Across the world, forest fires are held at bay by the most efficient airborne firefighting platform
the world has ever seen. It can skim the water to refill its tanks without landing, and deliver
a high volume of water directly where it's needed. It’s the Canadair CL-215 Scooper family
of water bombers, the most successful series of amphibious aircraft since the second world war.
The story of the Cl-215 starts in 1954 with Canadair’s plan to build a bush plane for
use in the Canadian wilderness. Called the CL-43, it was designed to be a workhorse to
remote regions in the north and was meant to replace the aging Douglas DC-3 transports.
Designed as a land-based short take off and landing plane,
it had a large clam shell rear loading doors and twin tail booms. This made the CL-43 capable to
act as a logistics transport, as well as an air ambulance, and personnel or vehicle transport.
Canadair approached the Government of Quebec hoping to find a buyer for their new bush plane,
but they weren't interested. The DC-3 that it was meant to replace were flooding the market
and Canadair itself was responsible for converting over 400 Douglas C-47s,
the surplused military version of the DC-3, for commercial use.
There was simply no demand for the 43, however the Quebec government did mention their interest
in aerial fire fighting abilities, and a need for a new flying boat to replace their aging Cansos.
Canadair was able to take advantage of the pioneering work done by the Ontario
Provincial Air Service in this field. They had a lot of success converting Beaver float
planes and Canso flying boats into aerial firefighters. Based on this, two basic
designs were being considered for the CL-204; a floatplane version and a flying boat version.
The CL-43 design was used as the basis for the floatplane version.
It had streamlined construction techniques integrated into its design.
Firefighting was also considered as a primary role for the 204. It could be fitted with a large
5,400L plywood tank that was filled by scoops located in the floats by skimming the water.
The 204 was limited as a design and wouldn't be able to fully realise their goals.
The flying boat version showed more promise. It was capable of fulfilling the firefighting role
as well as replacing the other roles of the Canadian Vickers PBV-1 "Canso".
This took the project in a new direction, instead of floats or a flying boat configuration,
the plane would now be designed as an amphibian. Its designers had a long list of applications for
it in mind. They envisioned it as a utility transport, or used in maritime surveillance,
search and rescue, and aerial spraying. The project was renamed the CL-215 in 1964 as Canadair
engineers and designers set to work refining its shape through wind tunnel and water tank testing.
With the project now taking shape, in 1965 Canadair secured funding from the
government of Quebec. They agreed to cover 50% of the cost of acquiring the aircraft
and 50% of the development costs. They also ordered 20 aircraft. Later the Government of
France placed a firm order for 10 aircraft. However this deal came with the condition
that the Canadian government buy 7 Falcon Mystère-20 business jets, to which they agreed.
These orders and Quebec's investment allowed Canadair to begin construction on a prototype.
Its designers had wanted to build a jack of all trades amphibian,
but the deal with Quebec and France was focused on firefighting.
All the other applications would have to be developed around that primary function.
Production of the prototype started in February of 1966 at their plant in Cartierville, Quebec.
The CL-215 was a large plane measuring 19.82 m (65 ft 0½ in) long, 8.98 m (29 ft 6 in) tall
at the tail, and a wingspan of 28.60 m (93 ft 10 in). 2x Pratt & Whitney R-2800-83AM
18-cylinder radial engines are mounted above the wing.
The design is fully amphibious meaning that it can land in water like a flying boat
or land normally at an airstrip using the landing gear it keeps stowed above the boat hull section.
It had a cruising speed of 291 km/h and carried enough fuel to remain airborne for over 6 hours.
Most important to its primary role, it carried a 5455 litre water tank.
These tanks could be filled in under 12 seconds using two retractable scoops.
No pumps are necessary to move the water up the pipe and into the tank, the forward motion of the
plane through the water provides the required pressure. Dropping the water is decisively
simple. There are no fancy aiming devices, just lots of practice and a lever in the cockpit.
Two large doors beneath the tanks open and their contents are purged within a few seconds.
With its low stall speed of 123km/h, high maneuverability and long endurance,
the 215 had fantastic performance as a low and slow water bomber. No other plane was
capable of this kind of performance and Canadiar knew they had a world beater on their hands.
The first flight of the CL-215 would take place on October 23rd 1967.
Testing continued and the aerodynamics and operating procedures were refined.
The first customers outside of the Government of Quebec was France's Civil Protection Agency,
Sécurité Civile. They were eager to get their hands on their unique plane but certification
issues held up delivery. The Canadian Department of Transport finally gave their approval of the
plane on March 7th, 1969 and France received their first aircraft in June of 1969.
Finally the FAA approved the plane on May 15th, 1969 but placed it in the restricted category.
This meant that it was limited to 150 hours between engine overhauls,
no instrument flying, no night flight, no flying over populated areas, and no passenger transport.
This would limit sales to firefighting roles but Canadair would still have plenty of customers.
The government of Quebec received their first aircraft in June of 1970.
More customers were lining up to buy this incredible new plane.
These included other Canadian provinces, Italy, Spain, Yugoslavia, Venezuela, Croatia, and Greece.
These sales made the scooper the most successful amphibious flying boat since the second world war.
Two other variants were produced; the CL-215 B and C. The B model was slightly
adapted to be more capable in the search and rescue or commercial freight roles.
While the C model was stripped of all its firefighting gear and instead equipped with a
revised underfloor structure, larger side-mounted doors and more windows in the main cabin area.
It could carry up to 36 passengers or commercial freight.
Thailand would be one of the sole operators of the 215s in the search and rescue role.
Production of the base model 215 continued until May 1990.
Up to that point they had completed 125 aircraft and delivered them to customers in 11 countries.
The next stage in the evolution of the 215 was to replace the radial engines with modern turbo
props. This would increase engine power while also providing enhanced safety and reliability.
To improve aerodynamics, It would also have a redesigned rear empennage
with finlets and a bullet fairing added to the root of the tail. The cockpit would be installed
with an air conditioner as well as various upgraded electrical and avionics systems.
Around this time Canadair was in the process of being acquired by Bombardier. In 1986,
after a series of financial losses due to their investment in the Challenger business jet project,
the federal government decided to sell Canadair, which was a crown corporation at the time,
to Bombardier. Bombardier largely resolved the financial issues they had inherited up to that
point and went on to purchase the American Learjet and the Irish Short Brothers aircraft companies.
Later they would also acquire de Havilland Aircraft of Canada from Boeing. These
acquisitions quickly positioned Bombardier as the leading aircraft manufacturer in the country.
Two Cl-215s were converted to the Cl-215T standard in 1989 to act as technology demonstrators.
They were equipped with the PW123AF turboprop engines
in place of the old radials. The 215T and subsequent models can also be fitted
with 4 tanks of chemical retardant that can be mixed with the water.
Although a big improvement over the original, market research indicated that sales of a
production version CL-215T would be few and far between. Bombardier officials then decided to
focus on making retrofit upgrade kits that brought existing CL-215s up to the T standard. The CL-215T
was certified by the Department of Transport in March 1991 and the American FAA in March of 1993.
At least 22 conversions to this standard were completed. Cascade Aerospace of Abbotsford,
B.C. are continuing to retrofit old 215 models to the T standard. According to their assessment
there are still around 24 piston powered 215s operating worldwide that can be upgraded.
Following the success of the 215T conversion kits, Bombardier decided to revive the Scooper project
by creating the all new CL-415. It was heavily based on the CL-215T but did include some changes.
It had 4 water drop doors instead of the 215s 2. It was also rated to
carry a slightly heavier payload and came with a fully electronic avionics suite.
The first production prototype was finished in 1993 and took its first flight later that year
in December. On June 24th, 1994 the type received certification from the Department of Transport
and first deliveries took place in November. By July 1996 37 aircraft
were in service with operators in Canada, France, Italy, and Spain.
Production of the CL-415 was moved from Cartierville, Quebec
to Bombardier’s facility in North Bay, Ontario in 1998. There were further sales to Croatia
and some private contract firefighting fleets in the early 2000s. Sales for the 415 slowed down
in the early 2010s however and Bombardier chose to close down production in 2015.
In total 95 CL-415s were built and continue to serve with operators across the world.
The 2010s were a bad time for Bombardier. They were severely overstretched due to their CSeries
airliner project. Looking to liquidate some underperforming assets, they began talks with
Viking Air based in British Columbia. They started as a component manufacturing company but were
looking to expand their business into producing conversion kits and new production aircraft. In
2016 they bought the intellectual property rights in a deal worth $37 million dollars
for the all the discontinued de Havilland Canada designs: the DHC-1 Chipmunk, DHC-2 Beaver,
DHC-3 Otter, DHC-4 Caribou, DHC-5 Buffalo, DHC-6 Twin Otter and DHC-7 Dash 7. This was followed up
in 2016 when Viking also bought type certificates for the CL-215, CL-215T, and CL-415. In June 2019
they also acquired the SC7 Skyvan, SD330, SD360 and Sherpa from Bombardier’s Shorts Brothers.
Viking has produced two retrofit kits for the CL-415. The 415EAF, or Enhanced Aerial
Firefighter, project was started in 2018. It features a Collins integrated digital avionics
suite in the cockpit along with an increased water tank capacity, a 2 door dropping system,
and a redesigned rear empennage. The 415EAF is equipped with two PW123AF turbine engines
for increased power and performance. The first of the CL-415EAF conversions was
completed in early 2020. It took its first flight on March 9th,
2020. 6 converted airframes were ordered and delivered to Bridger Aerospace of Bozeman,
Montana. More EAF conversions are currently underway at their facility in Calgary, Alberta.
The second Viking retrofit kit is to the 415MP standard. This was developed for Malaysia to use
in maritime patrol. The firefighting equipment has been removed, the floor redesigned,
and a Digital data and video recording system, High-speed satellite data link,
Side-Looking Airborne Radar, infrared sensors, and a Radio direction finder was installed.
Viking Air’s new production version, called the CL-515 First Responder, has been in development
since 2018. It was supposed to launch in 2020 but the global pandemic changed their plans.
It has many new modifications that allow it to be more versatile in and out of fire season.
In addition to larger 7000L water tanks, it is also equipped with a larger cargo door,
fitting for a spray boom for insect control or oil spill dispersant,
and the maritime surveillance electronics found on the MP model.
The launch customer for the new type is Indonesia. They’ve ordered 2 fire fighting models and
4 multi-mission search and rescue models. Deliveries are expected to be made in 2024.
CL-215s and CL-215Ts have been involved in 30 accidents over its long service life,
19 of which were fatal. The CL-415s have been involved in 10 crashes,
tragically most of these were fatal. France, Greece, and Italy have each lost 3,
while Portugal and Canada have each lost 1. Given the dangerous missions these aircraft fly,
and compared with others flying in a similar role, the safety record of the Scoopers is pretty good.
This is of course no consolation to the families and friends of those lost flying the type.
The CL-215 series of water bombers are unquestionably the best aerial
firefighters in the world. As compared with other aircraft flying similar missions, the 215 stands
in a class of its own. In a single days work, a helicopter could do 49 drops totalling 185,000L,
land based aircraft could do around 15 drops totalling 200,000L,
and the mighty DC-10 tanker could do 8 drops totalling 312,000L. The CL-215 by contrast
could perform 115 drops totalling an incredible 690,000L of water. With performance like this,
Canadair’s most iconic civil aircraft will grace our skies for years to come.