I woke up early in the morning to the sound of a heavy prop driven aircraft. I live at the base of the Olympic Mountain range in Washington State. My location is so far out that the sound of passing aircraft only happens once or twice a day. On this particular morning things were much different.
Every twenty minutes the sound of roaring engines filled the sky. I went outside to see if I could catch a glimpse at one of those birds. A thin cloud of smoke whisked over the roof as I looked up. It was then that I remembered several friends had asked me about the Washington forest fires!
Sure enough, the roar of heavy prop driven aircraft returned. When I looked up I spotted four Canadair CL-415’s flying in formation over head. The float planes where mostly white in color and flew with a purpose. These planes where fighting a forest fire and it must have been close.
Ten minutes later the planes were over head again. They were heading back the way they had come. The formation of CL-415’s were dropping down behind the tree line and scooping up water from the Hood Canal. The Hood Canal is a long, narrow inlet of the Puget Sound.
The Canal stretches for about 80 miles from Puget Sound to the Olympic Mountains. It took the CL-415’s approximately 10 minutes to return from the canal, once they flew overhead. It then took them approximately another 15 minutes to return from dropping their payloads.
History of the Canadair CL-415
The CL-415 was developed as an improvement of the earlier CL-215, the first purpose-built water bomber. The CL-215 first flew in 1967, and after years of successful service, an upgraded model was proposed. The CL-415 was designed to be faster, more powerful, and more efficient. It included updated avionics, more powerful engines, and a larger capacity for water.
The first flight of the CL-415 took place on December 6, 1993. It proved successful, leading to its certification and entry into service. The aircraft received its certification from Transport Canada in 1994, allowing it to enter
operational service.
Specs of the Canadair CL-415
The CL-415 is specifically designed for water bombing, capable of scooping up to 6,137 liters (1,621 gallons) of water in just 12 seconds. The aircraft can also mix the water with fire retardant and drop it over forest fires to help control the spread of flames.
Engines: 2 × Pratt & Whitney Canada PW123AF Turboprops. Maximum Speed: 233 mph (376 km/h). Range: 1,518 miles (2,443 km). Service Ceiling: 20,000 feet (6,096 meters). Water Capacity: 6,137 liters (1,621 gallons). Crew: 2 (pilot and co-pilot), with space for additional crew depending on the mission.
The State of Washington does not own CL-415 aircraft. Instead, the state has leased or borrowed CL-415s, often from Canadian provinces, during severe wildfire seasons. This is a common practice in the U.S., where states and federal agencies collaborate and share resources during emergencies.
The exact number of CL-415s used by Washington at any given time can vary depending on the severity of the fire season and availability of aircraft from other regions. Typically, only a few CL-415s are deployed in Washington during peak fire seasons.
The importance of the Canadair CL-415
The CL-415 has seen service worldwide, particularly in countries with large forested areas prone to wildfires, such as Canada, the United States. Several Mediterranean countries also use the CL-415’s for fighting forest fires.
The CL-415 is renowned for its reliability and effectiveness in its
firefighting capacity. This is what makes it the aircraft of choice
for aerial water bombing missions world wide.
Bonus: Check out this video of the CL-415 in action
Youtuber HD1080ide shared a video of the CL-415 conducting both scooping operations and a water drop. It’s a great video to see how the water bomber operates.
