CL-415 Plane | Colossal Machines | National Geographic MENA

Video from the channel NatGeo MENA about Canadair CL-415, linked on its Above Ten Thousand entry. Duration: 2:07. Language: English. Video type: Documentary.

This clip from National Geographic's "Colossal Machines" series explains how the CL-415 reloads water without returning to base. It only needs a stretch of water about 1.4 m deep and around 2,000 m long to fill its tank in 12 seconds and head back to the fire.

The aircraft can stay on a mission for up to three hours. It typically makes nine drops from a water source 10 km away, or scoops six times an hour before refuelling. That, together with the turboprop engines, reduces the fuel burned per litre of water compared with aircraft that load on the ground.

The fuselage is shaped like a boat hull so it can take off from water. The engines sit high on the wing so the propellers don't touch the water, and floats on the wingtips keep it from tipping over.