A bird flying to the aid of our forests, the Canadair, also called “Pelican” according to its radio callsign, has left its mark on minds and landscapes for decades. Amphibious aircraft and red and yellow water bomber, the first Canadair was operational in France in 1967, which until then had used Catalinas (which lasted until the 1970s). The CL215, specifically designed for these forest firefighting missions, then gave way to the CL415 at the end of the 1980s, the model we know today.
Since its arrival within the Civil Security fleet, the Canadair has quickly become essential in the fight against fires, complementing the action of firefighters and rescuers on the ground. To deal with the flames, other air assets have since joined it: the Tracker, in the early 1980s, the Beechcraft in the 1990s, for coordination and reconnaissance operations, and the Dash in 2004, a bomber plane. water or retardant. Dragon helicopters are also valuable allies in guiding the action of bomber planes and facilitating air-ground coordination.
France today has 12 Canadairs, positioned at the Nîmes-Garons Civil Security base, in Gard. They can be mobilized throughout the territory, in the form of seasonal detachments or depending on the operational situation. As part of international solidarity, these planes can also intervene outside our borders.
Impressive by its size, its colors and its power, the Canadair is also impressive by the prowess and technicality of the 40 pilots who are capable of scooping out 6 tonnes of water, over 800 meters, in 12 seconds and at 120 km/ h. In one hour, a Canadair can carry out 6 drops. On average, a Canadair flies 270 hours per year, including 140 hours fighting fires, and carries out 950 drops.
