Check out Plane & Pilot’s video of the week of a Canadair CL-415 water bomber at work on a California wildfire earlier this week. It’s stunning footage captured from above, the like of which is exceedingly rare. Watch from pickup to delivery as it extinguishes a small fire that could have grown into a huge blaze, like so many others have over the past week out west.
The CL-415 is powered by a pair of Pratt & Whitney PW123 turboprops putting out 1,775-shp apiece. The manufacturers have built 95 of them, and the work is so risky, ten have been lost in crashes. Four of the planes are operated by Southern California firefighting authorities.
Our thoughts are with the pilots and firefighters and residents caught in the crosshairs of these terrible fires, and to the first responders, we express our extreme gratitude for all you do to keep us safe.
