Two of my faves

The image referenced depicts two of the most recognizable airframes in the aerial firefighting community: the Erickson S-64 Air Crane (commonly called the "Skycrane") and the Canadair CL-215/415, widely known as the "Super Scooper." While the original post offers no accompanying text beyond a personal note of appreciation, the pairing of these two aircraft types is a natural one for anyone who follows wildland fire suppression operations, as they represent two fundamentally different but complementary approaches to attacking fires from the air.

The Sikorsky-derived S-64 Skycrane, now largely operated and supported by Erickson Incorporated, traces its lineage back to a 1960s heavy-lift helicopter design originally built for military logistics and construction work. Its distinctive twin-turbine, exposed-truss fuselage allows it to carry external loads—including a belly-mounted tank capable of holding around 2,650 gallons of water or retardant—directly to a fire's edge with pinpoint accuracy. Because it can snorkel-fill from ponds, lakes, or portable tanks in under a minute and then hover-drop with precision unmatched by fixed-wing tankers, the Skycrane remains a favorite for initial attack in steep terrain, urban-interface fires, and situations where retardant lines from fixed-wing aircraft aren't practical. For helicopter pilots and operators, the type also represents a niche but lucrative career path requiring specialized type ratings and exceptional external-load proficiency.

The Canadair CL-215 and its turboprop successor, the CL-415, occupy a different but equally vital role. Purpose-built as amphibious water bombers, these aircraft can land on open water, scoop roughly 1,600 gallons in about 12 seconds while skimming the surface at speed, and return to the fire line for another drop within minutes—a cycle time that gives them extraordinary sustained-delivery capability compared to tankers that must return to an airport to reload. Originally developed in Canada and later produced by Bombardier, the "Scooper" fleet has become a mainstay for provincial and national firefighting agencies across Canada, the Mediterranean, and increasingly the western United States, with De Havilland Canada (which acquired the CL-415 program) continuing to support and modestly expand the fleet.

For working pilots, especially those in the ag-aviation, helicopter external-load, and special-mission sectors, both aircraft underscore how much of modern aviation operates outside the scheduled airline and business-jet mainstream. Aerial firefighting demands low-altitude maneuvering, rapid load-and-drop cycles, single-pilot or two-crew coordination under high workload, and constant risk assessment in smoke-degraded visibility—skills that differ sharply from transport-category flying but that increasingly intersect with it as wildfire seasons lengthen and airspace coordination with TFRs, air tankers, and lead planes becomes more complex nationwide. The continued popularity and public visibility of legacy platforms like the Skycrane and Super Scooper also reflects a broader industry trend: while airframe designs from the 1960s and 1980s remain in frontline service due to their unmatched mission-specific capability, sustainment costs, parts availability, and pilot-training pipelines for these aging but irreplaceable types are becoming a growing concern for operators and government contracting agencies alike.