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Fire Retardant Slurry Bomber 01, Jeffco Airport, Colorado, July 2000
Edited by David Barth December 2015. Photos were taken by David Barth.
I happened to meet the pilot and his wife. They spent six months of each year living in the plane, flying from fire to fire in this former Lockheed P2V Neptune submarine hunter converted to carry a load of fire retardant.
Although the plane was very sparse inside, they had fashioned beds, places to sit, as well as storage for food and supplies. They said when they would land at an airport to wait for a fire call, they would get a cab or a ride to the nearest town where they could get a motel to clean up, buy supplies and food, and enjoy a movie.
They said that they made enough money during the fire season to not have to work the rest of the year. They said they really enjoyed the flying life. They compared the plane to an RV where they could travel all around the western US, following fires, a sort of nomadic life with an airplane.
When I met them, they were at Jeffco Airport waiting for a fire call. Jeffco is a slurry station where these bombers can load up with fire retardant. They invited me to board their plane.
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| Fire Retardant Slurry Bomber 01, Jeffco Airport, Colorado, July 2000. |
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| Fire Retardant Slurry Bomber 01, Jeffco Airport, Colorado, July 2000. |
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| Fire Retardant Slurry Bomber 01, Jeffco Airport, Colorado, July 2000. |
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| Fire Retardant Slurry Bomber 01, Jeffco Airport, Colorado, July 2000. |
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| Fire Retardant Slurry Bomber 01, Jeffco Airport, Colorado, July 2000. |
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| Pilot of this fire retardant slurry bomber, 01, Jeffco Airport, Colorado, July 2000. |
Jeffco Airport was renamed Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport on October 10, 2006.