The HISTORY of AERIAL FIREFIGHTING: The CANADAIR 415.

Video from the channel Aviation Curiosity about Canadair CL-415, linked on its Above Ten Thousand entry. Duration: 4:38. Language: Italian. Video type: Documentary.

Educational piece in Italian that reviews the history of the Canadair CL-415, the best-known firefighting amphibian, and explains how it scoops up and drops water.

It recalls that in the mid-20th century, mainly in the United States, Second World War aircraft were adapted with small tanks. It was an impractical solution, and Canadair was commissioned to build a purpose-built firefighting aircraft: the CL-215, able to carry almost 5,000 litres. In the 1990s the company designed its successor, the CL-415.

The CL-415 fills its 6,137-litre tanks in about 12 seconds: it touches down on water at around 70 knots and needs just over 400 metres to do so. It releases its load at about 100 feet of altitude. According to the video, 95 units were built, of which around 80 remain in service in countries such as France, Italy, Canada and Greece. It also mentions the 747 Supertanker and the MD-10.