A CL-415 Super Scooper gathering water to extinguish a fire in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The lift-off looks very close — right at the edge of the lake.

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TerryLink11@reddit

Very brave Fire fighter pilots. Skill level off the charts.

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Yellowpaddles@reddit

This is what it looks like from the ground sometimes.

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The thought of roasting bluegill over a forest fire has me giggling. You're just chilling in the lake and next thing you know you're getting roasted from the fire. I wonder how many fish are killed in these operations.

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Informal_Ad_9610@reddit

one minute fish is having the good life, then suddenly free-falling from 500', and ending up steamed and roasted in 10 seconds.. what a way to go..

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ATertiaryEffect@reddit

They'd bite too if some jackass in an airplane would stop buzzing me on the shoreline.

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untitledmillennial@reddit

Yeesh. I suppose the plane would probably slide along the plants if it came to that...

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Individual_Bell_4637@reddit

With the high wings and engines, there is some truth to that. More margin of error on a wee little kiss o' the ground.

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gromm93@reddit

You mean like this? https://www.youtube.com/shorts/zQV7aDR4Uj4

Full episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIzipOC30hA

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Individual_Bell_4637@reddit

LOL that's awesome. Yeah,just like that! Although perhaps that kiss could have been kept a bit more wee.

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gromm93@reddit

Or better yet, the landing gear lowered first.

Or someone could have said something on frequency.

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Individual_Bell_4637@reddit

Sheesh, look at the overachiever over here. We can't all be Capt Sully.

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gromm93@reddit

😂

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gromm93@reddit

In the swamp surrounding a lake? These aircraft are closer in resemblance to air boats than you'd think. The "ground" here isn't half as solid as you'd think.

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adrenaline_X@reddit

To be fair, cabin pressure isn’t really a concern during these missions so a couple of holes isn’t as big as an issue, unless they rupture the tank/flight controls :)

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philyfeel@reddit

Vive le Québec tabarnak!

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furtive@reddit

Y’est ben beau ton canard!

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ChanceDevelopment813@reddit

Sont tu pas beau nos CL-415

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largerchungoboiii@reddit

It’s close yeah. But the mission depends on it so I mean you kinda gotta get the water you can get.

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APilot2607@reddit

Looks like the right wingtip was REAL close to the trees/bushes on the first pass into the water 😮

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cocoagiant@reddit

Don't the aircraft used for these purposes get in accidents a lot? Probably due to this kind of thing of having to constantly improvise.

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yowhyyyy@reddit

Not really considering the amount of flying and and type of flying done.

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PejHod@reddit

And I imagine a lot of pressure not to - these are basically irreplaceable, especially during a fire. I don’t even think there are more than a few even in available duty. But they still need to do things like this to quickly scoop up water.

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msdrahcir@reddit

wasnt one of three knocked out by an amateur drone during the palisades fires?

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froop@reddit

Production on these just restarted last month actually.

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Jetdoctr@reddit

Over a year in now.

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fataldarkness@reddit

Plus they're building a new production facility just outside of Calgary, working on a new type though I think

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pull01@reddit

Same air frame, but with improvement all around and nomination DHC 515. Build by De Haviland Canada .

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Castun@reddit

I presume you meant nomenclature, but that's pretty cool nonetheless.

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stopfuckngbanningme@reddit

I can't imagine there's any type of plane where there isn't a lot of pressure not to crash?

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FrenchFryCattaneo@reddit

Kamikaze pilots? Although I guess they have the opposite pressure

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stevolutionary7@reddit

I doubt many Kamikaze pilots pulled a Costanza and came back to work on Monday morning.

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NorthEndD@reddit

Ones with real people on board. Not just pilots.

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Bobby2Teeth@reddit

"I can probably pull us out of this before we hit the ground, but they have like 2,000 more of these so I'm not too bothered."

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Warbr0s9395@reddit

I believe there’s only a couple dozen on the west coast, including Canada

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Pilot-Imperialis@reddit

That’s not quite right. It’s one of the deadliest civilian aviation jobs out there.

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Current_Operation_93@reddit

How many have crashed in the United States in the last 20 years? Not very many. Enlighten me as to the number of class A mishaps with this aircraft in CONUS in the last 20 years.

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Pilot-Imperialis@reddit

Well; two died in July 2024 alone, one very close to where I was operating at the time in Oregon, the other in Montana. The Oregon one hit close to home as we used to operate around those guys all the time.

There’s been plenty over the years, just google it if you’re curious enough. This isn’t a war. Any civilian jobs deaths are too many and of all the jobs you can do in aviation, that one is up there.

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Current_Operation_93@reddit

That mishap was not flyjng the CL-415. Now cite the incident where a CL-415 was lost fighting a fire in the UNITED STATES. None have been lost in the United States. You can Google that.

You don't need to tell me, ' this isn't war. I flew MAFFS missions in ANG C-130s. In over 50 years of ANG MAFFS missions, only one ANG C-130 was lost and that was in 2012.

The C-130s that were lost in MAFFS missions, they were old 1950s A model C-130s that had suffered wingbox failures due to their age and use over many the years of service. Those C-130s were brought out of the AMARG boneyard and operated by privately owned aerial firefighting companies. The wingboxes were never replaced as were the wingboxes replaced in all the C-130Es used by the USAF and ANG.

It was a known problem with those old C-130s and those old C-130As should have never been used for these missions unless they knew for sure that the wingboxes were replaced. The A model C-130s were never sent to depot maintenance for wingbox replacement as they were retired before this problem became known to the USAF and Lockheed.

My point is NOT ONE CL-415 has been lost in the United States while flying aerial firefighting missions.

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Pilot-Imperialis@reddit

I took your response to “don’t the aircraft used for these kinds of purposes” to be in response to aerial tankers in general, not specifically the CL-415. Thanks for flaring that

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Particular_Wear_6960@reddit

I feel like I remember seeing that thread here. On another thought, kinda sucks that I can't remember much about it other than it happened.

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TroublesomeFox@reddit

I think what they meant is that they're less dangerous than you'd think considering what they do. They are VERY dangerous but given their job is to intentionally land in water to take on alot of weight very quickly and then take off again you'd think they'd crash much more than they do.

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mashtato@reddit

There's not many of them around, and it seems like one crashes every year, so I'd say yeah really. In general and specifically.

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yowhyyyy@reddit

Well when you hyper inflate your numbers of course it sounds like a lot. The truth is out of 95 built, only 14 have been lost. The last being in 2022. So not sure where your one a year number comes from.

So no, not generally or specifically.

Source:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadair_CL-415#:~:text=55-,Accidents,%2C%20near%20Esine%20(Italy).

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mashtato@reddit

That's a fucking lot, but we're talking about all waterbombers here, not just one model of them.

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yowhyyyy@reddit

Okay, change the argument to fit your narrative. I don’t care. My point stands. For the type of flying done and how often it’s done, they really don’t get into accidents a lot. I’m not denying it’s a dangerous job, I just don’t feel the need to make up things about them crashing all the time.

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scotsman3288@reddit

Only one in Canada here in 60 years. These pilots are good.

https://web.archive.org/web/20210920031521/https://www.aviation-safety.net/database/types/Canadair-CL-215/database

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drewyz@reddit

How much would a pilot like this get paid per hour?

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scotsman3288@reddit

Here is the Quebec wages and how they pay

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Substantial-Low@reddit

That is surprisingly low.

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LupineChemist@reddit

Is this where Americans realize how high their salaries are?

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Ataneruo@reddit

If more of them realized this there might be a lot less whining and complaining. On second thought, nah there wouldn’t be less

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BlueFetus@reddit

🇨🇦

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Key-Statistician5927@reddit

Impressive that there have been only two CL-215/415 crashes in Canada, given how active they are every summer.

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Duckbilling2@reddit

https://youtube.com/shorts/O2KCYhULWZ8?si=CBmKa2WIBOCcX3as

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Euclidisthebomb@reddit

Canada has 65 of them I think in the various fleets. The pilots are just that good.

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cre8ivjay@reddit

And not just active but in amazingly difficult flying conditions.

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imtourist@reddit

They are also very active in Europe as well. I saw a few in action in Greece a few years ago.

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Agitated-Vanilla-763@reddit

Yes. Some countries have lost many planes throughout the years.

Most CL-215 and 415 pilots are either ex-bush pilots (in Quebec and Canada) or ex-military pilots (Europe). The Canadair is by necessity slow and unstable, thus causing significant risk when firefighting since you need to fly slow and low. Those are the opposite condition to which military pilots are used to.

Of the 220 planes built, 41 have been lost. Many of them lost by Spain, France, Greece or Italy where the terrain is more mountainous, but also because pilots are often ex-military. Quebec which as bought a total of 29 CL215 and 415 and has operated 14 or 15 of them at a time has only lost 1 plane since the 1970s.

An ex-Québec pilot who trained other pilots in other countries told the press that he knew some military pilots took too many risk and didn't respect the plane leading to the death of some of them.

The plane in the video is in California, but is piloted and belongs to the Ministry of Transport of Quebec.

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GITS75@reddit

For Europe that's not entirely accurate. For French "Sécurité Civile" yes usually CL-415 pilots are former French air and space force ones. But for Croatia (HRZ) Spain (Grupo 43), Greece (383 MEEA) CL-415 are components of their air force.

The other major CL-415 user in Europe being a private company named AVINCIS... can't tell profiles of their pilots but I guess considering the job they look for ex-military ones.

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BagOfMoneyNoChange@reddit

The Canadair is by necessity slow and unstable

What are you talking about? The superscooper has excellent low speed handling characteristics. That's why it's the perfect airplane for the job. It is very stable.

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Agitated-Vanilla-763@reddit

To have great low speed handling characteristics, you need an airplane that is unstable. As another comment says, that plane is a truck full of water that need to get around small valleys and touchdown on small lakes.

That information comes from a very experienced pilot who started flying the CL-215 in the mid 70s for the Quebec government. He has also trained numerous pilots to handle that plane in many countries. The article in french: https://www.lapresse.ca/affaires/cl-415/le-bombardier-d-eau-turbopropulse/2023-12-28/cl-215-partie-2/l-homme-qui-a-bombarde-chicoutimi.php

He did 29 drops in an hour and 98 drops in a day at some time. He even did 26 drops on fire in a commercial center in 1980.

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BagOfMoneyNoChange@reddit

I don't think you understand what an "unstable" airplane is.

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Sawfish1212@reddit

It's a lumbering tank of an aircraft that handles like an overloaded truck with the water tanks full. This is from the pilots who fly it. As you scoop water you have to be applying power and countering the drag and weight with control inputs.

Most of the crashes have been caused by pilots trying to do flights into rough terrain where they exceeded the ability of the aircraft. There's a clear video of one crew doing this and splitting into a mountain trying to yank and bank like an aerobatic aircraft, when you need to fly them like a transport category aircraft.

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NorthEndD@reddit

I would think that it is the weather and changing wind conditions that would create issues.

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BagOfMoneyNoChange@reddit

Anyone with a little float plane experience can read the wind pretty easily from the water surface, wave action, and obviously billowing smoke since you're near a fire.

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gettylee@reddit

It must be, a touch and go on water with scoops and that amount of weight added so quickly. I'm must be like standing on the breaks on touch down knowing you have to take off in a couple hundred yards.

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BagOfMoneyNoChange@reddit

You just land in the water, start scooping, and add a little power. It's really not that difficult for a float pilot.

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redly@reddit

CL-215 125 built 31 accidents 20 fatal
CL-415/515 95 built 14 destroyed in accidents. Wikipedia doesn't mention fatalities.
Flying low and slow in extremely turbulent and unpredictable air; these guys earn their wages.

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TroublesomeFox@reddit

They're in alot more accidents than others BUT when you consider what they do they're in much less than you'd think.

Honestly the skill and balls you have to have to do this stuff is legitimately awe inspiring.

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Dungarth@reddit

Well, last year there was this moron who crashed his drone into one and deprived California of half the firefighting planes Québec had sent them for a couple weeks.

Guy who did it was eventually sentenced to 14 days in prison, 30 days in home detention, $75k fine from the FAA for flying his drone in a no-fly zone, $65k in restitution for the plane's repair bill, and more. I believe he had to pay over $150k total.

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freneticboarder@reddit

Are you thinking of the repurposed older airframes like the C-130 and DC-10 aircraft that have Ben involved in catastrophic accidents?

Those are distinctly different from these purpose-built CL-215 / 415 airframes, which were designed for aerial firefighting.

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gamershadow@reddit

Why is Ben involved in so many catastrophic accidents? I’d get him out of there after the first one.

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freneticboarder@reddit

LMAO. Ben doesn't know how to use rite ruddah. He's a bad pylote.

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Ok-Beelzebub666@reddit

https://youtu.be/gG3bU5DCi_A?si=fTnOwvJcs6kjInj8

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AreThree@reddit

I worked summers as part of the ground operations crew for firefighting aircraft. We would hurriedly refuel the airplane, fill it back up with slurry, and - occasionally - pick a tree branch out of the undercarriage.

The explanation given to me was that they really didn't hit the treetops, but sometimes a branch would bounce high up from having a ton of energetic water dumped on it all of the sudden. I'm not sure I bought that then, nor do I entirely believe it now...

It was hot and miserable work. You went home after an all-day shift ether reeking of fuel, or covered in sticky red clay slurry.

It also was one of those jobs that you never really wanted it to get super busy or very frequent. If it did, that meant a whole bunch of stuff was on fire and that there were people risking their lives to try and protect others.

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FrenchFryCattaneo@reddit

What's the slurry for?

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Sawfish1212@reddit

It retards the fire spread, and has seeds that sprout to help stop erosion after the fire

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AreThree@reddit

it also has dye as part of the mix so that the firefighting aircraft can see where they have dumped already.

Red dye, sweat, sticky clay... we looked like some sort of tribal mudpeople when a particularly gnarly shift was over... (except red!)

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Eldrake@reddit

You can't call them that anymore

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Specialist_Nebula_63@reddit

r/secondrodeo

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Chicago_Blackhawks@reddit

Same thought. Incredibly crazy but awesome lol

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Significant-Ad-341@reddit

And out!

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Genralcody1@reddit

This mf flying like it's msfs

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MEINSHNAKE@reddit

Quebec tanker pilots are a different breed, fuckers are probably smoking in the cockpit at the same time.

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SneakyFire23@reddit

looks like the Airplane from Tailspin

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RatInaMaze@reddit

Best theme of any Disney anything.

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aeroxan@reddit

HIT IT! 🎶🎵

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juststopswimming@reddit

Chip ‘n’ Dale takes the cake for me

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Castun@reddit

Or Duck Tales

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Brave_Rich9538@reddit

This brought me back to the Darkwing Duck theme song somehow. I believe it was on after Tailspin

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SuckMyNutsFromBehind@reddit

When there's trouble you call DW

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Castun@reddit

Let's. Get. Dangerous!

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Pale-Ambition-9951@reddit

Came here to say just that.

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Porkyrogue@reddit

No link yet? I got this

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PapaShane@reddit

Lol you just took me back 30yrs

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Doip@reddit

Oh huh, it's Baloo and... Magic School Bus Ralphie's fursona?

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Mist_Rising@reddit

Sea Duck, and only in the paint scheme. Sea Duck is dual boon, like the C-82 Packet.

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forgottensudo@reddit

“boom” :)

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Mist_Rising@reddit

Yes, that, phone won't detect typo's that are words unfortunately.

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Rhodie114@reddit

I thought it was a conwing L-16

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kidjay76@reddit

C-119 is one of my favorite aircraft ever

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DBFargie@reddit

Same color scheme, but that plane was a double boom.

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forgottensudo@reddit

“boom” :)

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JDLinda@reddit

TaleSpin*

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thepeacemaker@reddit

Oh-eee-eh!

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igame2much@reddit

^(Tailspin)

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cruisin_urchin87@reddit

Oh-eee-oh!

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thepeacemaker@reddit

Spin it, let's begin it Bear 'n grin it when you're in it You can win it in a minute When you spin it, spin it, spin it!

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DexicJ@reddit

Congrats on being first

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Icy-Blueberry674@reddit

Misleading Post. This is not New Mexico. That is Santa Fe Dam in Irwindale CA. They were fighting ether a fire by the Miller brewing company or a fire in the foothills.

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AntelopeWells@reddit

I live near Santa Fe and was wondering where the fire was, and also where we had a lake! That explains that.

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mnm39@reddit

Same I was like… okay I was busy this weekend but I didn’t hear of any new big fires and where is that lake??

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JohnnyMnemeonic@reddit

🤣🤣 Same! I was like "where the fuck is that lake?? 🤔"

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ArethereWaffles@reddit

My mind defaulted to Cochiti lake and was really confused as to what path this was taking

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UseDue6373@reddit

Me too lol

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Icy-Blueberry674@reddit

Definitely Santa Fe Dam, CA. No fire to worry about at the moment. 😝

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jwink3101@reddit

I live in Albuquerque and was trying to figure out which lake this could possibly be.

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Icy-Blueberry674@reddit

It still counts as aviation but not so much NM.

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jeff-beeblebrox@reddit

Yep and if they were slurry bombing it would be the DC-10s out of ABQ

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Twinsfan945@reddit

Makes a lot more sense, I was in Santa Fe NM all weekend and didn’t see or smell smoke, not to mention the weather was certainly not that nice

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lemonwince@reddit

Any idea why several little fires?

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Icy-Blueberry674@reddit

There has been so many. Depending on the fire. There are lots of homeless camps and arsons in California.

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star___sailor@reddit

This should be higher up. When I saw the coastal sage scrub/chaparral vegetation I knew immediately it was SoCal. Also, it’s not a current event.

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Icy-Blueberry674@reddit

It’s definitely years old. I remember watching these planes… probably that exact plane at 1 point fly over the house many times.

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Icy-Blueberry674@reddit

Here is a bad ass view of a much older operation.

https://youtu.be/j36bx6egqKY?si=59QfVqw1lVcpZ3Aq

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Icy-Blueberry674@reddit

https://youtu.be/s2eqH1-iIQ8?si=SkJm_FleFpXBGykg

Way better view.

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ThatOneGoatGuy@reddit

Where do I sign up to never do this, ever?

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TheAgedProfessor@reddit

They know what they're doing. Those pilots are superheroes.

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TheHockeyPilot@reddit

Fellow Canadians 🍁

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StarzRout@reddit

The unbelievable skill.

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deleted_by_reddit@reddit

[removed]

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AutoModerator@reddit

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Medical-Tax4571@reddit

Honestly one of the best mod posts I’ve seen on here in a while. r/aviation absolutely melts down every time something hits r/all, so crowd control is kinda necessary if we don’t want 500 “could a 747 land on my street” threads again.

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GruntUltra@reddit

Anybody else notice the police car parked by the edge of the lake @ 0:53 ?

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galyenrc@reddit

I would love to see footage taken by the ranger/cop/whoever was parked at the edge of the lake ...you know they took some...

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BLACKzj52@reddit

https://youtu.be/6064qDZKW9E?si=GbzcHAm63eKTuIWt

Not my video, but here's four of em' coming in for a scoop. Video was taken from a cruise ship

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labadee@reddit

has a big Quebec flag on the side. Must be canadian crew onboard

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MyHorseIsDead@reddit

A lot of our Super Scoopers go down south to lend a hand when your wildfire season is roaring and ours hasn’t started. You can imagine how frustrating it is hearing “we don’t need anything from Canada” when this is the type of help we lend

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Key-University9881@reddit

California leases them every year, not the same as lending a hand. And more American aircraft are used to fight fires in Canada than Canadian aircraft used in the US.

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Lanky_Stock4775@reddit

And you wonder why we want you guys to fuck off.

-Canada

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Key-University9881@reddit

Every year hundreds of aircraft are sent north to fight fires for free. Quebec usually sends 2 down south, last year Canada sent less than 15 total and we paid for that aid. We would gladly fuck off and use our aircraft here, but y'all keep asking for help from your nice southern neighbors.

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Euclidisthebomb@reddit

"Every year hundreds of aircraft are sent north to fight fires for free."

This is simply not correct.

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Lanky_Stock4775@reddit

Canada generally sends more aircraft, US sends more non-aircraft resources, though it can change depending on the year. Took 15 seconds to fact check.

Nobody likes a smart ass. Learn to read the room if you don't want to be so exactly on brand for our expectations of Americans these days.

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Key-University9881@reddit

Canada generally sends 2 aircraft and we pay for them every year. We also pay for the hundreds that go up there every year. You might want to spend more than 15 seconds next time.

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Lanky_Stock4775@reddit

It mostly comes down to how the we each built our firefighting systems.

Canada invested heavily in planes like the Canadair CL-415 and older Canadair CL-215. These are designed to land on lakes, scoop water, and get right back into the fight. Provinces like Quebec, Ontario, and BC keep fleets of them ready every season.

The U.S. went a different direction. You rely more on large retardant tankers—converted planes like the Boeing 737 Fireliner—and a big network of helicopters. Those aircraft are great, but they’re not the same thing as water bombers, and they’re often contracted privately rather than owned in big centralized fleets.

So when California (for example) needs help fast near lakes or coastal areas, Canada can send a couple scoopers almost immediately. That’s why you’ll often see headlines about Canadian planes going south.

On the flip side, when Canada is in trouble, the U.S. shows up with a broader package—not just planes, but crews, logistics, helicopters, and incident management teams.

TLDR;

Canada tends to send more water bombers specifically

The U.S. tends to send more total firefighting resources overall.

As far as numbers, they're not officially recorded. But you just have to imply that we're not really helping. So what if you guys help us? NOBODY here is minimizing your help to us. Why do you feel the need to minimize the help we send you?

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Key-University9881@reddit

I never said y'all didn't help. We definitely appreciate the aid. My original point was we pay for the help y'all send and we send help for free.

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Lanky_Stock4775@reddit

Jesus Christ. Not true. Read the Canada–U.S. Reciprocal Forest Fire Fighting Arrangement

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Key-University9881@reddit

The canus is for NEGOTIATING as needed assistance. Quebec leases aircraft to cal-fire directly every year.

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Lanky_Stock4775@reddit

We. Fucking. Pay. For. All. Resources. You. Send.

Don't deflect. Just say you were wrong like an adult.

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Key-University9881@reddit

Y'all dont, we almost always waive the cost

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Lanky_Stock4775@reddit

Lie. Misrepresent. Deflect. Like I said, exactly on brand. This is why more and more of the world can't fucking stand you guys.

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Euclidisthebomb@reddit

"more American aircraft are used to fight fires in Canada than Canadian aircraft used in the US".

I am curious about this statement as there are only 6 CL-415s in American service, all owned by one company. However, you did say "planes" and I am wondering if you are referring to other types of aircraft and if so what are they. Maybe the very large airtankers?

I am also curious about your 2nd contention "we don't make Canadians" pay for them as my understanding is otherwise.

The two countries have an MOU for cooperation on forest fire fighting efforts. I don't recall anything in it being "free".

I remember there is also a separate pact the The Northwest Wildland Fire Protection Agreement (Northwest Compact) comprising the Canadian province of Alberta, British Columbia, Yukon Territory, Saskatchewan, and Northwest Territories and the States of Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and Montana. The pact is funded by the participants.

Last year the USDA did send approx 150 firefighters north and the equipment included 1 airtanker, sprinkler kits, pumps and hoses.

My recollection is 2023 did see a record level of assistance with up to 600 Americans assisting - that was the famous yr when the forest fires were so large here that the smoke started to drift into American air space. I think I recall 1 US airtanker in the aid which was mostly ground based.

I don't remember an occasion where there were a large number of US aircraft actively fighting forest fires up here. The US Forest Service typically has about 30 to 35 very large air tankers under contract during forest fire fighting season and per my comments above 1 has found its way over the border more than once. There are a lot of smaller types of air tankers in America but sent up here to assist? When?

That is not to say it never happened and I am certain you can provide some information on the occasions.

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CrashSlow@reddit

"Lend a hand".....for money... Quebec charters them out to Cali and has for decades.

[-]

gromm93@reddit

Maybe you've heard that we've been boycotting y'all, and we could easily say "Ouais, non, eh?"

Quebeckers have been known to hate Americans even more than they hate the rest of English Canada.

[-]

labadee@reddit

I’m Canadian

[-]

Rooskae@reddit

Not anymore buddy, here's your Mexican permanent resident card

[-]

Paddy_Tanninger@reddit

ay papi!

[-]

Bandit_the_kat@reddit

American here, we've had your super scoopers in our area before, and anyone who knows how skilled the pilots are and what kind of danger they put themselves in are eternally grateful for the help you all offer us.

Long live Canada, we'd be dead without ya!

[-]

savageotter@reddit

The people appreciate Canada

[-]

Euclidisthebomb@reddit

It is indeed a crew and plane from Quebec.

[-]

Mula_Is_Life@reddit

do they ever catch a fish by accident

[-]

VivaLirica@reddit

I wonder if Canada is still sending this kind of assistance to the US this year.

[-]

Holiday_Head_5777@reddit

Is it assistance when its highly profitable for them ?

[-]

WhichWays_Up@reddit

What an uninformed American question

[-]

VivaLirica@reddit

Yes? If it wasn't assistance, the State wouldn't ask for it. Do you really think the impacted State would be better off without water bombers?

[-]

gazchap@reddit

You've gotta admire the brass balls on these pilots. Must be quite the balancing act scooping up water without losing too much lift, and then cutting it so fine to get back up and out of there.

[-]

daylax1@reddit

As a lurker of this page and not knowing much about planes, would there be cameras underneath so that you could gauge how close you are to the ground or is it all just sensors and feel?

[-]

BagOfMoneyNoChange@reddit

The only sensor they are using is the Mk. 1 eyeball.

Trying to perform this type of flying through a camera would be pretty much impossible.

[-]

gromm93@reddit

Nah, I'm reasonably certain that you can feel the lake surface through the seat of your pants too.

But these aircraft were designed well before the invention of the all-around-view cameras we put in cars these days.

[-]

BagOfMoneyNoChange@reddit

True that. I haven't flown this airplane, but I have a lot of time on floats. It's all eyeball and seat of pants flying.

[-]

pfoe@reddit

GPWS be like AAAAAAHHHHHHHHH

[-]

iamsotiredofthiscrap@reddit

TERRAINTERRAINTERRAINTERRAINTERRAINTERRAINTERRAINTERRAINTERRAINTERRAINTERRAINTERRAINTERRAINTERRAINTERRAINTERRAIN

[-]

Cumulus-Crafts@reddit

Pull. Up! Pull. Up! Pull. Up!

[-]

ObjectiveApricotJr@reddit

waterboarding noises

[-]

daylax1@reddit

Damn you for making me Google that lol.

[-]

ttystikk@reddit

Possible but not sustainable!

[-]

FUBARded@reddit

Cameras are pretty much useless for this sort of application. Humans are shit at judging distance in general, but it's virtually impossible to judge distance accurately from a 2D image, especially when said image is of a surface that's rushing past rapidly and may not have consistent scale references.

They'll have accurate altimeters, but when flying like this the pilot can't afford to be looking at instruments. An altimeter or radar can't warn you about trees or irregular ground features when you're intentionally skimming a lake and then having to dodge rising terrain or climb out of narrow valleys.

It's essentially all feel and direct observation for the pilot with 99% of their attention on the outside. The copilot will be assisting them with maintaining external observations while monitoring and calling out key instrument readings (that's the other 1% for the pilot), and the flight engineer will be monitoring the other instrumentation.

The pilot simply can't afford to be glancing at instrument readings when milliseconds of inattention in these key phases of flight can mean clipping a tree or the ground.

[-]

CorruptByCapitalism@reddit

Here's a great video published by Business Insider on the design and use of the Super Scooper https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuLk5hXMRZY

[-]

daylax1@reddit

Damn that's wild. Basically just pure pilot skill.

[-]

telaftw39@reddit

Fuck my weight and balance.

[-]

Forgotthebloodypassw@reddit

It could have been a female pilot and, as Betty White put it, “Why do people say “grow some balls”? Balls are weak and sensitive. If you really want to get tough, grow a vagina. Those things take a pounding.”

[-]

Lashiech@reddit

Good point. From now on im just going to say 'brass flaps' instead of brass balls and assume the pilot is female.

Twice as effective for aviation as well.

[-]

Forgotthebloodypassw@reddit

NASA really dropped the ball with the Mercury 13 women crew tests. Women out performed men in some key areas and were dropped because of the military piloting requirement. Wally Funk would have been a steely eyed astronaut.

[-]

gromm93@reddit

Or the fact that the Soviets beat them to that too.

[-]

FictionalContext@reddit

check me iren labia.

[-]

SneakyFire23@reddit

i mean getting hit there hurts no matter which gender

[-]

Ol_Herr@reddit

Brass? Brass! Those balls are solid tungsten carbide.

[-]

Legitimate_Humsn@reddit

Tungsten carbide is notoriously brittle. Hard to scratch but easy to shatter.

[-]

HadManySons@reddit

Amazing the plane was able to take off at all given how heavy those balls must be

[-]

Castun@reddit

The water is stored in the balls.

[-]

HadManySons@reddit

😂😂😂

[-]

rhineauto@reddit

People are still making this joke, eh?

[-]

frostbittenteddy@reddit

All the time on reddit, and I roll my eyes every time I read it

[-]

HadManySons@reddit

Joke?

[-]

JakeEaton@reddit

I’d imagine these pilots must LOVE their jobs.

You get to fly (and fly low), it’s super skilled, it’s incredibly valued and the people you’re helping love you for it.

It must be an amazing feeling.

[-]

UniverseCity@reddit

A lot of those dudes are ex-fighter pilots. Beats flying commercial

[-]

im_not_okai@reddit

Or ovaries? So sick of this gendered bullshit

[-]

gazchap@reddit

It's a figure of speech. Yes, it uses misogynistic terms. But, as a phrase it is associated with bravery, which isn't gendered.

The phrase would get the meaning across just as well if the pilots had been female.

[-]

Head-Ad9893@reddit

Because there has been so many movies made about women fighter pilots lmfao. Maybe in the future but not now there isn’t

[-]

ThisusernameThen@reddit

ben wa ball works too.

do you ben wa?

[-]

macreadyrj@reddit

It is amazing and incredible and daring, and the sort of thing I would wish I could do, but I'm old now and worry about crashing instead of being badass.

[-]

Visual-Constant-4815@reddit

Cdn reg I hope :)

[-]

Ashamed_Branch9759@reddit

I have never seen that before. Thanks for sharing.

[-]

Deathdar1577@reddit

So close his ass required a resurfacing after that. Awesome skill and steel nerves though. Respect 🫡

[-]

Professional_Pen_153@reddit

I can just imagine the 2 guys flying it yelling “ WOOOOOOOOOOH” like we all do when we do some batshit crazy stuff and are hella proud of it

[-]

nevadita@reddit

you can question my methods but not my results.

these pilots are damn good tho

[-]

Open_Mortgage_4645@reddit

It was like 5ft from the surface. The pilot must have nerves of steel.

[-]

BeachHut9@reddit

Almost watered the cop vehicle. Hope they were not having a meal break.

[-]

RedRedditor84@reddit

What does it look like when the wind is gusting and the water is choppy?

[-]

4tunabrix@reddit

How does the aircraft deal with the sheer force of collecting that much water?

[-]

Holiday_Head_5777@reddit

Designed for it.

[-]

4tunabrix@reddit

No way??

[-]

Kobe_Wan_Ginobili@reddit

If I was flying one of these I'd want a break in case of emergency one use rocket attached to it somewhere to power out of these nightmares

[-]

cruisin_urchin87@reddit

Sheesh, “terrain warning”

[-]

agha0013@reddit

If they did bother to put a gpws in the CL-215/415s they'd likely be the most commonly pulled breaker ever

[-]

gromm93@reddit

Considering it's an aircraft that's supposed to be landing on water anywhere there's water, and within 100 feet of terrain everywhere there's fire, I can't think of a single reason for it to ever be on during a mission.

[-]

USMCLee@reddit

Wouldn't they want to flip the breaker around so that warns if they get too far away from the ground?

/dad joke!!

[-]

cruisin_urchin87@reddit

Yeah, I was just saying it for them.

[-]

lmFairlyLocal@reddit

I wonder if any radio altimeter callouts would be helpful, or just distracting ?

[-]

DiverDownChunder@reddit

These pilots are heroes! I knew a few smoke jumpers, they had nothing for love for these pilots! They had stories for days that one of these save their life. Be it a plane or the helios they had nothing but love for them.

[-]

weaklysmoothearl@reddit

That's mad low and tight, the CL-415 pilots are class acts doing that kind of work in tight spaces like that.

[-]

Jlx_27@reddit

Shows how well trained the people flying these planes are.

[-]

CounterSimple3771@reddit

Crazier than Army helo pilots .. but not by much.

[-]

Pale-Ambition-9951@reddit

They’re lucky they didn’t get into a tale spin.

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Freewheelinrocknroll@reddit

Best pylotes in the WORLD!!

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Haunting_Team_961@reddit

These pilots are ex blue angels i swear

[-]

Spivey1@reddit

That’s a no.. they’re Canadians. That’s a Canadian water bomber.

[-]

Haunting_Team_961@reddit

I know that XD i was meaning with their extreme skill and precision. Its like they are blue angels. It was a compliment

[-]

Smoke-A-Beer@reddit

Honestly looks like my dream job. You get to be a bomber that doesn’t drop bombs, saves lives and property, all while flying tree top level weaving mountains.

[-]

MonsieurReynard@reddit

You never weally weave

[-]

Holiday_Head_5777@reddit

This is the actual best comment.

[-]

DeedsF1@reddit

Don't worry, the pilots are Ace's. Québec has some very good bush pilots! ;)

[-]

Norwayuffda@reddit

This is Santa Fe Dam in Irwindale, California. La County Fire contracts two super scoopers for part of the fire season in Southern California. Fire was inside the brush fuels surrounding Santa Fe Dam. We get a lot of brushfires in there. It’s not a huge reservoir and it looks super sketchy but it’s one of the pre approved sites for them.

[-]

profane_vitiate@reddit

So much more rad than some other uses of dropping things out of planes.

[-]

Sunsetseeker007@reddit

That's a badass pilot!

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vfrdrvr@reddit

Titanium balls.

[-]

dayglo98@reddit

Hell yeah Quebec sti

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UseDue6373@reddit

When was this??

[-]

Careful-Bluebird-449@reddit

Incredible piloting!

[-]

icantsurf@reddit

Anyone ever been in one of these? I imagine it has to feel awful going from flight to scooping up water.

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Holiday_Head_5777@reddit

Nope, just feels like a high speed landing with the power on. Feels pretty normal.

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icantsurf@reddit

Interesting, figured it would be like hitting the brakes super hard.

[-]

flywithmeify@reddit

That’s flying by the seat of your pants only naked.

[-]

pointdexter33@reddit

I live near Quebec airport, just saw one training today. They are starting training for the new season.

Let's gooooo! Always a treat to see them in the air. My son was really happy to see them!

[-]

Adventurous_Ideal804@reddit

That plane has eyes

[-]

GregBVIMB@reddit

Not his or her first rodeo.

[-]

mike543210@reddit

nice video, and I appreciate there is no evil music playing

[-]

holein3@reddit

Icelandair pilot got a new job

[-]

KnifeKnut@reddit

BULLSHIT

this was Los Angeles fires, I geotraced it at the time to figure out which lake it was.

Here is the lake

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Santa+Fe+Dam+Recreation+Area/@34.1130844,-117.9495252,1519m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m6!3m5!1s0x80c2d8195a6dc963:0xf52684245b9a88c5!8m2!3d34.1179775!4d-117.954844!16zL20vMDJncGQ4?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI2MDQwOC4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

[-]

Duhamhim@reddit

God bless these people

[-]

rocket_randall@reddit

Maximum efficiency. No unnecessary vertical movement.

[-]

WealthWithoutWork@reddit

These airplanes are great, they can fly at weights above their max takeoff gross weight.

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GroundedGerbil@reddit

Never flown one, and it’s certainly risky flying (the more low-altitude flying you’re doing the more risks you are taking of course) but I’m guessing they are “on the step” as they are scooping so trying to get as much H2O on board before rotating. And they can see what obstacles they do or don’t have on their path out of the lake.

[-]

TheKydd@reddit

Gorgeous video!

r/PraiseTheCameraMan

[-]

ZeBurtReynold@reddit

They should have dumped water on the J6 protestors like this

[-]

Ragnarok112277@reddit

How does the drag from the water not pull them down into it?

[-]

DifferentEvent2998@reddit

It’s pretty amazing to watch them drop, especially on structural fires lol. This is something that only occurs when significant loss of life and infrastructure can occur, ie massive propane tanks in a remote community with very limited fire response assets.

[-]

YeeYeeBeep@reddit

that is a awesome pic

[-]

ElectricalChaos@reddit

Based on what I know about the aircraft, my guess is about 10 ft AGL at the shoreline. So yea, not a lot to play with there.

Second pass, that cop was parked in an absolutely horrible spot and put themselves and the aircrew in danger.

[-]

Holiday_Head_5777@reddit

Cop was fine.

[-]

man0315@reddit

This kind of plane requires the hardest pilot permit , right?

[-]

DifferentEvent2998@reddit

Nope

[-]

Holiday_Head_5777@reddit

Agreed.

[-]

PoopScootnBoogey@reddit

How much do these pilots make? It’s gotta be pretty huge considering the danger of it all, right?

[-]

BackgroundGrade@reddit

Between 63k & 103K Canadian:

https://www.quebec.ca/gouvernement/travailler-gouvernement/emplois-fonction-publique/domaines-emploi/batiment-travaux-publics-amenagement-transports/pilote-avion-citerne

[-]

Holiday_Head_5777@reddit

Thanks for not adding to the dumb comments and presenting reality.

[-]

PoopScootnBoogey@reddit

Wow that is not as much as I thought that would be

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Imaginary-Media-4856@reddit

I could never.

These pilots always have the best stories.

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Holiday_Head_5777@reddit

Grew up listening to them over breakfast.

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SientoQueMerezcoMas@reddit

Tanker pilots are some of the most skilled folks I’ve worked with. Those flying the DC-10, super scoopers, and other Larger Airtrankers.

But the single engine air tankers (SEATs) air tractor airframe are probably the craziest - and have accident rates far higher than regular tanker ops.

[-]

Holiday_Head_5777@reddit

Agreed. The guys flying the larger airtankers are really professional. The ground handling is a suprisingly big deal. The jet exhaust can destroy things and kill people and they manage energy incredibly thoughfully.

[-]

jman014@reddit

I wanna do that.

[-]

Cheeky_Banana800@reddit

Best of the best pilots

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Holiday_Head_5777@reddit

Typically pretty good. Not best of the best. Best of the best make more money doing long line or actually dangerous boring work. This is fun so pays less and requires less skill.

[-]

ywgflyer@reddit

/r/theydidthemath

Canadian pilots doing what Canadian pilots do best.

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Light_and_Sun_8377@reddit

These guys aren’t paid nearly enough — wonderful flying.

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Holiday_Head_5777@reddit

They aren't paid that much because theres a line out the door of guys that would do it for free. Its an incredibly hard job to get not because of skill but because how many guys want to do it.

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standardtissue@reddit

So is this what SOAR dudes do when they retire ?

[-]

Holiday_Head_5777@reddit

Not often. SOAR guys usually get into contracting and make more money. This doesn't pay that well because theres a line out the door to do it.

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unlockedz@reddit

This is what practice does, i guess they are familiar with the area.

[-]

CynGuy@reddit

That takes serious aviation chops / piloting skills to effectively manage all that……. Incredibly well done!

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Holiday_Head_5777@reddit

Not really. The planes are high power, high drag, and very controllable. Theres a lot more skill in high altitude crappy weather heli rescue in steep terrain. This stuff is just super fun.

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engineereddiscontent@reddit

How do people get to be a pilot like this?

Like I know there is a pipeline of military pilots that end up going into airlines.

What about these people?

[-]

Holiday_Head_5777@reddit

Its a pretty hard job to get. Not from a technical proficiency side, but from a desireable job side. There's basically a huge number of guys applying constantly. Its terrific work if you're lucky enough to get chosen. Lots of nepotism.

[-]

DifferentEvent2998@reddit

A number of them here in Manitoba started as bush pilots

[-]

Embarrassed-Spend334@reddit

Balls of steel

[-]

gordonlordbyron@reddit

Jesus Christ these pilots are incredible/insane.

[-]

MasatoWolff@reddit

These pilots deserve the world. Thank you for your service.

[-]

jakubkonecki@reddit

Those aren't pilots - they are drivers. /s

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Ottereyes524@reddit

u/savevideo

[-]

SaveVideo@reddit

View link

[-]

PilotKnob@reddit

Looks like fun.

[-]

Quick599@reddit

Bienvenue

[-]

Ok-Bar601@reddit

They should make a movie about these guys, I’ve seen other footage from inside the cockpit where they land on a lake scoop and take off without seeming to slow down. Awesome

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NerdyComfort-78@reddit

I just inhaled at that lake exit!!! 😲

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Borstolus@reddit

Aahhhh, that was the inspiration for the first mission of the second type of fire fighting missions in Msfs2024. 😱

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aggressive-cat@reddit

I don't understand how the pilots balls (or ovaries) fit in a plane that small.

[-]

turboash78@reddit

The skill! Suck it Top Gun.

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seangraves1984@reddit

Ive heard that they need to haul back on the tone because the water fills the hold in seconds and it's so heavy so fast it will crash otherwise.

[-]

Schmitty21@reddit

I've worked a few temporary ATC towers for fire seasons around the NW United States and have to say that in my entire career, the water bomber/fire helo pilots are hands down my favorite pilots. Absolutely the most skilled and most professional individuals, and absolutely dedicated to their missions.

[-]

Normal_Bet2995@reddit

Tailspin!

[-]

jello_sweaters@reddit

"I'm scoopin' from the laaaaaake... eighty miiiles from Santa Fe..."

[-]

Skilodracus@reddit

My all time favorite aircraft ♥️. They may be funky looking, but they're such incredible machines. I was lucky (or unlucky) enough to see one scooping up from the river during a nearby wild fire last summer.

[-]

Own-Escape4548@reddit

You can easily tell its altitude from how faraway the shadow of the plane is.

[-]

Sawfish1212@reddit

The liftoff is well before the edge of the lake, it's when the wake stopped, after that the aircraft is clear of the water and climbing. This perspective is very useless for judging aircraft height

[-]

LaughinTucker75@reddit

I could never figure out how these planes lift off, being so weighed down by the pilot's massive balls.

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Dru_Munny@reddit

Dipper!

[-]

victhebutcher2020@reddit

Are these Canadians?

[-]

ImAzura@reddit

Side of the aircraft says Quebec and has the Quebec provincial flag, so pretty good chance it might be Canadian.

[-]

victhebutcher2020@reddit

Nice, I missed that part

[-]

ImAzura@reddit

Yeah, it’s not obvious unless you’re looking for it.

[-]

Acceptable-Device760@reddit

Does these planes have sensor/cameras at the tip of the wings? How the fuck he knows the wing will not hit shit in the first rake?

[-]

falcopilot@reddit

No worries, he cleared the five foot obstacle.

[-]

JobAnxious2005@reddit

Such immense bollocks on that pilot

[-]

Robsonthebeach@reddit

Seems like a MUCH better job for a helicopter... But there must be reasons why planes are used

[-]

PatchesMaps@reddit

Man, I have a hard enough time lining up with the runway in ksp.

[-]

GBValiant@reddit

Interesting fact about this plane is that the scoop for the water is surprisingly small.

[-]

ChiDaddy123@reddit

Yeah but when the water is being forced against it at 70kts you get some great water pressure for the filling. 😂

[-]

GBValiant@reddit

Yep - physics rules in aerospace applications!

[-]

ChiDaddy123@reddit

It is also exceptionally unforgiving. 😂😂

[-]

LaconicSuffering@reddit

These are my all time favorite airplane. I grew up in Greece and these and their predecessors would (sadly) be a common sight during the summer months.

[-]

Kuriente@reddit

Sea planes are the coolest. And holy shit that's close to the ground.

[-]

China_bot42069@reddit

Meh. Theres about 40 of these sitting at my home airport here in Canada. All sorts of liveries. They are firing them up for fire season this week

[-]

post-explainer@reddit

Please provide a source by replying to the message that was sent to you. Failure to respond to that message will result in the automatic removal of this post. Please feel free to reach out to the mod team through modmail if you have any questions or concerns.

r/Aviation is trialing new measures to prevent karma farming. Please feel free to provide feedback through modmail. Thank you for participating in the community!

[-]

eric-neg@reddit

FYI this happened in 2018 and was in Los Angeles at the Santa Fe dam. OP looked to a karma farming X account so I doubt it is their fault.

[-]

ParaMike46@reddit (OP)

Source https://twitter.com/japan_lol_w/status/2043119461943943337?s=46&t=xGDlfStraVktR4nrplAbnQ

[-]

eric-neg@reddit

This happened in Los Angeles at the Santa Fe Dam, not Santa Fe, NM. Also in 9/18/2019.

Source: The tweet linked as a source.

[-]

kerbalmaster98@reddit

Tokébek icite !!!

[-]

AreThree@reddit

Reminds me of the best opening scene in a movie, ever!

[-]

DrinkingVomit@reddit

Probably owned by senator Tim She/He.

[-]

aviation-ModTeam@reddit

This content was removed for breaking the r/aviation rules.

This subreddit is dedicated to aviation and the discussion of aviation, not politics and religion. For discussion of these subjects, please choose a more appropriate subreddit.

If you believe this was a mistake, please message the moderators through modmail. Thank you for participating in the r/aviation community.

[-]

DifferentEvent2998@reddit

This is a Canadian plane… idiot.

[-]

classicitalianbmt@reddit

That’s seriously impressive flying!

[-]

dynamic_anisotropy@reddit

These pilots are top tier.

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Specialist_Reality96@reddit

The fire is so close and the ground is so flat there is very little point in doing a big climb out after picking up water. This looks like a training flight so it may deliberately be a bit tight.

I doubt they simply see a body of water and go hey lets scoop out of that, you can see some buoys on the lake it would of been recond before doing any operations.

[-]

Icy-Blueberry674@reddit

This is not New Mexico. That is Santa Fe Dam in Irwindale CA and it has a pre planned route for these planes and helicopters to pick up water.

[-]

Paranoma@reddit

Not Santa Fe, New Mexico. It was at Santa Fe Dam in Irwindale, CA just east of downtown Los Angeles during a brush fire.

[-]

KUweatherman@reddit

The balls on that bear. Good job, Baloo!

[-]

GardenPeep@reddit

Lake? What lake?

[-]

Penrose_Peasant@reddit

Basically the coolest thing ever

[-]

nine57th@reddit

Wow. Nicely done!

[-]

nuboots@reddit

I guess thats how you make sure you hit the target.

[-]

doctorfortoys@reddit

WOW!

[-]

Maximus13@reddit

Décâlisse, esti de feu

[-]

Antique-Dragonfly615@reddit

Probably a crop duster off season

[-]

jeremiahfelt@reddit

The aircraft struggled to gain altitude not because of the water load but because of the crews giant brass balls.

[-]

trendingtattler@reddit

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[-]

Drawing-Over@reddit

Is that speed tape between the two props?

[-]

ttystikk@reddit

All the respect to those pilots; they deserve every joke about needing extra throttle to carry their balls around!

[-]

qat-21@reddit

It looks close, but he actually leaves the water about 6-7 seconds before reaching the edge of the lake, at Scooping speed (70-ish knots) that gave him 200+ meters of room…

[-]

Tieger_OvL-I@reddit

DUUUUUUUUUUUDE

[-]

FStorm045@reddit

That's called low altitude flying

[-]

scottishzombie@reddit

Why do I keep hearing Bruce Willis from Die Hard 2 in my head?
PULL UP!!

[-]

gamehenge_survivor@reddit

The tolerances are obviously much tighter than a passenger flight, but there is also a fair bit of lens shift from the footage. The pilot is out of the water at 9 seconds based on wake turbulence and doesn’t cross over land until about 15 seconds. The second scoop and lift at the end of the video shows a much more accurate view of the space he has. Still amazing work from guys that risk their lives on every single drop.

[-]

tyen0@reddit

yeah, the water falling out of the plane after rising might be misleading folks to think it was still cutting into the water.

[-]

nerdyNoob5z@reddit

This has been my go to plane in flight sim for a bit. Cool to see the real one in action.

[-]

reddituseronebillion@reddit

I'll be back to working on the first 515 tomorrow

[-]

mencival@reddit

I could watch this forever

[-]

PowderedToastMan89@reddit

I'm sorry if this is a really stupid question, but how does the plane not go into a total tail stall with all of that liquid getting pushed to the rear?!

[-]

mckenzie_keith@reddit

Probably a baffled tank?

[-]

Wooden-Feeling8519@reddit

Probably had trouble getting her back up with the added weight of the water along with his massive balls of steel

[-]

slogive1@reddit

Most useful plane built.

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energiyaBooster@reddit

Is the tape on the top gonna hold it? :)

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LickinThighs2@reddit

When I tree planted in BC, we got to work on a block where they were doing practice strafes beside, and it was actually kinda wild to see how low water bombers get dropping their payload. We were in hilly stuff for sure but they were disappearing below the crest of the hill we were against and sharply rising over it again, I can't imagine they were all that far from the ground in general

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Spanish_Nice_Guy@reddit

I have no idea about how much these people earn in a year. But any number is too few. And if they had a 100 % salary rise, it still would be too few.

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Zvenigora@reddit

The pilot exited over the dam. There was likely minimal obstacle clearance needed in that direction and as long as there was plenty of airspeed, liftoff could happen at will.

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p1tex1310@reddit

Obstacle being the extra 6ft of police car on top.

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qY81nNu@reddit

Heroes

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Intelligent-Ad1649@reddit

Ready for all the aviation comments about men's balls! U guys aren't word keep it coming!!

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Gramerdim@reddit

coughing bomb vs hydrogen(²o) baby

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TurbinePro@reddit

Wow. Serious skills. Dangerous flying conditions.

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RedSky2727@reddit

I’ve always enjoyed admiring professionals do their thing… seeing what these pilots can do with their purpose built, specialized equipment is nothing short of incredible.

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kremlingrasso@reddit

Yeah except this was a really high risk unnecessary maneuver. And firefighting planes crash regularly.

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Probable_Bot1236@reddit

I've heard (firsthand) tanker pilots joking about staying in ground effect from load-up to dump, but damn

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RogerRabbit1234@reddit

These planes are amazing. I can’t imagine the strength of those scoops to be able to touch the water at speed and not be ripped off the plane… do they have any limitations like x number of scoops before inspection and repairs are required?

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r_obbie624@reddit

Yeeesh I’d be picking seat out of my butt lol

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keepitfastn@reddit

unreal flying

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efficientkiwi75@reddit

Judging by the shadows, eh

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Man_Without_Nipples@reddit

Holy smoke! I love it when they nail a target

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djsnoopmike@reddit

The plane is just struggling under the weight of their balls

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ZiggoCiP@reddit

Jesus, they are like a single-digit number of feet above the ground when they reached shore. Some incredible flying.

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Hank_moody71@reddit

When was this taken?

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BagAway2723@reddit

looks like perfection

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mmore27@reddit

Cheering for a plane seems silly, but I'm here for it!

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Helpful_Car1302@reddit

One and done with no heading change, impressive.

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Petr0vitch@reddit

this is so fucking cool!

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RVAWTFBBQ@reddit

Would love a book of stories written by one of the guys who fly these. Unbelievable skills.

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GentilQuebecois@reddit

Many of my family members are retired pilots on the CL215 and CL415. Rode the jump seat during training flights. Nothing had ever prepared me to it... They are amazing machines, and I am still unsure if these pilots are human. They don't know stress, that's for sure.

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