Ever since the heavy air tankers were grounded on May 10, the National Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management coordinating with the Federal Aviation Agency have been working on an inspection plan that would insure their airworthiness and allow their return to service. The fruits of this effort came to bear on Monday, July 5, when five of Aero Union’s P-3 Orions went back to work. All agencies involved worked over the Independence Day weekend in order to be certain that the contracts were complete. By Wednesday the 7th, two additional P-3s were returned to service. The return of the eighth and only remaining P-3 tanker was expected soon thereafter. All eight aircraft were dispatched to fires immediately upon entry into service. The plan for the first five tankers is to base them at Fairbanks, Moses Lake, Prescott, Battle Mountain, and Lancaster.
The inspection process was conducted by DynCorp of Ft.Worth, Texas. The ongoing inspections will assure airworthiness up to 19,000 flight hours. Most of the P-3 tankers have 3,000 and 7,000 hours of life remaining. The fate of the remaining twenty-five heavy air tankers is unknown as this goes to press. Some contractors are seeking work in countries where the aircraft are cleared to fly. The state of Oregon has put two DC-7 tankers on contract, but they will be unavailable for use on Federal Lands.