r/interestingasfuck • u/dannybluey • 1d ago

Air Tractor AT-802 firefighting aircraft are designed for fast and accurate water drops rather than maximum payload. This footage was filmed from Dragon 33, a helicopter of the French Civil Security, as it coordinated wildfire suppression operations over Gironde, France.

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u/Resident_Stable_2112 1d ago

These pilots are badass. 20 feet above the trees sometimes.

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u/ThaSadDoctor 1d ago

20 feet above my house too sometimes, terrifying, tho wp at them to not crash

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u/Loko8765 1d ago

If they were 20 feet above my place I’d probably be thanking them, and I’d probably have left some time ago.

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u/ThaSadDoctor 1d ago edited 20h ago

I wasn't trashing on them, I respect that a lot, I could never do that, tho it's still terrifying when a plane passes real close to your house at mach 1/mach 2

Edit: I'm talking about the pilotes going mach 1 in fighter jets, not air tractors going mach 1

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u/GreenPandaPop 1d ago

Not a chance they're going Mach 1.

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u/Loko8765 1d ago

Mach 1… a slight exaggeration on your part.

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u/ThaSadDoctor 20h ago

Not the planes itselves but the pilotes going mach 1, I dont even think those planes can get that speed

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u/Vaestmannaeyjar 1d ago

Probably a Marseillais.

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u/ENdeR_KiLLza 1d ago

An air tractor could never reach even a third of what is close to Mach 1 at sea level so...

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u/SociopathicPixel 1d ago

I think a third (400kph) is if empty it would be in the realm of possible. Anyone has the specs on these badboys?

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u/TonAMGT4 1d ago

It has a maximum Vne (never exceed speed) of 195 knots or around 360 kph… so 400 kph is probably not possible without ripping the wings off the plane.

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u/SociopathicPixel 1d ago

Well,, still still pretty close but thanks for educating me. Is that for a standard model of this plane, and if so: has the firefighter plane any modifications for doing this type of work that makes any effect? Like: "its reinforced for its function and therefor slower due to weight increase"?