CL-215

The CL-215 is a Canadian amphibious flying boat used as an airtanker for fighting wildland fires. It is one of the few aircraft designed specifically to be used for aerial firefighting. It was designed by Canadair in the late 1960s and the first CL-215 was sold to the French Securite Civile in 1969. As an amphibian flying boat the aircraft has the ability to scoop water from a body of water or to land at an air field and be filled from ground facilities. Due to its ability to refill while moving across the water it is often refered to by the public and media as a "super scooper".

In 1987 development of a turbo-prop version began, and by 1989 two upgraded CL-215 had been completed. In 1990 production of the CL-215 ended when it was decided to make additional improvments resulting in the CL-415.

Turbo prop conversions were offered for existing aircraft and such converted aircraft have been designated CL-215T. As such a specialized aircraft only 125 were built between 1969 and 1990, but it has had good international sales having been used for wildland firefighting in many nations including the United States, Canada, France, Italy, Greece, Spain, Turkey, Croatia and Yugoslavia.

Canadair was acquired by Bombardier Aerospace in 1986. In 2016 Viking Air Ltd purchased the type certification for the CL-215 and CL-215T.


 * Manufacturer: Canadair / Bombardier Aerospcae / Viking Air
 * Crew: 2
 * Payload: 1,440 gallons (5443 liters) of water or retardant
 * Gross Weight: 43,499 pounds (19,731 kg)
 * Max. Operating Speed: 216 mph (348 kph)
 * Range: Loaded: 1301 miles (2094 km)
 * Wing Span: 93 feet 10 inches (28.6 m)
 * Engines: Two Pratt & Whitney R-2800 engines, 2100 horsepower each (1,566 kW)