The super scoopers are back! Powerful firefighting planes land in Van Nuys
They’re ba-ack.
A pair of bright yellow and red firefighting planes affectionately known as “super scoopers” landed at the Van Nuys Airport late Saturday afternoon.
The aircraft, which Los Angeles County leases from the Canadian province of Quebec, have become an important part of the county’s firefighting arsenal.
They can fly up to 200 mph and scoop up 1,620 gallons of water (48 bathtubs) in just 12 seconds. After dumping their cargo on a fiery hillside, they reload their tanks by skimming over the surface of the ocean or a large lake.
The iconic planes have been fighting fires in Southern California for more than 20 years.
The county first leased them from our neighbor to the north on an experimental basis during the 1994 fire season. They have been helping firefighters put out wildfires ever since.
The super scoopers, technically called fixed-wing Canadair Bombardier CL-415s, will officially go into service on Monday, according to the L.A. County Fire Department.
Twitter: @DeborahNetburn
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