Documental 43 Grupo

Video from the channel Canadair 415 about Canadair CL-415, linked on its Above Ten Thousand entry. Duration: 51:16. Language: Spanish. Video type: Documentary.

The documentary portrays the 43rd Air Force Group of the Spanish Air Force, the Spanish amphibious aircraft unit dedicated mainly to fighting forest fires. It explains what an amphibian is: an aircraft with a boat-like hull and nautical equipment (anchor, boat hook, lines) that can operate from water and from land. It also shows the training of pilots and mechanics, maintenance, and the organisation of the summer campaign.

Spain has been flying seaplanes since 1915, and the 43rd Group presents itself as heir to that tradition. The first firefighting aircraft appeared in the United States and Canada, where surplus aircraft from the world wars were used against fires in remote forest areas. Later, manufacturers designed aircraft specifically for the task. Canadair, which in the 1980s bought Bombardier, built the CL-215 and the 415. In 1969 the first trials were carried out in Galicia and in reservoirs across the peninsula, leading to the purchase of the CL-215. The State entrusted its operation and maintenance to the Air Force, a formula no other country used at the time. The aircraft were flown in from Montreal in three legs, via Newfoundland and the Lajes base in the Azores, to Getafe. The Atlantic leg lasted 9 hours and 50 minutes, mostly without radio aids. Later the Pratt & Whitney R-2800 piston engines were replaced by Pratt & Whitney PW123AF turboprops. In 2006 the 415 model arrived, distinguished by its water system and avionics.

The group has about 170 people: half are crew members and the rest maintenance and support staff. The campaign runs from 1 June to 30 September, with aircraft spread across detachments. The rest of the year, two crews are always on alert. Training includes a theoretical phase of one or two months and a flight phase of four to six months, with a flight trainer for emergencies. Preventive maintenance is done every 25 and 50 hours at Torrejón, and major overhauls at the Maestranza in Albacete. The pilots describe how water is scooped from calm reservoirs ("mirror scooping"), how the aircraft is controlled when releasing close to 6,000 litres, and the risk posed by power lines. Forestry officials from the Ministry and the regional governments value the unit's role, which also supports the search and rescue service.