Canadair CL-215

Air Canada CL-215 History

Specialized tools are also required for the firefighting profession. A prime example is the Air Canada CL-215, a purpose-built "amphibious" aircraft designed (and from the outset) to control the spread of wildfires by dropping large amounts of water/fire retardant solutions to fight wildfires. The aircraft is currently (2020) operational in Canada, Greece, Italy, Spain, Thailand, Turkey and the US, with 125 of these aircraft built between 1969 and 1990 (eventually taken over by Bombardier).

The first flight was recorded on October 23, 1967.

Former operators include Croatia, France, Venezuela and Yugoslavia.

The CL-215 is built with a crew of 2 (side-by-side in the cockpit) and can carry up to 26 passengers in forward-facing seats (if equipped). The aircraft has a barrel length of 65 feet, a wingspan of 93.9 feet and a height of 29.2 feet.

Empty weight is 26,808 pounds, while MTOW is 43,500 pounds (on land, this reduces to 37,700 pounds on water).

Externally, the aircraft gained a boat-like fuselage for water operations, with a straight main plane positioned high on the fuselage to improve lift (essential for slow, low-altitude flight). The engines are mounted on top of the main aircraft to better clean the spray and provide the pilot with an excellent view of each unit. The fuselage is board-side with a short nose assembly and tapered tail.

The empennage consists of a high extension vertical fin with a centrally mounted horizontal plane. The wheeled landing gear is retractable and belongs to the tricycle category, allowing aircraft to take off and land from prepared runways.

Propulsion is provided by 2 Pratt & Whitney R-2800-83AM 18-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engines, 2,100 hp each, driving a three-blade propeller unit. Performance specs include a cruising speed of 180 miles per hour, a range of up to 1,300 miles and a rate of climb of 1,000 feet per minute.

The original production brand was the aforementioned CL-215A, followed by the similar CL-215B. The B model is also equipped with a Search and Rescue (SAR) role.

The CL-215C followed, losing the depth charge capability, and it was modified to add larger doors and windows to carry passengers through a maximum 36-seat layout.

The CL-215T was introduced in 1987 with a new wing and tail and an upgraded PW turboprop. First flight on June 8, 1989, two airworthy prototypes paved the way for the release of retrofit kits. This work resulted in the CL-415EAF standard.

The Viking Air CL-415 and the Viking Air/Viking Aviation CL-515 are both offshoots of the baseline CL-215. The 2020 CL???-415EAF features enhanced throughout the major components, a more powerful Pratt & Whitney turboprop and EFIS package, resulting in a more powerful and capable firefighting platform.

The CL-515 is a CL-215 aircraft upgraded to CL415EAF standard by Viking Aviation.

Specification

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