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Super Scoopers brought in to tackle wildfires in Arizona
The CL415 aircraft is capable of doing 50 aerial water drops in four hours, according to a pilot, and can find a lake to refuel after each drop.
PHOENIX - Arizona is expecting another tough wildfire season, and already, the U.S. Forest Service has brought its airborne weapons to the desert.
Related: Fire crews rely on air support to successfully suppress wildfires
One of the aerial firefighting tools brought in by the Forest Service is the CL415, which was called in to respond to the Tussock Fire.
"CL415 is known as the Super Scooper," said Chris Tuttle with Aeroflite.
The Super Scooper is one of the planes that help firefighters tackle the toughest wildfires.
"We could do up to 50 drops in 4 hours," said Tuttle, who is a Super Scooper pilot.
Unlike the other planes that drop pink fire retardant. the Super Scooper doesn’t have to go back to the airport after a drop to fill up on water. It just finds a lake to keep refilling. The tanks are full in a matter of seconds of skimming the water.
"We lift back off, when we go to a fire, and then we do a circle over a fire, figure out the exact spot we want on the fire, go to 150 feet above the deck and open those doors, and all the water will come out.
While the team's response to the Tussock Fire has ended, Tuttle says they are on call in case if a small brush fire pops up. They can fly in a hurry to stop the fire before it ever gets a name.
While the team responds to massive wildfires across the country, Tuttle says they are especially effective in Arizona.
"This dry desert terrain with this lighter, they call them lighter fuels, the grass and brush that they have around here, it’s very effective."