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Aviation History
2004
2004-09 - 1073.PDF
KH%4!B* UNDER FIRE US government moves to extinguish the careers of ageing waterbombers has sparked a wider debate on public-sector aircraft STEPHEN TRIMBLE / WASHINGTON DC The manner in which the US gov ernment manages a fleet of pri vately owned aerial firefighting aircraft has itself come under fire. For the first time in more than four decades, overseers of North America's western forests are entering a potentially severe period of wildland flare-ups without the aid of a multi-engined air-tanker fleet - mostly post-Korean War piston-powered air craft converted for dispersing up to 11,400 litres (3,0O0USgal) of fire retardant or water. Although the ageing group of Douglas DC-4s, DC-6s and DC-7s and Lockheed P2V Neptunes and P-3As and have not been grounded, the fleet is unlikely to fly again for the firefighting branches of the US Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the US Forest Service (USFS). The uproar that followed has provoked talk among prominent US lawmakers about reforming the regulatory framework that governs all public-sector aircraft - the fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters used by federal agencies for law enforcement, search and rescue and executive travel. Meanwhile, federal firefighting officials plan an ambitious modernisation strategy to convert to a turbine-powered fleet. But, to secure funding, the agencies must over come a chequered history of fleet manage ment and placate wrathful lawmakers. Unexpected demise Although large air-tanker safety has been under close scrutiny since 2002, the demise of the fleet came unexpectedly. On 23 April, the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), investigating three in-flight break ups of large air tankers since 1994, ruled that no mechanism exists to ensure the air worthiness of the waterbombers. For exam ple, little is known about the operational and maintenance histories of the aircraft transferred to firefighting service after long military careers. The NTSB notes that almost Little is known about the service histories of ageing tankers like this Douglas DC-4 no scientific data is available to explain the effect of firefighting operations on struc tural fatigue. Most importantly, the NTSB recom mended that the USFS and BLM take on the responsibility of establishing and enforcing safety standards for the large air tankers. That suggestion was aimed at resolving a long-standing impasse between the two firefighting agencies and the US Federal Aviation Administration. For years, BLM and USFS officials have maintained that the privately owned fleet falls under the regulatory authority of the FAA. Neither the BLM or USFS, as a result, ever developed a safety regime for air- tanker operators. Meanwhile, FAA officials have long insisted that the oversight authority belongs to the firefighting agen cies because the air tankers are almost exclusively in public-sector use. The NTSB's letter finally cleared the impasse by siding with the FAA, but this would have unexpected consequences. Nineteen days after the board's letter was released, BLM and USFS officials termi nated the large air-tanker contracts rather than comply with the board's recommen dation. The action severed ties with eight companies operating 33 air tankers only a few weeks before the start of the annual fire season, a roughly four-month period of scattered flare-ups that can erupt into firestorms covering thousands of hectares. Federal firefighting officials have argued that the role played by large air tankers was less significant than their name suggests. Their 11,400 litre-capacity loads were sim ply more "cost-effective" than sending mul tiple waves of single-engined tankers or heli copters, which cany 1,100-3,000 litres. Moreover, it was announced in early June that the agencies had signed up 119 more single-engined tankers and helicopters, aug menting a 600-strong fleet. The agencies also have temporary use of eight active US military Lockheed Martin C-130s equipped with a 20-year-old retardant dispenser called the modular airborne firefighting system. "Large air tankers are but one of the many tools that we use to suppress wildland fires. During any year, thousands of wild- land fires are suppressed without the benefit of air support," Mark Rey, assistant secretary for Natural Resources and the Environment, told a US Senate committee on 2 June. But senator Ron Wyden criticised the "vacuum of responsibility" for safety over sight of large air tankers identified in the NTSB report, adding that he may call for a statutory change granting the FAA full responsibility for the aircraft. Rey says he "would have no objection" to such a mea sure, but his position was opposed by repre sentatives of the FAA and NTSB. The FAA continues to resist any change 38 22-28 JUNE 2004 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL www.flightinternational.com
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