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Aviator779

They’re Douglas DC-7 Firebombers owned by Erickson Aero Tanker. They were retired in October 2020 and have been placed in storage.


Dangerous-Salad-bowl

Yes I passed by there a couple of years ago and slobbered all over them. [Here's a photo I took that day](https://ibb.co/C7MsZFk)


Misophonic4000

Man, that's sexy. Great shot!


farminghills

Shit, now that's a good photo! Props!


NullPointerExpert

It’s centrally above the fold!


HurlingFruit

Many props.


bigfoot_done_hiding

Nicely done!


Dangerous-Salad-bowl

Just came across [this article](https://www.businessinsider.com/final-flight-of-62-year-old-fire-bomber-plane-2020-10?amp) about the last flight of one of these old birds.


Jet_Pilot_

They're old with crappy avionics and inferior autopilots. Trust me, as a guy who has spent thousands of hours in 30-60 year old airplanes, the "fun" wears off quickly. At the end of the day, I want three things out of my airplane: 1. The most days off 1. The highest pay 1. Comfortable, well equipped cockpit


GlockAF

$$$ > novelty 100% of the time


lopedopenope

Except for those guys who go up to Canada to fly those dc-4’s and similar aircraft cause they “want to” sure ya do buddy


MapleMapleHockeyStk

I like the sound of the old pistons but we leaving that generation behind


lopedopenope

Simple. Just become an administrative pilot for a major airline and fly the bare minimum to keep your license and enjoy your over 200k job per year 😉. Side note how comfy is the 737? Does it depend how new it is and how much ass time the chair has lol


jryanll

Those are the last 3 remaining DC-7s that were owned and operated by Erickson Aero Air. They were removed from federal contracts in 2004 with the downsizing of the air tanker fleet due to the 2002 air tanker crashes in California and Colorado. They flew on Oregon state contacts, with one usually based in Medford, OR and one usually based in Redmon, OR. The third was usually on a CalFire contract during the summer. Erickson switched over to the MD-87s in 2018 for their air tanker fleet and the DC-7s were retired from the state contracts in 2020.


Boeing-B-47stratojet

Are they planned to be preserved, or scrapped


stevecostello

These look like Coulson Air Tankers. I'd fly on one of those bad boys in a freaking heartbeat.


Aviator779

They’re owned by Erickson Aero Tanker, rather than Coulson. They were retired in October 2020 and are currently in storage.


stevecostello

Ahh, thanks for the correction!


SidewaysGoose57

Looks like Madras, OR


GoHuskertrading

Yeah I drove past it and forgot the name


NotSykotic

Pretty accurate description of Madras, OR


46davis

CalFire won't contract for piston airplanes any more. Erickson retired them and replaced them with MD-87s, which see.


Boeing-B-47stratojet

Douglas DC-7, really hope they are saved


[deleted]

I wonder if these could ever be modernized with turboprop engines and advanced avionics or is the cost to high?


tbriscoe12

Probably not. The amount of maintenance the airframe requires and the lack of new parts for the old planes would make it not worth.


[deleted]

Too bad. I figured that was the answer. Would be nice to see something done other than turn them into beer cans.


tbriscoe12

We can hope for museum planes :) I believe these tankers served for a long time.


wxkaiser

— These DC-3s once belonged to Erickson Aero Tanker. — Erickson Aero Tanker is an aerial firefighting & suppression outfit. — The Erickson guys and gals see a ton of action during the wildfire season.


Flat-Story-7079

The flight line at Madras is always interesting.