Family comes first for Coulson Aviation.
The world-renowned aviation company, based in Port Alberni on Vancouver Island, debuted its newest aircraftB次元官网网址攁n aerial firefighting tanker converted from a Boeing 737B次元官网网址攐n Monday, July 4. The occasion was marked with a family barbecue and get-together, where company employees and their family members could gather at the Alberni Valley Regional Airport (AVRA) to view the new aircraft in its completed stage before it travels down to the United States to fight wildfires.
B次元官网网址淲e wanted to invite all the employees and their families out there to see the herculean effort amount of work thatB次元官网网址檚 gone into this,B次元官网网址� explained Britt Coulson, co-president of the Coulson Group.
Coulson said that approximately 40,000 hours of installation and maintenance have gone into the conversion of the aircraft from a Boeing 737 passenger plane to FireLiner, an aerial firefighting tanker. The tank manufacturing, he said, adds up to another 5,000 or 8,000 hours.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 very cool to be able to invite everyoneB次元官网网址檚 family out and have the opportunity to see it in this condition, fully complete, before it goes down and starts fighting fire in the U.S. here in the next week,B次元官网网址� said Coulson. B次元官网网址淓veryone has a lot of pride in the work that they do here.B次元官网网址�
The plane left for Boise, Idaho on July 5, where it will be certified before going on contract with the United States Forest Service by the end of the week.
Although Port Alberni has seen fairly cool temperatures so far this summer, Coulson says fire season is much more active in the U.S. right now.
B次元官网网址淚t started a little bit later this year,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淭here was an early batch [of fires] in March and April. Then there was a little bit of a lull, and now itB次元官网网址檚 starting to kick off again. ThereB次元官网网址檚 a big need and a demand for the airplane.B次元官网网址�
The plane that was debuted on July 4 is only the third FireLiner converted by Coulson Aviation, and the first of the batch to be painted in CoulsonB次元官网网址檚 new livery (matching the companyB次元官网网址檚 C-130s and rotary wing aircraft). The company purchased six 737s from Southwest Airlines a few years ago and recently signed a contract with ArgentinaB次元官网网址檚 province of Santiago del Estero to convert the fourth of the batch for firefighting efforts there. Another is in line behind that to be modified.
Coulson added that the company is working on getting some additional aircraft B次元官网网址渋n the near future.B次元官网网址�
Coulson Aviation is getting plenty of interest in the FireLiner, which has a 4,000-gallon capacity for water or retardant. The newest aircraft will be in the U.S. until the end of November, explained Coulson Group CEO and president Wayne Coulson. After that, it goes on contract to fight fires in Australia.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a competitor to the C-130, which is the platinum aircraft in the world for firefighting,B次元官网网址� said Wayne Coulson. B次元官网网址淎nd now this one is just as comparable.B次元官网网址�
elena.rardon@albernivalleynews.com
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