Tankers Fight the Bouquet Canyon Fire from the Santa Barbara Airport, May 12, 2002

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A wildfire broke out in Bouquet Canyon, near Santa Clarita, California on May 11, 2002. A dozen tankers fought the fire out of the Goleta Tanker Station at the Santa Barbara Airport on May 11 and 12. The four California Department of Forestry Grumman S-2T Trackers departed late Saturday and five additional four-engine tankers were flown in from Arizona and Utah. This page features the tankers that were operating out of Santa Barbara on Sunday, May 12.

DC-6 #68, N90739 cranks up number 1 engine at the start of the first mission of the day. It is operated by Butler Aircraft and based in Prescott, Arizona.

C-130A #67, N531BA is assigned to the Goleta Tanker Station over the summer. It is operated by Butler Aircraft Co.

C-54E #160, N96358 is assigned to the tanker station at Ramona. It is operated by AeroFlite.

C-130A #67, N531BA takes off as C-54E #160, N96358 is loaded with fire retardent slurry at the tanker station

P-3B #26, N926AU is operated by Aero Union and based at Fort Huachuca, Arizona.

DC-6 #68, N90739

DC-6 #68, N90739

C-130A #131, N131HP is operated by Hawkins Powers and is based in Ogden, Utah.

C-130A #131, N131HP

DC-6 #68, N90739

P-3B #26, N926AU

C-54E #160, N96358

C-130A #131, N131HP

C-54D #152, N9015Q was temporarily stationed at Santa Barbara before the Bouquet Canyon fire started. It is operated by ARDCO and based at Fox Field, Lancaster, California.

C-130A #67, N531BA

P-3B #26, N926AU

C-54D #152, N9015Q

P-3A #23, N923AU arrived from its base at Prescott, Arizona later in the day.

P-3A #21, N921AU arrived after I finished shooting on May 12 and was not in a good position to get a photo the following morning.

C-130A #67, N531BA made a sortie on the morning of May 16 while I was waiting for the Collings Foundation B-24J and B-17G to arrive.

Vapor streams from the tips of the propellors of C-130A #67, N531BA as it winds up the engines for take-off.

C-130A #67, N531BA

C-130A #67, N531BA over the threshold of Runway 25.

More Tanker Photos

Aerial tankers

Visit the web site of the Aerial Firefighting Industry Association

Visit the web site of the Associated Airtanker Pilots

The Cleveland National Forest web site provides specifications for the different types of aerial tankers.

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Aerial Tankers

2008 Calendar

You can buy a 2008 Calendar featuring my photographs of aerial tankers in flight and fighting fires.

A dozen photos of aerial tankers:

Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress N17W Tanker 04, Santa Barbara, September 12, 1979
Douglas DC-7C N5903 Tanker 35, Santa Barbara, November 28, 1980
Douglas C-54E Cargomaster N460WA Tanker 151, Santa Ynez Valley, July 30, 1990
Air Force Reserve Lockheed C-130E Hercules 62-1081, Reno Stead, September 15, 1991
California Air National Guard C-130E Tanker 6, NAWS Pt. Mugu, April 25, 1998
Douglas C-54E Cargomaster N8502G Tanker 65, Santa Barbara Airport, May 5, 2004
Evergreen S-64E Skycrane N6979R Tanker 707, Santa Ynez Valley, May 7, 2004
Siller Brothers Sikosky S-61N N15456, Santa Ynez Valley, May 7, 2004
McDonnell-Douglas DC-10-10 10 Tanker Air Carrier Tanker 910, Goleta, November 4, 2005
Evergreen International Boeing 747 Supertanker, San Bernardino, May 31, 2006
Grumman S-2T Tracker N439DF Tanker 74, Santa Barbara Airport, June 19, 2006
Lockheed P2V-5 N1386C Tanker 44, Santa Barbara, June 19, 2006

Put a copy of the Aerial Tankers: 2008 Calendar in your Lulu.com shopping cart for $16.95.

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