Posted by ODiM (72.174.41.204) on November 30, 2009 at 22:32:12:
In Reply to: Re: FYI article: Forest Servicece eyes night flying agsinst fires posted by Walt on November 30, 2009 at 20:29:47:
Good post Walt. You have some very good points and some history that it HAS been looked into. I really hate to sound like a broken record but ..... there are a lot of more valuable items that need to be addressed.
1. The utilization of tankers in the most effective manner. IA, initial attack, is still mentioned a lot on this and other boards as a big problem. WHY? Is it that difficult to understand? Tankers are worthless sitting on the ground. Pre-planning can save acres and lives. Don't wait till the line calls in and says it blew up and got away.
2. Some questions on the night flying program .. Will the planes need to be double crewed for the coverage? How often will the night vision equipment need to be replaced with the fast pace of technology in the field. There will be times when the system can not be used. What provisions are there and do all understand why? How many hours of actual night flying will it take to get each pilot up to speed and comfortable. Will the agency cover the cost?
3. What is the long range plan for a new flying platform? This may be something that can be built into the plans.
4. How adaptable will the ROV to converting into a tanker when the war is over and they are parked in DM? That will open a big can of worms. Maybe use a DC-7 for a command ship!
5. What will the insurance rates do if flying a fire at night comes about?
6. Last and assuredly not least, when is the tanker base lunch situation going to get settled? This should be a priority item on everyone's list.
Just a thought or two.... any ideas? Got to go, I hear footsteps in the hall! Nurse Cratchett on a roll tonight! Bye!