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Three aerial tankers and a pair of Air Attack planes came to the Santa Barbara Air Attack Station to fight the Perkins Fire in the Los Padres National Forest on Monday, June 19. Firefighting operations are continuing on Sunday June 25 as the Perkins Fire is 85% contained. Update: As of Monday, June 26, the Perkins fire is 100% contained, having burned just under 15,000 acres.
Lockheed P2V-5 Neptune N1386C Tanker 44 departing from Runway 25. Tanker 44 served the U.S. Navy as BuNo 128422. It is operated by Neptune Aviation Services, of Missoula, Montana.
Tanker 44 departing from Runway 25.
Tanker 44 departing from Runway 25.
Tanker 44 departing from Runway 25.
Tanker 44 departing from Runway 25.
Tanker 44 on approach to land on Runway 25.
Tanker 44 on approach to land on Runway 25.
CDF Grumman S-2F 3AT Turbo-Tracker, N436DF Tanker 76 landing on Runway 25. Tanker 76 served the U.S. Navy as BuNo 152337. It was retired to the Military Aircraft Storage and Disposition Center (MASDC) at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base as 1S0526 on April 18, 1975. It was transferred to Royal Australian Navy as N12-152337. It received its current registration on October 9, 2003.
Tanker 44 taxiing out of the Santa Barbara Air Attack Station.
Tanker 76 taxiing out of the Santa Barbara Air Attack Station.
Tanker 44 taking off from Runway 25.
Tanker 44 taking off from Runway 25.
Tanker 76 taking off from Runway 25.
California Department of Forestry (CDF) Grumman S-2F 3AT Turbo-Tracker, N439DF Tanker 74 on approach to land on Runway 25. Tanker 74 was delivered to VS-33 as BuNo 149854 in April 1963 and deployed to WestPac aboard USS Bennington (CVS-20). The U.S. Forestry Commission registered it as N509DF on August 21, 1996. It received its current registration on February 14, 2003, after it was re-equipped with turboprop engines.
Cessna T337D N2337, Air Attack 337 on approach to land on Runway 25.
Tanker 76 on approach to land on Runway 25.
Tanker 74 on approach to land on Runway 25.
Tanker 44 departing from Runway 25.
Tanker 76 departing from Runway 25.
California Department of Forestry (CDF) Grumman S-2F 3AT Turbo-Tracker, N439DF Tanker 74 on approach to land on Runway 25.
Lockheed P2V-5 Neptune N1386C Tanker 44 on approach to land on Runway 25.
Tanker 44
CDF Grumman S-2F 3AT Turbo-Tracker, N436DF Tanker 76 taxiing out to Runway 25.
Tanker 44 taxiing out to Runway 25.
Tanker 44
Tanker 74 on approach to land on Runway 25.
Tanker 76 on approach to land on Runway 25.
Tanker 76 taxiing out to Runway 25.
Tanker 44 on approach to land on Runway 25.
Tanker 74 taxiing out of the Santa Barbara Air Attack Station.
Refueling Tanker 44
Tanker 74 taking off from Runway 25.
CDF North American OV-10A Bronco, N403DF Air Attack 500 taxiing out of the Air Attack Station.
Tanker 76 taxiing out of the Air Attack Station.
Air Attack 500 taking off from Runway 25.
Air Attack 500
Air Attack 500
Grumman S-2F 3AT Turbo-Tracker, N436DF Tanker 76 taking off from Runway 25.
Tanker 76 taking off from Runway 7.
Rockwell 690B Turbo Commander, N700PQ Air Attack taxiing into the Air Attack Station. It is operated by Rogers Helicopters Incorporated of Fresno, California.
Tanker 44 starting its starboard R-3350 radial engine.
Tanker 44 taking off from Runway 7.
Tanker 74 taking off from Runway 7.
Aerial tankers
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.
The National Interagency Fire Center.
The National Incident Information Center.
The SSD Fire Detection Program.
Wildlandfire.com's Air Tankers Photo page..
Send a message to Brian.