Water Fight : County, U.S. Officials Weigh Firefighting Skills of Helitanker, Super Scooper Aircraft

The newest weapon in the firefighter’s arsenal was unveiled Thursday at Van Nuys Airport, a helicopter capable of sucking up more than 2,000 gallons from a body of water no larger than the average swimming pool.

In fact, in the first public demonstration of the super-sucking Erickson Air-Crane Helitanker, one of the bright orange aircraft drained an inflatable pool within 40 seconds. With the ponderous agility of a large seabird, the craft angled around and made two drops on the airport runway.

County fire officials, who together with the U.S. Forest Service have leased two of the Helitankers through the end of the fire season Nov. 30, were impressed by what they saw.

“I’ve seen it in operation and it’s amazing,” said Matthew T. Vadala, a battalion chief from Orange County. About 30 visitors and dignitaries were on hand for the demonstration at the western edge of the airport.

Acquisition of the helicopters is part of an ongoing effort by county fire officials to improve their response to wildfires, particularly in hard-to-reach terrain.

Officials said they are trying to determine which aircraft best suits the needs of the department, the Helitanker or the Canadian-built, fixed-wing Super Scooper, which they have been testing the past two years.

The county’s current helicopter fleet is capable of delivering 360 gallons per drop. The Super Scooper delivers about 1,500 gallons per drop, about three-quarters of what the Helitanker, with its straw-like sucking device, can deliver.

Officials refused to say when a final decision would be made.

“We can’t trail-test them all in one fire season,” James Holdridge, a battalion chief for the Los Angeles County Fire Department, said of the testing program. “We are looking for the punch of extra water in the initial attack phase of any fire.”

Under terms of the joint agreement between federal and county officials, Los Angeles County will pick up a third of the $70,000 lease cost for the helicopters, said Gregory S. Greenhoe, deputy fire management officer for the U.S. Forest Service.

It costs $7,500 per hour to operate the craft. Instead of an hourly rate, the Canadair Super Scoopers cost $1.1 million for each four-month fire season, $545,000 of which was paid by the federal government.

The Helitanker differs from its counterparts in other ways. Unlike fixed-wing aircraft that depend on a safe approach and departure pattern, Holdridge said, the large copters can adjust their approach and altitude for more precise--and larger drops.