Air tankers in Victoria - Fire Aviation

Above: Conair’s Tanker 162, an RJ85 at Avalon Airport, Victoria, Australia.

The Country Fire Authority currently has one very large and three large air tankers on contract during their summer bushfire season working out of Avalon Airport near Melbourne, Australia (map). The down under fire season will likely be winding down soon and the aircraft will migrate back to North America.

In recent weeks the air tankers were deployed across the Bass Strait to Tasmania. This may have been the first time large aerial firefighting assets were used in the state. The Fire Service felt it was necessary to warn the residents to “not be alarmed” when they saw the air tankers “flying a bit low over the coast”.

air tanker 910 DC-10 — 10 Tanker’s T-910, a DC-10, at Avalon, Victoria.

air tanker 131 at Avalon — Coulson’s Tanker 131, a C-130 (known as T-390 in Victoria) at Avalon, Victoria.

air tanker 132 at Avalon — Coulson’s Tanker 132, a C-130, at Avalon, Victoria.

Bird Dogs Avalon — Bird Dogs at Avalon Airport, Victoria.

fire Retardant plant Avalon — The fire retardant mixing plant at Avalon, Victoria.

Photos provided by the Country Fire Authority, Victoria.

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