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The CL-415 drops its load during the Canberra demonstration. (Keith Myers)
Canadair CL-415 Demonstrated Downunder
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Sydney Television Evening News on January 8 Showeda Remarkable Aircraft Doing Remarkable Things
Sydney television evening news on January 8 showed a remarkable aircraft doing remarkable things. With vortices curling from the wingtips, it skimmed across Rose Bay on Sydney Harbour, before climbing to release a deluge of white water. On one pass, to demonstrate its agility, the aircraft yawed violently toward the cameras, with water cascading from its belly, before executing a soaring wingover, followed by a dive for yet another scoop. All this was part of the Australian section of the Canadair CL-415 World Tour, jointly sponsored by Canadair and its local agent for its firebombers, National Jet Systems. Technical support was from Alitalia, whose SISAM subsidiary operates four of the aircraft in Italy. Those who attended the demonstration were treated to a rare flying display, during which Capt Bruno Vianello made the waterbomber (or SuperScooper, as Canadair calls its CL-415) do things we usually associate with Pitts Specials and the like — television could only show a small part of a display which saw observers on the balcony of the Catalina restaurant actually duck when Capt Vianello performed a series of low passes, scoops and drops, before water-taxying to a position below the balcony where photographers and TV cameras could get close-ups. That done, he simply backed the aircraft out, and was airborne before passing Shark Island. The following day, the aircraft’s ability to scoop in confined waters was demonstrated for firefighters at Katoomba, Fiddletown, in Sydney’s northwest, and on the Georges River, to the south, before heading for Canberra, Melbourne and Adelaide, and eventual departure from Australia via Broome on January 31. There had always been Australian interest in the CL-215, the -415’s piston-engined predecessor, almost since it first flew in 1967. That interest intensified during and after the disastrous 1994 NSW fires, which saw federal and state parliamentary enquiries strongly recommending evaluation of both aircraft, as will, it’s believed, the NSW coroner’s report on the fires. So what is this new aircraft, and what does it offer? The accompanying pictures show an all metal, twin turboprop, 14 tonne, high wing amphibian with a wingspan of 28.63 metres and length of 19.82 metres, which is manufactured by Canadair, a division of Canada’s Bombardier Inc, which also includes Learjet, de Havilland Canada and Shorts. The CL-415 first flew in December 1993. A development of the original CL-215, the earlier aircraft’s piston engines are replaced by P&W Canada PW123AF turboprops, to increase dash speed by 37kt (70km/h) to 197kt (365km/h); the wing is revised with winglets added; the tailplanes have finlets and a bullet fairing is fitted at the tailplane/fin junction; the flight controls are fully powered; there is a fully air-conditioned “glass” cockpit with dual EFIS; and the water tank capacity is increased by 15%.
However, to leave the description at that would be like calling a Ferrari “a car”. What the aircraft does, is what it’s all about. 34 Australian Aviation March 1996 The CL-415 drops its load during the Canberra demonstration. (Keith Myers) Its primary and best-known role is as a water scooping aerial firefighter. Through a pair of probes, in water as shallow as 45cm, the CL-415 ingests 6140 litres in 12 seconds over 1200 metres, with an option to inject a biodegradable foam additive en route to the drop zone. A four-door drop system, rather than the two in the earlier CL-215, gives more flexibility in load delivery. The drop, normally from 30 metres (100 feet), is controlled from the flight deck and can be a simultaneous “salvo”, or a sequential “trainal”, where the doors are opened at specified intervals, either in pairs or individually. Ground coverage varies with the drop pattern, from 120m (400ft) for a four-tank salvo, to 330m (1100ft) for a four-tank sequence trainal. Over a notional water-to-fire distance of 18.5km (10nm) a CL-415 could deliver six loads per hour for up to four hours before refuelling. Overseas practice is for the aircraft to operate in pairs, so that over the same distance, two aircraft would deliver over 220,000 litres in a three-hour sortie. For comparison, the average road-going bush firefighting tanker carries 4000 litres. Given our often inhospitable terrain, and with the potential for fires to “spot” into residential areas as far as 30km downwind, it’s vital that they be attacked as soon as possible. It takes time for ground crews to arrive and engage, while water resupply can be a major problem. Canadair and NJS claim that this is the aircraft’s major strength; the ability to deliver significant quantities of water, with or without suppressants, in the critical period immediately after ignition. Two CL-415s operating over the same 18.5km, they say, could deliver the equivalent of three tanker loads every 10 minutes — more if there is a closer scooping site — and in the process give ground crews the time to mobilise, and reach the front. France, launch customer for both aircraft, initially ordered 15 CL-215s to protect its three million hectares; and has since ordered 12 CL-415s. Quebec has 19 CL-215s, and has ordered 8 -415s, to cover 52 million hectares of forest, although the province has access to other provinces’ aircraft through CIFFC — the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. Quebec’s area is about the same as Queensland. In the northern hemisphere the CL-215 has been at the centre of a revolution in wildfire fighting. The ability to detect fire early, and then to intervene decisively shortly after ignition, has seen the evolution of an overall forest firefighting strategy featuring an aggressive, sustained “first strike”. In Canada and Europe, this strategy is the Integrated Fire Management System (IFMS) — a Canadair designed system of (a) centralised organisation; (b) earliest possible detection, using a range of sensors; (c) decisive initial attack; and (d) tactics for large-scale fire suppression. IFMS is computer enhanced and can be implemented as a shared responsibility between contractors and government, as in Quebec, or entirely under government control, as in Ontario and France. As the spearhead of the initial attack, CL-215 and -415 aircraft are positioned as near as possible to the likeliest threat. On despatch, their task is to extinguish the fire if possible, or failing that, to retard its advance until ground units can engage. The aircraft also provide overhead protection for ground personnel. Crews trapped by fire, for example, are either directly bombed with foam, or salvos are laid in the fire’s path, or a combination of both. Where implemented, IFMS has steadily reduced the severity of fires. Quebec claims a 50% reduction in average burned area over the last 20 years. In France, Sécurité Civile credits IFMS with keeping 95% of fires to less than five hectares. National Jet is keen to see an IFMS established in this country, and says that most of the elements of a system are already available here, or can be quickly installed. As part of such a system, NJS would like to see four to six aircraft operating here in the first instance, rising to 10 in five years time. Australian reaction to the CL-415 has been mixed, perhaps due to the perceived high cost of the aircraft. At the conclusion of the Rose Bay demonstration, NSW Bush Fire Services Commissioner Phil Koperberg said that while he kept “an open mind”, if he had $27 million to spare, his inclination would be to spend it on more preventative measures and additional conventional equipment. Commissioner Koperberg’s views were echoed by senior firefighters at Fiddletown, the following day, one adding that he thought the task was adequately performed by the existing mix of helicopters and fixed-wing agricultural aircraft. The cost perception does appear to be the major hurdle for the aircraft. However, Max Irvine-Brown, NJS’s general manager for marketing, is at pains to stress that while the flyaway cost is $US27 million per airframe, if amortised over a 30-year life, the actual annual cost would be about $2.5 million plus operating costs which, until a usage pattern is established, must remain unclear. He adds that the savings in life and property, particularly in urban fringe areas more than offset the cost. Over four days from January 16-19, the aircraft underwent technical evaluation in southwest Victoria, under the auspices of the Australian Fire Authorities Council, in a variety of conditions. After the trials, Victorian Conservation and Natural Resources fire chief Rod Incoll, speaking for AFAC said, “there is no doubt that the aircraft delivers.” Mr Incoll, who has been critical of the aircraft in the past, went on to say that he believed the resulting report would be positive, and that he expected a recommendation for an aircraft to be brought out for operational trials next fire season. More difficult, Mr Incoll said, is what he calls the “business case”, which includes assessing coverage for the dollar, acquisition costs; and costs in comparison with other aircraft, including second-hand CL-215s, or CL-215Ts, the PW123AF retrofitted CL-215. He noted that Victoria’s CFA and CNR currently have a joint contract for 17 aircraft, of various types, which costs “significantly less” than $2.5 million. He added that as 5% of fires cause 95% of damage, and in the most extreme conditions, the question is how far will any aircraft, including the CL-415, contribute to reducing that damage. NJS is pleased, however, that the various authorities have put aside the cost consideration for the moment, and concentrated on assessing the aircraft’s capabilities. If their evaluation is that it does have a significant role to play here, then Mr Irvine-Brown believes a suitable financing package can be tailored. NJS suggests that there are other roles for the aircraft, for which the water tanks can be quickly removed, if necessary, such as medevac; search and rescue; and oil spill dispersal; perhaps even oil rig supply, which would defray the final cost to the firefighting community. Aircraft have been used for firefighting in this country for about 25 years. The arrival now of large aircraft such as the CL-415, and the Ilyushin Il-76MP (demonstrated at Avalon last year), however, raises the question in the minds of fire authorities, and the public at large, whether expenditure on existing aerial firefighting methods is cost-effective. CL-415 supporters say that it is not — that we could get much more “bang for the buck”. In their view, while helicopters and agricultural aircraft do have a role, neither type can decisively assault a fire; both are limited in endurance and capacity (about 2500 litres for fixed-wing less for most helos); ag aircraft require airstrips and readily accessible water, while foam admixture, which extends the efficacy of a salvo, is difficult to manage for helicopters. There is a suggestion, too, that helicopter rotor wash can actually fan fires. The scepticism of past years toward the CL-215, and its successor, does seem to have abated, and Australian authorities are starting to see a role for a water bomber which can operate independently of airstrips and piped water, yet assault fires, with considerable quantities of water, for extended periods. Independence from airstrips would appear to make the CL-415 a more viable proposition in Australian conditions than alternative aircraft such as the major strip-dependent Ilyushin Il-76MP, which has been proposed under a barter arrangement, and which is also being evaluated. If the go-ahead for operational trials is given, an example should be here for the start of the fire season, in August, in Queensland, before moving south through NSW and finishing in Victoria in February-March next year. National Jet says such a trial would cost $1.5 million, plus operating costs of about $2500 per flying hour. The Canadair CL-415 has proven itself overseas to be a formidable firefighting resource. How it performs against our bushfires is the obvious next test, and one which will be observed with a great deal of interest. We just might be seeing the first stages of a radical change in the way we fight fires in this country.
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