Tankers 218 and 219, Bird Dog 3. You are clear to enter the fire zone below 2500 feet. Altimeter 29.92, watch for the helicopter entering the zone from the north at 3000 feet. Call off the water inbound.” The Bird Dog pilot provides the group basic information to proceed in the fire zone.

“Tanker 219, Bird Dog 3. Take the target from south to north on the right flank near the head, you can see it torching as you finish your turn onto final. Make it a salvo, drop elevation is 1700 feet. Tanker 218, take the target along the right flank in the same direction about three loads before the target at the head. Watch for the cats working on the line near your drop site.” The Air Attack Officer provides the group instructions to begin the fire fighting action.
That is pretty typical of what the CL-215 tanker pilots hear when working on a fire in Northern Saskatchewan. The sudden appearance of a group of fire fighting aircraft in the northern commercial forest signals the beginning of a flurry of activity to bring another fire under control utilizing a well-organized team involving air and ground elements.

The Province of Saskatchewan owns a fleet of aerial fire fighting aircraft based in La Ronge, which are operated by Saskatchewan Environment Aviation Operations. The fleet consists of 18 aircraft. Six “Tracker” retardant bombers, six “CL-215” amphibious skimmer aircraft and six “Bird Dog” aircraft to coordinate the aerial activity over a fire. The fleet is set up in five groups. The Tracker aircraft operate in groups of three. The CL-215 aircraft operate in groups of two. Each group is assigned a Bird Dog aircraft in which the pilot performs the function of controlling air traffic and flying the aircraft so that the Air Attack Officer can see the fire from all angles. The Air Attack Officer controls the fire fighting effort and directs the tankers to the desired drop points as well as communicates with any ground forces on the fire.

The CL-215 aircraft are twin engine amphibious aircraft manufactured by Canadair in Montreal. This aircraft type was specifically designed for the job of aerial fire fighting in the mid 1960's, and was upgraded through the years with different “series” which involved some structural changes. After the last of the Series V machines were manufactured in the late 1980's, of which the province acquired four new from the factory for approximately $8 million each, the design was further upgraded to a modern turboprop version known as the CL-415 and remained in manufacture until 2001. The basic airframe has not changed since it was designed. The turboprop version has replaced old technology radial piston engines with new turbine versions, which enhance safety, and increases load carrying capacity and speed. There are plans available now to upgrade the piston engine models to turboprop engines with a conversion kit. Those aircraft even have air conditioning and hydraulically assisted controls!

The scooping mechanism of the aircraft is the secret to the success of the aircraft for its function. A scoop (see the picture) located on the rear of the step at the hull is held down by hydraulic pressure at speeds up to 185 km/hr on the lake surface to fill the tank located in the central part of the airframe above and below the deck. (see the picture) There are two separate tanks, so two separate scoops are utilized. The two large doors are closed during the scoop and open on command from a switch on either pilot's control wheel. And, as you can see, there is no way to pick up a scuba diver and carry them in the tank to a fire! Or, provide some fish for supper for the fire crews.

The fleet of Cl-215 aircraft is maintained in La Ronge at the Aviation Operations hangar by a staff of Aircraft Maintenance Engineers who spend the winter months performing the annual checks required by Transport Canada. During the summer months the Engineers travel with the groups to provide the vital ongoing maintenance to keep the aircraft functioning and available for fire fighting duties. The aircraft are ready to go by mid April when the aircrews show up for annual spring training. There are 15 pilots assigned to the skimmer program, as this is an aircraft that requires a captain and first officer. Typically by mid April the crews show up in La Ronge and begin the year by attending ground school, performing the required yearly training. After the exam, flight training begins to work out the cobwebs and get everyone ready for another year of low-level flying. Standard Operating Procedures training in normal and emergency situations precede the final step of getting the crews ready to operate on the water. As soon as there is open water available the crews perform the final step of water training and after a flight test are declared operational and ready for fire fighting. It is time to get to work!

Standby! Turn on the pagers, get ready. The weather stations and preparedness system are operating and the decisions are made on aircraft movements and levels of alert readiness. Base changes to any of the tanker bases in the province are possible at any time, and the load includes nearly 1500 pounds of spare parts and gear to load as well as personal gear. Each group travels with enough spare parts to operate independently anywhere in the province, or Canada if called to help out in another province. Red alert at the tanker base means you must be on the base and ready to go during the alert period prescribed for the day. The phone rings, and the Flight Watch Coordinator takes the dispatch information for the crews as they make their way to start the engines and prepare to depart for a fire. After the two 2100 horsepower Pratt and Whitney R2800 engines are started and the checklists are completed, the group taxis for departure and receives all the pertinent information about the fire including extra traffic such as helicopters or float planes bringing the fire fighting crews. After takeoff, the group heads to the fire as quickly as possible and hopefully with a tailwind at altitude to help with the groundspeed. The Bird Dog aircraft heads directly to the fire to assess the situation and the tanker pilots head to the nearest suitable lake to begin the process of hauling as much water as possible in the shortest possible time to the fire. Overhead the lake, the lead tanker pilots usually assess the pickup run and let the other crew know if there are any obstacles to watch for in the water. As well the lake is assessed for length, normally two miles (approximately 3.2 km) in case the aircraft has to stop on the water due to a malfunction. There are no brakes available on the water and a shoreline can come up quickly. Now, it is time to get down to the business of coating the fire with a covering of fire fighting foam and knocking down the flames!

The final series of checklists are performed to make sure the aircraft is ready for a water landing and the pilot flying descends to the lake for the pickup run. At touchdown with a speed of approximately 85 knots (157 km/hr), the two probes are already extended out of the hull so that water is immediately entering the two 600 gallon tanks located in the central part of the hull. It is actually only the last few feet of the hull which touches the water during the skimming operation, as the aircraft does not actually stop flying or slow down. The pilot flying needs both hands and feet to control the aircraft while on the water so the second pilot is busy advancing the throttles and setting take off power while watching for the tanks to indicate full on the water gauges. A flick of a switch to retract the probes after about 8 to 10 seconds and the aircraft lifts off with approximately 12,000 pounds of extra weight and heads directly to the fire to drop and return to the lake to complete the cycle as many times as required to bring the fire under control. The Bird Dog has already assessed the drop zone for obstacles, the tankers follow the lead in a loose trail formation to the final drop as the Air Attack Officer describes the drop zone and the load of water is delivered on target. A turn at maximum angle of bank (about 30 to 45 degrees) in the quickest direction to get back to the lake follows as soon as it is safe. Depending on the proximity of the lake to the fire, a cycle can be completed as quickly as 1.5 to 2 minutes. Coordination in the cockpit is essential, as each cycle requires three separate checklists to configure the aircraft for the pickup, after takeoff and pre-bomb phases of flight. All the while, the pilot flying is also receiving the drop instructions and watching for other traffic while maneuvering the aircraft less than 150 feet above the ground often through some smoke at a speed of about 240 km/hr. Watch out for the heavy black smoke that you cannot see through! Those ones will be like taking a ride in a thunderstorm and must be avoided. A hot windy day, which is usual for fires, means that turbulence can affect the drops and require constant corrections to place the loads as closely as possible to the spot called for by the Air Attack Officer. It also means that the water bottle will probably be empty by the end of the four-hour mission as there is no air conditioning available in these machines. The cockpit is surrounded by large windows to make ground visibility while dropping and flying excellent, but also creates a flying greenhouse in the sunshine. Our crews have completed 70 drops or more during a four-hour mission and up to 150 drops in a day with multiple dispatches. Saskatchewan has many lakes suitable for pickups and this results in a very high usage of drop cycles on the airframes. In fact, our machines have the highest usage rate on a drops/hour basis in the world.

Success rates for our fire fighting are high, and this is largely due to the tremendous teamwork from air and ground attack that has developed over the years. It is always a great feeling to leave a fire with a coating of white foam and wispy smoke after a mission which may have started with a rather large black column of smoke and some heavily torching trees. Of course, there are always the fires that require sustained effort to suppress, as well as extra tanker aircraft. Numerous times during the fire season, it is quite possible to have all six of the CL-215 aircraft working on the same fire. As well, it is also not unknown to have all six of the Tracker aircraft working with the skimmers in areas of the province where the lakes are few and far between. That makes a total of fourteen aircraft in a fire zone to watch out for, and the level of organization required of the active Bird Dog in charge is increased by a large degree! Also present are support aircraft in the form of floatplanes or helicopters that require coordination to perform their vital duties. Extra aircraft brought in from out of province during bust situations all add another level of organization required at both the fires and tanker bases.

Where do you put them on the tarmac? What fuel requirements do they have? Where do you put their maintenance crews and spare parts? Where do they stay, and eat? It all adds up to experience and organization to keep the success rates as good as they are.
It is not unusual for the aircraft to end up out of province on deployments for extended periods of time during the fire season. Destinations have been from Newfoundland to British Columbia, and the Northwest Territories over the years. One never knows where the next phone call will take you and your bag is packed for travel from spring till fall.
Late summer and fall do arrive, however, and the season is over again. The aircrews leave for the winter, and the maintenance crews get ready to repeat the winter overhaul cycles. Another season over, let's get ready again for next year!

As a final note, Northern Air Operations personnel are more than happy to accommodate a tour of the aircraft and tanker base facilities if you are in the area and want to see these great aircraft up close. Perhaps you will be able to watch the dispatch if the call comes to launch another sortie against a fire in the north

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