ACS Appointed Agent for Largest Fire Fighting Aircraft in the World

CharterX Professional Plus member Air Charter Service is delighted to announce that it has signed an exclusive contract with Evergreen International Aviation of Oregon, USA to become the European agent for its Boeing 747 Supertanker.

Since 2002, Evergreen International Aviation has been developing the Supertanker - an advanced aerial fire fighting aircraft converted from a Boeing 747. The aircraft’s drop capabilities, effectiveness, safety standards and operational flexibility are all revolutionary.  It is the most advanced, targeted and largest capacity fire fighting jet in the world. With a 77,600 litre (20,500 gallons) capacity, it is capable of carrying almost twice the amount of retardant than any other fire fighting aircraft. It is also the only aircraft to have a variable pressure delivery system, and is able to perform segmented drops, meaning it can fight more than one fire in a single mission. It also has loiter capability enabling ground control to direct it to specific areas.

The Supertanker also has the ability to respond quickly to a variety of environmental and homeland security threats. Wide area decontamination, soil stabilization, oil spill response, and radiation knockdown are all within the response capability of the Supertanker, making it the most versatile aerial application vehicle in the World.   

The Supertanker won certification for operation this season after receiving its interim approval letter from the Interagency Air Tanker Board. The aircraft also received its Supplemental Type Certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in November 2008. It is now available to assist world fire fighting agencies during the 2009 season and beyond. The award is unique because the Supertanker has an 8:1 drop ratio compared to that of all other current fire fighting aircraft, meaning the Supertanker will forever change the way wild land fires are fought. The plane is the first of a fleet designed to accommodate the needs of U.S. and International private and public agencies.

Tony Bauckham, Managing Director of ACS, was formerly Executive Vice President of Evergreen International Airlines, and was involved from the early stages in the development of the Supertanker. He commented: “After so much hard work from the Evergreen team it is exciting to see this project completed. ACS feels privileged to be able to offer this aircraft within Europe to reduce the damage caused by costly forest fires. Europe has experienced several notable forest fires in the last few years, and the Supertanker is a major addition to the continent’s fire fighting capabilities.”

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