Firebombers!

[evangilder]

Yes, the CL-415, now the Bombardier 415.

Bombardier 415 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[GrauGeist]

Great shots, Joe!

I think the Neptune is my fav out of all the tankers!

As far as firefighting seaplanes go (or flying boats) don't forget the Martin Mars...

The Mars Hawaii can "scoop" up about 7,000 gallons in less than a 30 second pass...

 

[Maestro]

Actually, there are some that skim the water to pick up. We use them here in SoCal during the fire season. They are leased from Canada. They are the Super Scoopers. Here is a shot that someone caught of one of them doing a pickup.

Actually, I think the CL-415s (and their crews) are more like a rental... I remember a few years ago during the great forest fires in Western Canada and USA, a CL-415 pilot was speaking of being temporarily transfered to California with his plane in order to help fight the fires. The "Yellow Ducks", as the Californians were calling them, were the only planes available in the area to be capable of taking water from a lake without having to land.

But things could have changed since then...