…747 Tanker Not Yet Approved…

Meanwhile, in Arizona, a retrofitted 747 super-tanker is not yet approved to fly by the FAA, and may not be ready for this summer. “We don’t know how much it drops and how accurate it is,” Rose Davis, spokeswoman for the National Interagency Fire Center, told The Arizona Republic. The 747 can carry 24,000 gallons of water and retardant in four tanks, about eight times what ordinary tankers carry. Critics worry that the airplane can’t fly low enough to be effective, and the massive drops might be hazardous to firefighters on the ground.

Meanwhile, in Arizona, a retrofitted 747 super-tanker is not yet approved to fly by the FAA, and may not be ready for this summer. "We don't know how much it drops and how accurate it is," Rose Davis, spokeswoman for the National Interagency Fire Center, told The Arizona Republic. The 747 can carry 24,000 gallons of water and retardant in four tanks, about eight times what ordinary tankers carry. Critics worry that the airplane can't fly low enough to be effective, and the massive drops might be hazardous to firefighters on the ground.