Photo (c) Roy Blewett

Air Tanker Identification

U.S. airtankers

NO. OWNER/OPERATOR AC TYPE Registration C/n Remarks PHOTO
00 Aero Union Corp P-3A N900AU 5104   PHOTO
01 Aero Union Corp SP-2H N701AU 726-7190   PHOTO
02 Aero Union Corp C-54A N11712 3088; became C-FBAJ   PHOTO
03 Aero Union Corp - - not assigned   NO PHOTO
04 Neptune, Inc - - not assigned   NO PHOTO
05 Neptune, Inc P-2E N96278 426-5340   PHOTO , 2, 3
06 Neptune, Inc P-2E N9855F 426-5326   PHOTO
07 Neptune, Inc P-2E N807NA 426-5305 Ex/N1386K PHOTO
09 Neptune, Inc P-2H N4235T 726-7285   PHOTO
10 Neptune, Inc P-2H N4235N 726-7158   PHOTO
11 Neptune, Inc P-2H N14447 826-8010   PHOTO
12 Neptune, Inc P-2H N96264 426-5192   PHOTO
13 Aero Union Corp C-54D N62342 10613; became C-FBAK   PHOTO
14 Aero Union Corp C-54E N62297 27328   PHOTO
15 Aero Union Corp C-54G N2742G 36089   PHOTO
16 Aero Union Corp SP-2H N716AU 726-7065   PHOTO
18 Aero Union Corp SP-2H N718AU 726-7214   PHOTO
20 Aero Union Corp P-3A N920AU 5039   PHOTO
21 Aero Union Corp P-3A N921AU 5098   PHOTO
22 Aero Union Corp P-3A N922AU 5100   PHOTO
23 Aero Union Corp P-3A N923AU 5085   PHOTO
25 Aero Union Corp P-3A N925AU 5074   PHOTO
26 Aero Union Corp P-3B N926AU 5171; cr. 20Apr05   PHOTO
27 Aero Union Corp P-3A N927AU 5082   PHOTO
30 International Air Response, Inc. C-130A N116TG 3086; cr. 06Sep00   PHOTO REQUIRED
31 International Air Response, Inc. C-130A N117TG 3018   PHOTO
32 International Air Response, Inc. C-130 N118TG 3219   PHOTO
33 International Air Response, Inc. DC-7B N4887C 45351   PHOTO
37 Hirth Air Tankers PV-2 N7458C 15-1200; stored   PHOTO
38 Hirth Air Tankers PV-2 N6856C 15-1156; cr. 20Apr97   PHOTO
39 Hirth Air Tankers PV-2 N7080C 15-1465; for sale   PHOTO
42 Neptune Inc P-2H N442NA 7286 Ex Bu 150283, N712AU PHOTO req'd
43 Neptune Inc P-2H N443NA 7168 Ex H&P, T139 PHOTO
44 Neptune, Inc P-2E N1386C 426-5268   PHOTO
45 Neptune Inc P-2H N445NA 7102 Ex H&P, T140 Photo req'd
48 Minden Air SP-2H N4692A 726-7247   PHOTO
49 SLAFCO Inc PBY-6A N2886D 2104   PHOTO
53 SLAFCO Inc PBY-5A N9505C 34027   PHOTO
55 Minden Air Inc P-2V N355MA 726-7229   PHOTO
60 TBM, Inc DC-7B N838D 45347   PHOTO
62 TBM, Inc DC-7 N401US 45145   PHOTO
63 TBM, Inc C-130A N473TM 3081   PHOTO
64 TBM, Inc C-130A N466TM 3173   PHOTO
65 TBM, Inc C-54E N8502R 27367   PHOTO
66 TBM, Inc DC-7 N6353C 45486   PHOTO
67 TBM, Inc C-130A N531BA 3139   PHOTO
68 TBM, Inc DC-6 N90739 43044 Up for scrapping, 2007 PHOTO
70 CDF S-2T N427DF 326C   PHOTO
71 CDF S-2A N443DF 195 replaced PHOTO
71 CDF S-2T N432DF 112C   PHOTO
72 CDF S-2T N435DF 329C   PHOTO
73 CDF S-2T N437DF 123C   PHOTO
74 CDF S-2A N411DF 476 Wheels up landing 20Jul01,
preserved Paso Robles museum
PHOTO
74 CDF S-2T N439DF 129C   PHOTO
75 CDF S-2 N420DF 388 replaced;fate? PHOTO 1
PHOTO 2
75 CDF S-2T N444DF 187C   PHOTO
76 CDF S-2 N417DF 061   PHOTO
77 CDF S-2 N423DF 246   PHOTO
78 CDF S-2 N412DF 222   PHOTO
79 CDF S-2   c/n???   PHOTO AND REG ??
80 CDF S-2A N404DF 455   PHOTO
81 CDF S-2A N447DF 417   PHOTO
82 CDF S-2T N422DF 286C   PHOTO
83 CDF S-2T N424DF 289C   PHOTO
84 CDF S-2A N443DF 195   PHOTO
85 Flying Firemen PBY-5A N85U 64041   PHOTO
86 CDF S-2T N433DF 0865-011/?   PHOTO
88 CDF S-2T N426DF 293C   PHOTO
89 CDF S-2T N425DF 294C   PHOTO
90 CDF S-2A N450DF 421; cr 27Aug01   PHOTO
90 CDF S-2T N434DF 0382-034/?   PHOTO
91 CDF S-2T N428DF 137C   PHOTO REQUIRED
92 CDF S-2A N428DF 255 crashed 27Aug01 PHOTO REQUIRED
93 CDF S-2T N450DF (2) 228C   PHOTO REQUIRED
94 CDF S-2A N446DF 175 preserved @Weed Apr,CA since Aug05 PHOTO REQUIRED
94 CDF S-2T N442DF 259C   PHOTO
95 CDF S-2A N448DF 684   PHOTO
96 CDF S-2A N443DF 195   PHOTO REQUIRED
97 Hawkins & Powers KC-97 N1365N 16729   PHOTO
98 SLAFCO PBY-5A N31235 1788   PHOTO
99 Minden Air Inc P-2H N299MA 726-7211; cr. 03Oct03   PHOTO
100 CDF S-2A N436DF 445   PHOTO REQUIRED
102 Central Air Service C-54E N816D 27376   PHOTO
105 Central Air Service C-54D N96454 10864   PHOTO
109 Central Air Service C-54D N6816D 27368   PHOTO
111 Central Air Service C-54E N96541 ????   PHOTO REQUIRED
115 Airborne Fire Attack PBY-6A N324FA 2162   PHOTO
117 Central Air Service DC-4 N31356 42914; sold   PHOTO
119 ARDCO C-54G N406WA 35944; for sale   PHOTO
121 Hawkins & Powers PB4Y-2 N2871G 66302; for sale   PHOTO
123 Hawkins & Powers PB4Y-2 N7620C 66260; cr. 18Jul02   PHOTO
124 Hawkins & Powers PB4Y-2 N2872G 66300; for sale   PHOTO
126 Hawkins & Powers PB4Y-2 N7962C 59882; for sale   PHOTO
127 Hawkins & Powers PB4Y-2 N6884C 59701; for sale   PHOTO
131 Hawkins & Powers C-130A N131HP 3142   PHOTO
133 Hawkins & Powers C-130A N133HP 3189   PHOTO
134 Hawkins & Powers C-130A - -   NO PHOTO
138 Hawkins & Powers P-2T N138HP 7223; turbo conversion not completed   PHOTO REQUIRED
139 Hawkins & Powers P-2H N139HP 7168 To Neptune Inc, 2006,
became T43
PHOTO
140 Hawkins & Powers P-2H N140HP 7102 To Neptune Inc, 2006,
became T45
PHOTO
141 Evergreen Helicopters P2V-5 N202EV 526-5383   PHOTO
142 Evergreen Helicopters P2V-5 N203EV 5228   PHOTO
143 Evergreen Helicopters P2V-5 N204EV ????; not tanked?   PHOTO AVAILABLE?
144 Evergreen Helicopters P2V-5 N205EV ????;not tanked ?   -
145 Evergreen Helicopters P2V-5 N206EV 5367   PHOTO
146 Central Air Service C-54E N67061 10560   PHOTO
147 Central Air Service C-54D N67040 27232   PHOTO
148 Central Air Service C-54E N67062 10741   PHOTO
149 Central Air Service C-54D N67041 10665; not tanked   PHOTO AVAILABLE ?
150 Central Air Service C-54D N67034 22202   PHOTO
151 ARDCO C-54E N460WA 27359   PHOTO
152 ARDCO C-54D N9015Q 22178   PHOTO
154 Marsh Aviation S-2.. N736MA 645   PHOTO
155 Marsh Aviation S-2T N746MA 655   PHOTO
158 SLAFCO PBY-6A N9825Z 2177; for sale   PHOTO
160 Aero Flite C-54E N96358 27284   PHOTO
161 Aero Flite C-54G N82FA 35960   PHOTO
166 Hemet Valley Flying Srvc C-54G N90203 35934   PHOTO
215 North Carolina CL-215 N215NC ????   PHOTO
263 Aero Flite CL-215 N263NR 1082   PHOTO
266 Minnesota Dept of
Natural Resources
CL-215 N266NR 1102   PHOTO

Federal Air Tanker List - 2007

To illustrate the tie and identification of airtanker numbers and tailnumber are not always straightforward, see this email on airtanker numbers used by H&P by a former crewmember:

"I have some insight on some of these aircraft, as I flew for H & P for some time. To solve the mystery of the various numbers, you will need to get with the USFS and/or USDA. For a few years, they had the practice of assigning tanker numbers.
There wasn't much logic involved in these numbers. As the various operators around the country would send in the paper work to register their aircraft for the up-coming fire season it would be given a number. If it already had a number, it stayed. But if you swapped an aircraft one year that didn't have a number, they would give it a number that was not used on the list.
As a result an operator might operate 6 aircraft and have tanker numbers 06, 123, 86, 29, 101, 137. If one became un-flyable before the next year, it did not pick up the number of the one it replaced. It might be 22, or any other of number you can think of.
In the case of N-numbers, they have nothing to do with serial number of the aircraft and can at best possible aid you in tracking the aircraft from year to year-sadly, however, may not have anything to do with a particular aircraft. I have seen some aircraft with a different tanker number every other year. Even some had a different N number every few years...
As you may have noticed, many of Gene's aircraft had N-numbers which ended in HP. At one time, he got a block of these numbers from the FAA. Those numbers were swapped around on various aircraft almost yearly!
It was simply a matter a writing the FAA a letter and officially moving the 'registration number' to a different aircraft.
I flew the C97 (B377), C-119 and PB4Y as well as other 'stuff' he might have around."

 

Hawkins & Powers, PB4Y - Tanker 125

Ed Brewer sent me, alongside some photos, a request for information on Campbell Airstrip, in Anchorage, Alaska:
"We are greatly interested in any information on Campbell Airstrip, in Anchorage, Alaska, that your readers may have.
The strip was built as a supplemental airstrip during WW2 and had a fairly large tent city during those years. We don't know what if any aircraft were actual on site (rather than at Elmendorf AFB).
The tract now has a recreational trail, named P38, on the old east side taxiway, as a memorial to the war years. It is used exclusively by dog mushers during the winter.
The tract was transferred to BLM who had support aircraft and water bombers on site during the 1960's - 1980's, until these functions were moved to Fairbanks.
Smoke jumpers were based here for a while and the Campbell Creek Science Center is built in one of their Drop Zones.
The airstrip proper is still active."
More photos on Photos by Friends & Guests, Page 12.

EMAIL

 

John Vogel noticed my interest in vintage aircraft and airtankers, so he sent some images along.
N446DF Tanker 94 CDF
N446DF was taken at Mather Field,CA in May 1996.
From my files I have that this is Grumman S-2A Tracket, c/n 175 ex/ BuNo 133204.

N447DF Tanker 95 - twice! John wrote about this image: "There should be some S-2 aircraft preserved at Weed Airport, California since August 2005, but I am not really sure which aircraft might be there.
There might be a Tanker 94, but this is possibly not N446DF, but a different S-2 painted as tanker such...
I have noticed that the CDF has, from time to time, changed some of the tanker numbers on the S-2's: e.g. this photo shows 2 aircraft with tanker number 95!!
One of the aircraft is N447DF, the other is N406DF.
And I have pictures of N406DF as tanker 73, tanker 74, and tanker 95. And N447DF as tanker 93.
These are all the older S-2's, not the S-2T's (which is the only model the CDF now uses)."

Photo taken at McClellan Park in August 2007.
[N446DF c/n 175 was preserved at Weeds Airport, CDF had it replaced by BuNo 152826 - Webmaster]

Here are some more air tanker pictures, this time of N443DF (c/n 195).
Picture N443DF-1 is a scan from a slide, taken at Mather Field in February 1996. The tanker number is 71.
Picture N443DF-2 is a digital picture taken at McClellan Park - the former McClellan AFB, and now the home of the CDF air tanker fleet (during the winter months) - taken August 2006. The tanker number is now 84.
Pictures N443DF-3 and -4 are digital pictures taken in May 2007, and show the tanker at the Pacific Coast Air Museum, Santa Rosa, California. It was flown to the Museum in November 2006.

1.
N443DF T71
2.
N443DF T84
3.
N443DF T84 CDF
4.
N443DF Tanker 84
N436DF S-2 airtanker 100
Top picture of Grumman S-2A N436DF (c/n 445) was taken at Rancho Murietta, California in July 91. Note that the tanker is in the old CDF yellow/green color.
Below pictures of N436DF was taken at Mather in August 2007. It appears the doors in the bottom of the aircraft have been removed. The registration had been painted over.
Tanker 100 CDF

 

Canadian airtankers

No. Operator Aircraft Type Registration C/n Remarks Photo
1 Prov of Saskatchewan CS2F-2 C-GEHP DH-97   PHOTO
2 Prov of Saskatchewan Conair Firecat C-GWHK 16 (DH-37)   PHOTO
3 Prov of Saskatchewan CS2F-2 C-GEHR DH-51   PHOTO REQ'D
4 Prov. of Saskatchewan CS2F-2 C-GEQC DH-53   PHOTO
5 Prov. of Saskatchewan CS2F-2 C-GEQD DH-98   PHOTO
6 Prov. of Saskatchewan CS2F-3 C-GEQE DH-92   PHOTO
43 Conair DC-6B C-GHCB 44893/647   PHOTO
44 Conair Convair 580 C-FFKF 179   PHOTO
45 Conair Convair 580 C-FEKF 80   PHOTO
46 Conair DC-6B C-GHLY 45501/953   PHOTO
47 Conair Convair 580 C-FKFB 57   PHOTO
48 Conair Convair 580 C-FKFY 129   PHOTO
49 Conair Convair 580 F/SCD C-FKFL 465   PHOTO
50 Conair DC-6A C-GKUG 45177/859   PHOTO
51 Conair DC-6A/C C-GIBS 45531/1015   PHOTO
52 Conair Convair 580 C-FKFA 100   PHOTO
53 Conair Convair 580 C-GKFO 78   PHOTO ?
54 Conair Convair 580 C-FKFM 70   PHOTO
55 Conair Convair 580 C-FHKF 374   PHOTO ?
63 Conair Conair Firecat C-GWUO 003   PHOTO ?
64 Conair Conair Firecat C-FOPU 007   PHOTO ?
66 Conair Conair Firecat C-FOPV 006   PHOTO ?
67 Conair Conair Firecat C-GABC 011   PHOTO ?
68 Conair Conair Firecat C-GWUP 012   PHOTO
69 Conair Conair Firecat C-FOPY 019   PHOTO ?
70 Conair Conair Firecat C-GYQI 030   PHOTO
71 Conair Conair Firecat C-GHPJ 022   PHOTO
73 Conair Conair Firecat C-GHDY 029   PHOTO
74 Conair Conair Firecat C-FEFK 014   PHOTO REQ'D
75 Conair Conair Firecat C-FEFX 031   PHOTO REQ'D
76 Conair Conair Firecat C-FJOH 034   PHOTO ?
201 Conair CL-215-1A10 C-GFSK 1085   PHOTO
202 Conair CL-215-1A10 C-GFSL 1086   PHOTO ?
203 Conair CL-215-1A10 C-GFSM 1098   PHOTO ?-
204 Conair CL-215-1A10 C-GFSN 1099   PHOTO ?
214 (35) Prov. of Saskatchewan CL-215-1A10 C-FYWO 1003   PHOTO REQ'D
215 Prov. of Saskatchewan CL-215-1A10 C-FYXG 1009   PHOTO
216 Prov. of Saskatchewan CL-215-1A10 C-FAFN 1093   PHOTO REQ'D
217 Prov.of Saskatchewan CL-215-1A10 C-FAFO 1094   PHOTO REQ'D
218 Prov. of Saskatchewan CL-215-1A10 C-FAFP 1100   PHOTO
219 Prov.of Saskatchewan CL-215-1A10 C-FAFQ 1101   PHOTO REQ'D
290 Buffalo Aws CL-215-1A10 C-GBYU 1083   PHOTO
291 Buffalo Aws CL-215-1A10 C-GBPD 1084   PHOTO
295 Buffalo Aws CL-215-1A10 C-GCSX 1088   PHOTO
296 Buffalo Aws CL-215-1A10 C-GDHN 1089   PHOTO
298 Buffalo Aws CL-215-1A10 C-FTXB 1007   PHOTO
299 Buffalo Aws CL-215-1A10 C-GFNF 1027   PHOTO ?
703 Buffalo Aws PBY-5A Canso C-FOFI CV-343   PHOTO
708 Buffalo Aws PBY-5A Canso C-FUAW CV-201   PHOTO REQ'D
714 Buffalo Aws PBY-5A Canso C-FPQM CV-425   PHOTO
776 Buffalo Aws PBY-5A Canso C-GFFC CV-483   PHOTO

North American Survivors, by Roy Blewett "North American Survivors" by Roy Blewett (Gatwick Aviation Society, 2005) is an excellent handbook to take out on the road or use at home as a reference guide.
It offers status and information on vintage transports (both propellor and jets) and are listed by Canadian and US States; there are three appendixes covering aircraft in Mexico, a listing of extant Beech 18s and “US Army Air Force Skytrains and Skytroopers; where are they now?”.
The book is in easy to use A5 format and fits easy in any size of bag. The 358 pages offer a huge amount of information and is of great use in planning a trip to N.America.
I hope others will follow in the example set by this book.


Helpful links:
Iwan Bogel's comprehensive list on www.dappa.nl
www.mattlogic.com/tanker.html
www.dyncdfsupport.com/tankerstatus.php
Airtanker Photo Pages
www.scancolorado.com/airtanker.htm
P-3 Referential


Until I have a list of the French airtankers, maybe this external link is of help:
http://delta.reflex.free.fr/articleair/foxzoulou.html

South America


Daniel Arispe sent me these photos of Chilean P-2 CH-CHU, Tanker 03
Click to enlarge
"Tanker 03 was bought to AUC in 1999 and is currently (2005) in Chile. Is registration is CC-CHU and belongs to Heliworks Ltda., a Chilean company. The photos are from Feb.2000."


This website is an excellent source of keeping abreast of air tanker news and opinions: www.airtanker.com
The basis of this page has been largely based on one of their pages.

Other helpful external links:
http://www.fs.fed.us/fire/aviation/fixed_wing/airtankers/iab_list.pdf


To email me, click on the image and write the correct adress as given below
(replace -AT- by the @ symbol).

Sorry for the inconvenience, but this is because spam has increasingly become a problem.


Last updated 21.4.2006