YFZBOB
Member
SoCal Fire is 20 miles from here, Tanker Base is less than 2. Close enough to hear Tanker Base ground crew.
Yesterday we heard Tanker 44 call in "EMERGENCY LANDING" that they had Hydraulic problems and coming in. Wife and I hurried down to the base, here come Tanker 44. Landing on runway 24. The pilot lands and (assuming he lost brake control) rolls Tanker 44 right into the dirt, mid-field. "AWESOME JOB by the pilot". A few hours later, ground support fixes the hydraulic leak, replaced a right flat Main gear wheel and taxied over to Blues Maintenace Shop. While Tanker 44 was still on the main runway, the heavy's were diverted to alternate base, while smaller aircraft was able to set down and land just past Tanker 44. (Runway is over 13,000 feet long). FYI: You can go down and watch the tankers being loaded and fueled . There's a Grand Stand (Shaded) for spectators to watch from. Close enough you can wave at the pilots. While the runnway was basicly closed to Tankers. The ground support crew gave us a Hands On Tour of the complex. Once Tanker 44 was off the runway. The place was once again, Buzzing with Tankers!
Yesterday we heard Tanker 44 call in "EMERGENCY LANDING" that they had Hydraulic problems and coming in. Wife and I hurried down to the base, here come Tanker 44. Landing on runway 24. The pilot lands and (assuming he lost brake control) rolls Tanker 44 right into the dirt, mid-field. "AWESOME JOB by the pilot". A few hours later, ground support fixes the hydraulic leak, replaced a right flat Main gear wheel and taxied over to Blues Maintenace Shop. While Tanker 44 was still on the main runway, the heavy's were diverted to alternate base, while smaller aircraft was able to set down and land just past Tanker 44. (Runway is over 13,000 feet long). FYI: You can go down and watch the tankers being loaded and fueled . There's a Grand Stand (Shaded) for spectators to watch from. Close enough you can wave at the pilots. While the runnway was basicly closed to Tankers. The ground support crew gave us a Hands On Tour of the complex. Once Tanker 44 was off the runway. The place was once again, Buzzing with Tankers!
