Aerial firefighting provider Global SuperTanker Services (GST, Colorado Springs) has secured an interim 17-month approval from the US Interagency Airtanker Board (IAB), meaning it can now be used in California and some parts of Colorado. It is still hindered from applying for Call When Needed contracts for the Forest Service (USFS), as the USFS has so far limited firefighting aircraft to a maximum of 18,900 litres, but says it is working on securing contracts with two other states.
Global SuperTanker uses a retrofitted B747-400 to deliver up to 74,200 litres of water or retardant with a range of 6,400 kilometres. The next largest airtanker is the McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10(F) which can carry 45,000 litres.
"The interim approval is for 17 months during which time GST [Global SuperTanker] must take steps to ensure its 747 aircraft delivers retardant in a manner that is effective and efficient and aids firefighting efforts on the ground," the IAB said in a statement.
These steps include an inspection of the aircraft and the external certification of its pilots ("carding"). Speaking with the Fire Aviation blog, Dennis Brown, Chief of Flight Operations for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, said that the cards should be issued by August 4.
But Brown was careful to highlight that the supertanker would only be used in exceptional circumstances.
"If it gets approved we will consider it just like we do with anything else," Brown told Fire Aviation. "But not every aircraft fits every role. You don’t use a sledgehammer to do your finish work, you know?"
