The US Forest Service (USFS) plans to reactivate nearly half of the large air tanker fleet that the agency parked last year due to airworthiness concerns, even as the search continues for a long-term replacement for the heavy firefighters, writes Stephen Trimble.
Up to nine Lockheed P2Vs operated by Neptune Aviation and Minden Air are eligible to receive USFS contracts to fight wildland fires this summer, pending the results of intensive airframe inspections, the agency announced in late May.
The nine multi-engine air tankers will join seven Lockheed P-3A firefighters that were restored to active service in July last year.
But the bulk of the 32-aircraft fleet has been idle for almost 13 months. USFS officials terminated all large air tanker contracts after the National Transportation Safety Board issued a stunning report in May 2004, urging the agency to guarantee the airworthiness of the restricted-category fleet.
Three air tankers have been lost since 1994 due to airframe structural failures. The agency parked the aircraft and contracted private engineers to calculate the service lifetime of, first, the P-3As and, more recently, the P2Vs. A third effort is starting to determine the same data for the Douglas DC-4/6/7s that remain effectively grounded.
Source: Flight International
