By Steve Geissinger
Daily Breeze
SACRAMENTO — Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Tuesday he was using "every possible resource" to fight Southern California wildfires - and that includes a 60-year-old flying boat that ferried troops between the Bay Area and Hawaii during World War II.
Cal-FIRE spokesman Daniel Berlant said the huge Martin Mars plane, since converted into an air tanker, "will be especially effective in coastal areas and near lakes," since the plane scoops water as it skims the surface and mixes the load with chemicals to form fire retardant or foam. The state is leasing use of the privately owned plane.
Wayne Coulson, chief executive officer of Canadian-based Coulson Aircrane Ltd., said the aircraft was undergoing trials after being decommissioned for the winter and was scheduled to fly from British Columbia to start battling Southern California wildfires today.
"I know this plane can make a difference by dropping a huge wet blanket," said Coulson.
The plane can drop 7,200 gallons at a time, Coulson said, covering 4 acres, then return quickly after refilling. The size of the drop is exceeded only by the experimental DC-10 air tanker, which must return to the nearest large airport to refill its 12,000- gallon limit.
The Mars aircraft is the world's largest operational amphibious plane. The plane is 117 feet long and 38feet high. But despite its 200-foot wing span, Coulson said the plane also is very maneuverable.
Authorities at the Sacramento command center, where emergency response efforts statewide are being coordinated, said the float plane will join a growing fleet of government aerial firefighting tankers and helicopters.
The Mars aircraft is one of five the Martin Company originally built for the Navy as bombers and patrol planes. But after World War II began, the plane was reclassified as a transport because of its heavy lift capability. It requires a crew of four.
The plane was flown between Hawaii and the Bay Area, as well as throughout the South Pacific. After being decommissioned in the 1950s, the planes were parked at the Alameda Naval Air Station.
Despite the age of the aircraft, Coulson officials said
Copyright 2007 ProQuest Information and Learning
All Rights Reserved
