“We take the heat out of the fire so the guys on the ground can get close enough to do the job that they need to do,” said Fennen.ĭauntless Air expects to be stationed in Gaylord until June. We like to have a mile-long lake, but with the right wind conditions, we can scoop up to 800 gallons of water in about a half a mile of water,” said Fennen.Īfter the pilots load up their fire boss, they head to fight the fire. When a call comes in, it only takes 15 minutes for the planes to be up in the air, and once up, they head to a water source. becomes very wooded, what we also call the urban interface area where we have housing intermixed with the wildland areas,” said Chad Runyan, North Zone Aviation Officer, U.S. The northern half of the Lower Peninsula and also through the U.P. “Gaylord, Michigan is very central to our operations area. They have Fire Boss planes, and they are stationed at the Gaylord airport. “We are a quick response, initial attack tool to get on the fire as soon as it pops, and the quicker we can get there and start delivering water, the greater success we’ll have in controlling that fire,” said David Fennen, Pilot, Fire Boss. The wide stance of the gear on the ground also made it easier for armorers to attach bombs to the aircraft-in this case, a single bomb would have been in the narrow space, seen at the center of the photograph between the main gear wheels.A special team of pilots is on high alert if a significant fire breaks out in Northern Michigan.ĭauntless Air travels the country depending on where there is a high risk for wildland fire. Those are the faired-over hubs, attached to the wheels by three screws, which you can see near the outer edge of the covers.Īside from helping with a stable take-off and landing, the retractable gear served another important purpose on the Dauntless. Looking closely at this photograph, you can see the solid, metal areas at the center of the wheels. In the case of the Dauntless, the retractable gear also made the airplane more stable in a diving attack. A CHANGING ENVIRONMENT How to Strengthen Initial Response and Direct Attack Capabilities for Success in Todays World Brett LEsperance, Dauntless Air. This improves the speed and range of the aircraft. ![]() In the case of the Dauntless, the aircraft’s engineers decided to compromise on streamlining and save weight by leaving the wheels themselves exposed when raised, but with faired-over hubs and a close fit to the wing to minimize drag. Inward and outward retracting gear (like the kind pictured here on the Dauntless) provides a flat stowage of the wheel, eliminating the need for deep wheel wells or complicated folding mechanisms. The way that this type of gear is configured puts more weight further out on the wing, which affects how the aircraft handles in the air, and is a consideration in pulling off aerobatic maneuvers. Though the Dauntless' wings don't fold, many naval aircraft's wings do, and engineers must take this into account when placing the retractable wheels. But, it also impacts the weight and maneuverability of the aircraft. Inward-retracting gear like this allows for a wide stance on the ground, which makes for a more stable take-off and landing. The struts on the landing gear fold in, bringing the wheels horizontally into the fuselage. The addition brings the company’s total owned and operated aircraft to 13 Fire Bosses and one wheeled AT-802F aircraft. The Douglas SBD-6 Dauntless-an aircraft that helped the United States win the Battle of Midway during World War II-uses inward-retracting gear. Dauntless Air, an aerial firefighting company deeply dedicated to protecting people, land and property from the devastation of wildfires, today announced it has added two AT-802F Fire Boss aircraft to its fleet. By the 1930s, landing gear was being developed for other aircraft models, bringing with it an increase in speed and efficiency.Īn airplane’s landing gear is a compromise between how it handles on the ground, and other factors that impact how a plane handles in the sky, like weight, performance, and reliability. This aircraft was amphibious, so the retractable wheels were used to help the Triad take-off or land on water. ![]() Wheels-up! The retractable landing gear that is now commonplace on commercial and military aircraft was first developed for Glen Curtiss’ Triad airplane in 1911. On June 4, 1942, during the Battle of Midway, SBDs destroyed four Japanese carriers, dramatically altering the course of the war. It played a major role throughout the Pacific. The Douglas SBD Dauntless was one of the truly great aircraft of World War II.
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