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Google Sightseeing takes you on tour of the world as seen from satellite, using the free Google Earth program, or Google Maps in your web browser. Each weekday your guides James and Alex present new weird and wonderful sights as suggested by readers.

The editors: James & Alex

Canadair Planes

Saturday, 15th October 2005 by James

These yellow planes parked in France are aerial water bombers, used to fight forest fires. They are commonly known as “Canadair” planes, after the company who manufactured them (although Canadair has been bought out by Bombardier Aerospace).

The planes skim along a lake or reservoir as shallow as two metres to collect over 5,000 litres in just 12 seconds. They then drop the water over the forest fire either all in one or as a sustained shower. Here’s a photo of one such plane in action.

Thanks: Jerome

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Locations: France / Categories:

5 Responses to 'Canadair Planes'

  1. 1. Josh says: October 15th, 2005 at 12:51 am

    here is some more Placemark: Google Maps / Google Earth

  2. 2. Andy says: October 15th, 2005 at 1:24 am

    Anyone see that TV show where they tried to prove or disprove the idea that a diver could get sucked up into one of these things and then deposited, dead, on top of a scorched forest? It as quite fun, they rigged up a huge pump and a swimming pool and a dummy. All kinds of fun.

  3. 3. Eric says: October 15th, 2005 at 4:20 am

    2 more CL215 and CL415

    Placemark: Google Maps / Google Earth

  4. 4. Pedro says: October 15th, 2005 at 5:49 pm

    We saw so many of them here in Portugal this summer. :(

  5. 5. pooms says: October 17th, 2005 at 7:07 pm

    Too bad this isn’t in high-resolution:
    Placemark: Google Maps / Google Earth
    As I’m pretty sure that the two white spots in the lake are the two Martin Mars waterbombers operated by Flying Tankers:
    http://www.martinmars.com/
    According to the web site, “the world’s largest flying boats ever flown operationally”.
    Some more pictures: http://www.gotofino.com/sproatlakemarsbombers.html

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