SACRAMENTO, Calif. — From boots on the ground to wings in the sky, the fight against the massive California wildfires continues.
The biggest firefighting aircraft in the world, a Boeing 747 Supertanker is helping battle both the LNU and SCU Lightning Complex fires.
Chief Pilot Cliff Hale started flying planes when he was just 15 years old. With more than 40 years of experience under his belt, he helped retrofit the aircraft once used as a passenger plane.
Hale says the belly of the plane holds up to 19,000 gallons of water or fire retardant, and it can dump it all out with the touch of a button.
“You can fill a swimming pool in about 8 seconds with this thing,” said Hale.
The Supertanker, crewed by three men, is being deployed four to five times a day to help fight the California wildfires.
“It takes us 28 minutes to load,” said Hale.
The aircraft can fly anywhere in the world in less than 20 hours and it has been made a few rounds.
“We fought fires in Israel, Chile, we spent most of last summer in Bolivia,” Hale said.
On the wall near the cockpit, they’ve proudly displayed the honor badges. But if you think any pilot can fly this beast, think again. Only four pilots have been certified. Hale said the mission of the Supertanker is clear.
“The men and women that are on the ground fighting those flames that is what we are here for, to help them,” said Hale.
Flying any type of aircraft does not come without risk. On August 18, 2020, Cal Fire reported that a "call when needed" (CWN) Bell UH-1H helicopter was on a water-dropping mission on the Hills Fire near Fresno when it crashed. The pilot was the only person aboard the helicopter and did not survive the incident.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is leading the investigation and Cal Fire is assisting.
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