Misplaced Pages

#400599

41-579: The Canadair CL-415 ( Super Scooper , later Bombardier 415 ) and the De Havilland Canada DHC-515 are a series of amphibious aircraft built originally by Canadair and subsequently by Bombardier and De Havilland Canada . The CL-415 is based on the Canadair CL-215 and is designed specifically for aerial firefighting ; it can perform various other roles, such as search and rescue and utility transport. Development of

82-459: A 15 percent power increase over the original piston engines , as well as enhanced reliability and safety. The retrofitted aircraft were designated CL-215T . Speaking during the new model's development, company officials recognised that market demand for the CL-215T was marginal, and thus not enough to justify developing an all-new aircraft. Despite this, it featured numerous enhancements, including

123-507: A conventional land-based aircraft). However, in cases where this is not practical, amphibious floatplanes, such as the amphibious version of the DHC Otter , incorporate retractable wheels within their floats. Some amphibians are fitted with reinforced keels which act as skis, allowing them to land on snow or ice with their wheels up. Many amphibian aircraft are of the flying boat type. These aircraft, and those designed as floatplanes with

164-441: A conventional undercarriage. These are not built to take the impact of the aircraft landing on them. An amphibian can leave the water without anyone getting in the water to attach beaching wheels (or even having to have any handy), yet a fully functional undercarriage is heavy and impacts the aircraft's performance, and is not required in all cases, so an aircraft may be designed to carry its own. An occasional problem with amphibians

205-598: A fire without having to return to base to refill its tanks. The CL-415 was specifically developed to provide the capability to deliver large quantities of suppressant in quick response to fires. This is stored within large tanks which are located mostly beneath the cabin floor within the hull, although a header tank above this level is present on either side of the fuselage. The airframe is built for reliability and longevity, making extensive use of corrosion -resistant materials, predominantly treated aluminium, that facilitates its use in salt water. According to Flight International,

246-681: A longer range than comparable helicopters, and can achieve nearly the range of land-based aircraft, because an airplane's wing is more efficient than a helicopter's lifting rotor. This makes amphibious aircraft, such as the Grumman Albatross and the Shin Meiwa US-2 , useful for long-range air–sea rescue tasks. In addition, amphibious aircraft are particularly useful as bush planes that can engage in light transport in remote areas. In these areas, they often have to operate not only from airstrips, but from lakes and rivers as well. In

287-580: A new-build production series. On 6 December 1993, the CL-415 conducted its maiden flight, while the first deliveries commenced during November 1994. One year later, a 180-day sales tour traversing 21 countries commenced using a CL-415 owned by the Quebec Government . That same year, Bombardier stated that it was in the planning phase of a six-point improvement plan for the CL-415, which was principally intended to diversify its capabilities. Orders for

328-564: A period of significant expansion until encountering financial hardship during the 2010s, largely brought on by the very high costs involved in developing the CSeries narrow-body airliner . The much smaller Viking Aircraft started off as a component manufacturing specialist, which came to include the licensed production of parts of several of Bombardier's discontinued aircraft range, helping operators to keep them in service. During 2008, Bombardier and Viking Air reached an arrangement under which

369-571: A runway. A common solution is to make them retractable, like those found on the Consolidated Catalina ; however, these are even heavier than fixed floats. Some aircraft may have the tip floats removed for extended use from land. Other amphibians, such as the Dornier Seastar , use stub wings, called sponsons , mounted with their own lower surfaces nearly even with the ventral "boat-hull"-shaped fuselage surface. This can provide

410-486: A single main float under the fuselage centerline (such as the Loening OL and Grumman J2F ), require outrigger floats to provide lateral stability so as to avoid dipping a wingtip, which can destroy an aircraft if it happens at speed, or can cause the wingtip to fill with water and sink if stationary. While these impose weight and drag, amphibious aircraft also face the possibility of these getting hit when operating from

451-509: A twelve-second 410-metre-long (1,350 ft) run on the water at 70 knots (130 km/h; 81 mph), then climb back to 15 m (49 ft) altitude. The aircraft can also pick up partial loads in smaller areas, and can turn while scooping if necessary. Management of the water bombing system is centralised via a water status panel on the flight instrumentation, giving direct control to the pilots; various dispersal patterns and sequences can be selected. A manually-operated emergency dump lever

SECTION 10

#1732782972401

492-535: A variety of roles. However, like the pure flying boat, they were made obsolete by helicopters which could operate in sea conditions far beyond what the best seaplane could manage. Development of amphibians was not limited to the United Kingdom and the United States. In any case, few designs saw more than limited service, as there was a widespread preference for pure flying boats and floatplanes, due to

533-618: A water bomber and fire suppressor. In recognition of its abilities, the aircraft was awarded in 2006 the Batefuegos de oro (gold fire extinguisher) by the Asociacion para la Promocion de Actividades Socioculturales (APAS) in Spain; the award citation in part read "This is the most efficient tool for the aerial combat of forest fires, key to the organization of firefighting in a large number of countries. The continuous improvements to meet

574-457: Is also present, bypassing this system. Bombardier have claimed that the type performs 6.9 water drops for every flight hours of the type. The CL-415GR variant features higher operating weights, while the CL-415 multi-role model is available for purposes in a paramilitary search and rescue role and utility transport. Derived from its predecessor's nickname, the aircraft is known as the "Superscooper" in light of its greatly enhanced performance as

615-414: Is rectified via the addition of an inverted fixed leading edge slat forward of the righthand horizontal stabiliser. Furthermore, winglets have been adopted on this model for the purpose of improving directional stability. The CL-415 can scoop up to 6,140 L (1,350 imp gal; 1,620 US gal) of water from a nearby water source, mix it with a chemical foam if desired, and drop it on

656-403: Is said to announce a deal to purchase $ 530-million worth of water bombers from De Havilland Aircraft of Canada to help deal with the country’s severe wildfire seasons. The CL-415 has an updated cockpit, aerodynamics enhancements and changes to the water-release system as well, creating a modern firefighting amphibious flying boat for use in detecting and suppressing forest fires . Compared to

697-486: Is with ensuring that the wheels are in the correct position for landing. In normal operation, the pilot uses a checklist, verifying each item. Since amphibians can land with them up or down though, the pilot must take extra care to ensure that they are correct for the chosen landing place. Landing wheels-up on land may damage the keel (unless done on wet grass, a technique occasionally used by pilots of pure flying boats), while landing wheels-down on water will almost always flip

738-406: The Consolidated Catalina (named for Santa Catalina Island off the coast of southern California, whose resort was popularized partly by the use of amphibians in the 1930s, including Sikorskys and Douglas Dolphins ) was redeveloped from being a pure flying boat into an amphibian during the war. After the war, the United States military ordered hundreds of the Grumman Albatross and its variants for

779-565: The United Kingdom , traditionally a maritime nation, a large number of amphibians were built between the wars, starting from 1918 with the Vickers Viking and the early 1920s Supermarine Seagull , and were used for exploration and military duties, including search and rescue, artillery spotting and anti-submarine patrol. These evolved throughout the interwar period to culminate in the post–World War II Supermarine Seagull , which

820-461: The 2010s, according to aerospace periodical Flight International , there was a downturn in sales of the type. A total of ninety-five CL-415s had been completed when Bombardier closed down the production line in October 2015, although the company continued to actively market the type as well as to provide support for the existing fleet beyond this date. For several decades, Bombardier had experienced

861-490: The CL-215, the CL-415 has increased operating weight and speed, yielding improved productivity and performance. Due to the increased power of its pair of Pratt & Whitney Canada PW123AF turboprop engines, each capable of generating up to 1,775 kW of thrust, these are located closer to the fuselage in comparison to the CL-215's arrangement. While this repositioning would typically reduce lateral stability on its own, this

SECTION 20

#1732782972401

902-414: The CL-415 began in the early 1990s, shortly after the success of the CL-215T retrofit programme had proven a viable demand for a turboprop -powered model of the original CL-215. Entering production in 2003, in addition to its new engines, the aircraft featured numerous modernisation efforts and advances over the CL-215, particularly in terms of its cockpit and aerodynamics , to yield improved performance. By

943-430: The CL-415 has good handling on the water, being relatively easy to operate in comparison with several other amphibious aircraft. The CL-515 can hold up to 7,000 litres (1,850 US gallons), and has a refill time of 14 seconds. The aircraft requires 1,340 m (4,400 ft) of flyable length to descend from 15 m (49 ft) altitude, scoop 6,137 L (1,350 imp gal; 1,621 US gal) of water during

984-558: The Indonesian Ministry of Defense announced it was purchasing six CL-515s and one CL-415EAF for delivery in 2024. Out of the 95 CL-415s built, 14 have been destroyed in the following accidents: Data from Viking General characteristics Performance Related development Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Amphibious aircraft Floatplanes often have floats that are interchangeable with wheeled landing gear (thereby producing

1025-433: The addition of powered flight controls, air conditioning in the cockpit , as well as various upgraded electrical and avionics systems. The most notable external features of the CL-215T retrofit were the aerodynamic additions to the wings and empennage . Having conducted the relatively successful CL-215T programme, the company decided to develop a further improved model of the aircraft CL-415 , which would take form as

1066-426: The aircraft upside down, causing substantial damage. Amphibious aircraft are heavier and slower, more complex and more expensive to purchase and operate than comparable landplanes. However, they are also more versatile. Even though they cannot hover or land vertically, they compete favorably with helicopters for some jobs and can do so at a significantly lower cost. Amphibious aircraft can also be much faster and have

1107-681: The aircraft. On 21 June 2019, the Indonesian Ministry of Defense announced it was purchasing six CL-515s and one CL-415EAF for delivery in 2024. On 31 March 2022, Viking Air through De Havilland Canada renamed the CL-515 as the DHC-515, planning for production and final assembly in Calgary , Alberta, where the CL-215 and CL-415 are supported, with 22 letters of intent from European customers. On 20 March 2024, Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis

1148-547: The demand is too small to justify the costs of development, with the Volmer Sportsman being a popular choice among the many offerings. With the increased availability of airstrips in remote communities, fewer amphibious aircraft are manufactured today than in the past, although a handful of amphibious aircraft are still produced, such as the Bombardier 415 , ICON A5 , and the amphibious-float–equipped version of

1189-519: The first Italian aircraft to fly. While most were not amphibians, quite a few were, including the Savoia-Marchetti S.56 A and the Piaggio P.136 . Amphibious aircraft have been particularly useful in the unforgiving terrain of Alaska and northern Canada , where many remain in civilian service, providing remote communities with vital links to the outside world. The Canadian Vickers Vedette

1230-485: The first aircraft specifically designed to be a water bomber . A total of 125 aircraft were constructed prior to the final CL-215 being delivered during May 1990. During 1987, in response to prevailing market trends towards more efficient, powerful and reliable turboprop powerplants, Canadair undertook the task of retrofitting 17 CL-215 airframes with the Pratt & Whitney Canada PW123AF engines. This engine provided

1271-523: The former sold the design documents and all intellectual property rights of all out-of-production de Havilland aircraft from the DHC-1 Chipmunk through the DASH-7 50 passenger STOL regional airliner to Viking. Its unit cost in 2014 was 36.9 million US dollars. On 20 June 2016, it was announced that Viking Air was in the process of purchasing the CL-415 type certificate from Bombardier , along with

Canadair CL-415 - Misplaced Pages Continue

1312-642: The larger flying boats could not go, and helping to popularize amphibians in the US. The Grumman Corporation, latecomers to the game, introduced a pair of light utility amphibious aircraft – the Goose and the Widgeon – during the late 1930s for the civilian market. However, their military potential could not be ignored, and many were ordered by the US Armed forces and their allies during World War II. Not coincidentally,

1353-482: The more remote locations during the summer months when the only areas suitable for landing are the waterways. Despite the gains of amphibious floats, small flying-boat amphibians continued to be developed into the 1960s, with the Republic Seabee and Lake LA-4 series proving popular, though neither was a commercial success due to factors beyond their makers' control. Many today are homebuilts, by necessity as

1394-535: The needed stability, while floatplane amphibians usually avoid the problem by dividing their buoyancy requirements between two floats, much like a catamaran . Some non-amphibious seaplanes may be mistaken for amphibians (such as the Shin Meiwa PS-1 ) which carry their own beaching gear. Usually, this is a wheeled dolly or temporary set of wheels used to move a flying boat or floatplane from the water and allow it to be moved around on land. It can also appear as

1435-506: The needs of forest firefighting have made these aircraft the aerial means most in demand over more than 30 years." By 1999, a total of 51 orders had been secured for the type; operators have reportedly predominantly used the CL-415 for firefighting and maritime search and rescue purposes. Of the 95 built, seven had reportedly been removed from service as a result of several accidents by December 2007. In 2016/2019, there were 164 in-service CL-215 and CL-415s in 11 countries. On 21 June 2019,

1476-670: The older CL-215 and CL-215T models. The acquisition was finalised on 3 October 2016. Shortly following the acquisition, Viking began work on the design of a modernized CL-515 version. In May 2018 Bridger Aerospace of Bozeman, Montana became the launch customer for the CL-415EAF "Enhanced Aerial Firefighter" with a $ 204 million contract for up to six aircraft. During December 2018, a full-flight CL-415 simulator, capable of simulating water scoop and bombing operations, received European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certification. Prior to this, pilot training had typically involved live flying of

1517-473: The time the programme's production phase had begun, it was owned by Bombardier, who continued production up until 2015. In October 2016, the CL-415 programme was acquired by Viking Air, aiming to produce an updated CL-515, since renamed the De Havilland Canadair 515 , and to be produced in both Victoria, BC and Calgary , Alberta, by De Havilland Canada. Introduced during 1966, the CL-215 was

1558-513: The type were promptly received from several countries, which included several lease and purchase arrangements; by July 1996, 37 examples were reportedly in service with operators in Canada, France, Italy, and Spain. Starting in 1998, the CL-415 was being assembled at Bombardier Aerospace's facility near North Bay/Jack Garland Airport in North Bay, Ontario , and tested on Lake Nipissing . During

1599-623: The weight penalty the undercarriage imposed. Russia also developed a number of important flying boats, including the widely used pre-war Shavrov Sh-2 utility flying boat, and postwar the Beriev Be-12 anti-submarine and maritime patrol amphibian. Development of amphibians continues in Russia with the jet-engined Beriev Be-200 . Italy, bordering the Mediterranean and Adriatic , has had a long history of waterborne aircraft, going back to

1640-564: Was developed for forestry patrol in remote areas; a job that previously was done by canoe and took weeks could be accomplished in hours, revolutionizing forestry conservation. Although successful, flying-boat amphibians like the Vedette ultimately proved less versatile than floatplane amphibians and are no longer as common as they once were. Amphibious floats that could be attached to any aircraft were developed, turning any aircraft into an amphibian, and these continue to be essential for getting into

1681-568: Was to have replaced the wartime Walrus and the Sea Otter but was overtaken by advances in helicopters . From the mid-1920s to the late 1930s in the United States , Sikorsky produced an extensive family of amphibians (the S-34 , S-36 , S-38 , S-39 , S-41 , S-43 ) that were widely used for exploration and as airliners around the globe, helping pioneer many overseas air routes where

Canadair CL-415 - Misplaced Pages Continue

#400599