BY BRIAN HEWS • September 2, 2020
Los Angeles County has recently bought in two Super Scooper water dropping planes for the upcoming fire season. The two Bombardier CL-415 planes can carry up to 1,620 gallons of water and can be filled with water in twelve seconds and airborne in five minutes, capable of flying for three hours before refueling.
The aircraft requires 4,400 feet of flyable length to descend from an altitude of 50 feet, scoop 1,620 gallons of water during its twelve-second 1,350 feet run on the water at 81 mph.
The county has been leasing the aircraft from the Province of Quebec in Canada since 1994.
