These guys are the unsung heroes of the West coast. They put their lives on the line almost every time they fly, and without them we wouldn't stand a chance at containing most wildfires.
*promote some *quality flying

Promoting this video and sending it back into the queue for one more try; last queued Monday, July 5th, 2021 7:23pm PDT - promote requested by newtboy.

Boosting this quality contribution up in the Hot Listing - declared quality by newtboy.

I am assuming he has gear down to increase drag to slow down even more? Have never seen one of these drops with gear down like that.

Damn right, Newt -- I used to watch these guys in action and it was sphincter-clenching to watch them make a run. The time one of these jets came apart mid-run near Reno was heart-breaking.

Does anyone know how much the plane's weight decreases during the drop, and how that changes its handling?

(I'm trying to work out how much harder this is than, say, coming in for a landing run.)