Air tanker may be the answer to fight fires from above

A Santa Maria businessman envisions Russian-made air tankers taking off from Santa Maria's airport on their way to drop water or retardant on raging wildfires.

David Baskett, president of American Ethanol Inc., sees the modern Be-200 amphibious aircraft as a replacement for America's aging air tanker fleet. He also foresees the creation of high-end aviation jobs in Santa Maria - where the planes would be based.

Most U.S. air tankers are converted military aircraft designed in the 1940s and 1950s, Baskett said. He cited commonly used P-3 Orions and P-2 Neputunes as examples of airframes converted to firefighting from military use.

"None of them are getting younger," he said.

However, the Be-200, built by Russian aircraft maker Irkut, is a twin-jet engine "flying boat" designed specifically in the 1990s for air tanker operations. The Be-200 first flew in 2003.

"At some point, other than demonstrations, (older planes) get retired to museums," Baskett said.

The Be-200, also known as Altair, and a Russian flight crew are tentatively scheduled to arrive at Santa Maria Public Airport on Sept. 26 for a month-long slate of demonstration flights for various government agencies and air tanker operators. It would be the plane's first U.S. appearance.

Bob Morrison, who is handling media relations for the visit, said it will be an exciting day for the airport and Santa Maria when the plane comes to town to show what it can do.

The exhibition is meant as a "show and tell" to familiarize prospective air tanker contractors with the aircraft, Baskett said. The planes would be rented or leased to operators, he said.

One hurdle is U.S. government clearance for the plane .

Rick Hatton, managing partner of 10 Tanker Air Carrier, the Victorville-based operator of two DC-10 super tankers used on this year's Jesusita Fire, said a problem of bringing in foreign aircraft, in particular from Russia, is certification from the Federal Aviation Administration.

Hatton, whose company doesn't operate foreign aircraft, described the process as "horrendously complicated" because standards outside western countries are different.

Santa Maria-based TTE International, Inc., of which Baskett is also the president, has been working with the Russian government to bring the plane to the U.S., he said. Civil and military aviation from the former Soviet Union is listed as a specialty on the company Web site.

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Baskett's interest in aviation dates back to the late 1950s as the son of missionary parents in the Philippines, where he was a student pilot. He spent 20 years in the Army flying helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft.

In 1999, Baskett founded the now defunct Santa Maria-based Pacific Skyway airline, which went bankrupt in April 2001.

Helmed by a two-person flight crew, the Be-200 has eight tanks, located under the cabin floor, capable of dropping 12 tons of water or retardant in 0.8-seconds to 1-second at a minimum speed of 135 mph. Its turbofan engines are located above the wing and to the rear to avoid water spray into the engines.

The aircraft can drop

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270 tons - one ton is

2,000 pounds - of water into a fire area without refueling, according to the Beriev Aircraft Company Web site. Its four water scoops can pick up 12 tons of water in 14 seconds while gliding on the water surface.

Be-200s would be able

to land at Lake Cachuma, for example, and fill up

their tanks.

A fleet of 10 Be-200s would be based at Santa Maria Public Airport, also known as SMX, Baskett said. The existing SMX runway is long enough to accommodate the aircraft, he said.

Besides creating local jobs, the Altair would offer faster, less costly fire suppression with a safer, more versatile aircraft that what is in use now.

The cost of a new Be-200 is comparable to that of a Boeing 737, Baskett said.

Depending on what version, a 737 costs between $51 million and $87 million, according to Boeing.

The BE-200 is in service with Russia's Ministry of Emergency Situations and Azerbaijan's Ministry of Emergencies. Russia sent a BE-200 to Greece last week to battle wildfires that scorched suburbs in the Athens area.

SMX has been the aerial reload headquarters for fighting fires from Ventura County to San Luis Obispo County for the past two fire seasons. Tankers have used the base to refuel and to fill up with red-colored fire-retardant material.

The Central Coast Jet Center at SMX developed an air tanker base in 2007, and leases the facility to the U.S. Forest Service, which also contracts for air tankers and fire retardant.

Jim Kunkle, Central Coast Jet Center owner, said he wouldn't comment on the Be-200 until he had confirmation the Forest Service had been contacted about the visit.

August 28, 2009