats my only suggestion for improvement. The birddogging video was also fantastic.

Lommer, I wasn't involved in any of the vids. I know the pilots and the AAO quite well.
I found these videos quite by accident when I was linking on another site.

Rowdy · Post by **Rowdy** » Sun Oct 29, 2006 7:32 pm

Driving Rain, some fantastic videos you've found there. IIRC we had 274 in our area for a while this summer.

I've got some clips of the conair 802's doing drops hiding somewhere on the comp. Here's a couple below...

Edited to add these videos..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiUCsRQN-Z4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFiaS6BQRJ4

and the amazing 6 giving us a low and over

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKv8sk9JjWY

CLguy · Post by **CLguy** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 6:59 am

Oh yes the "Baby Bomber" When the FireBoss grows up it wants to be a CL-415!!!

. ._ · Post by **. ._** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 4:45 pm

Oh that's some nice pilot porn. I love the CL-415 wing over!

-istp

Driving Rain · Post by **Driving Rain** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 7:44 pm

istp wrote:Oh that's some nice pilot porn. I love the CL-415 wing over!

-istp

A little story about that footage. It's part of a much longer video shot in Italy. The tanker was a loner from the Service Aerien P.Q. by Bombardier who painted it white and took it on a world sales tour.
While in Italy they let this joker get his hands on it. In some of the footage he puts the plane inverted. The most troubling, from Quebec governments point of vue was when he performed an individual 4 door drop, as he pickled each door separately he yawed the aircraft for all it was worth. Even though the boosted rudder is in low boost at bombing speed he did it with such veracity that the rudder and vertical stab needed quite a bit of work before Quebec would return the plane to service. $$$$$ Bombardier has lots of $$$$$

xsbank · Post by **xsbank** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 11:32 pm

It absolutely amazes me that a company like Bombardier would actually endorse nitwit flying like that done by the white 415. Absolutely incomprehensible, especially when so many of the European ones thunder in.

matt foley · Post by **matt foley** » Tue Oct 31, 2006 7:16 am

A few things. The type of stunts they pull in Europe(mostly the French) has no place in air tanker operations. It is useless and counterproductive. Over there if you die(which they do at a fantastic rate) during operations, they take the day off and have a parade in your honor and you become a national hero. Over here....well its not like that. If you were doing something stupid then it will be talked about quietly with the appropriate colourfull names interjected and the odd "poor bastard" thrown in. As for the birdogging clip. It may be called BDing but out west thats would be called watching.

fire bombing

fire bombing

Re: fire bombing

Re: fire bombing