California Firefighting

gprellwitz said:
This link has a bunch of firefighting pictures, including many of firefighting aircraft. Definitely check out the DC-10 outfitted as a firefighter, and the P-3A doing a drop just beyond someone's porch!

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/07/californias_continuing_fires.html
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Cool (hot?) PIX. They show some of airpower at its best.

It was always quite an experience having a small plane being based out in the desert when the fires broke out en masse. We'd be in the pattern with P-3s, Catalinas and various big choppers. Sometimes towered, sometimes not.
 
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That P-3 photo is absolutly astounding. At first I thought it was a depth perception thing with the way the plane completely dwarfs the house, but then I realized the retardent is falling on the far side of the hill...the plane really is that close to the house!
 
Spooky and dangerous phenomenon when flying around big hot fires is that DA can increase as ones altitude DECREASES, from above and inwards towards the hotter core areas, with the associated erosion of engine and overall aircraft performance. Turbos good.
 
Teller1900 said:
That P-3 photo is absolutly astounding. At first I thought it was a depth perception thing with the way the plane completely dwarfs the house, but then I realized the retardent is falling on the far side of the hill...the plane really is that close to the house!
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And how close is THAT close? I don't know Matt, with telephoto compression that plane could be quite a ways behind that house. Notice how grainy the image is too. I vote for serious magnification. That plane could easily be beyond a quarter mile from the house. Think of those photos of airliners flying across in front of the moon!
 
Actually, upon further study I notice that there is NO prop blur. I think that is a Gate guard aircraft on a very clever pedistal mount made to LOOK like a curtian of fire retardant. It's at one of the fire tanker bases out west. Look it up on google. Someone just photoshopped that house into the foreground to make it look all heroic and glorious. As if medals weren't enough for those people!
 
wby0nder said:
Actually, upon further study I notice that there is NO prop blur. I think that is a Gate guard aircraft on a very clever pedistal mount made to LOOK like a curtian of fire retardant. It's at one of the fire tanker bases out west. Look it up on google. Someone just photoshopped that house into the foreground to make it look all heroic and glorious. As if medals weren't enough for those people!
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Perhaps it is a photoshop job, but that P-3 is a flying aircraft, not a pedestal queen. Google N900AU for photos of her around the country. I tried to zoom in on the cockpit but the pic is not sharp enough for detail - looks like it's occupied, tho.

I do agree that the perspective looks WAY odd in that photo.
 
gkainz said:
Perhaps it is a photoshop job, but that P-3 is a flying aircraft, not a pedestal queen. Google N900AU for photos of her around the country. I tried to zoom in on the cockpit but the pic is not sharp enough for detail - looks like it's occupied, tho.

I do agree that the perspective looks WAY odd in that photo.
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It appears that it was taken with a very long length lens from far away and a fast shutter. It is an AP photo so I really doubt it is a fake.
 
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