Hellenic Aid

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=xBHDm6gio4o
In August, 1999 , a major earthquake hit western Turkey.The governement of Greece immediately responded to a request for assistance and dispatched a Cl-415 to extinguish a very large fire at the refinery of TURPAS... video owner Dimitris
Based on recent research (Saini K.N. & Papailiou D. 1993-1995) describing the behavior of thermal fields and turbulent airflows within fires, the team determined that the optimum drop height should be between 150 and 200 feet%uFFFDconsiderably above the surface of the tanks. This drop height was calculated to carry the foam into the core of the fire.

Videos taken during these drops on the third day of operations, August 20, show the effectiveness of this strategy, as the color of the smoke rising from the fire changed dramatically from black to white. The final drops were aimed at the centre of the tanks.

In total, the Greek Bombardier 415 aircraft operated for 16 hours of direct firefighting, with eight sorties and 280 tons of foam dropped. The operation also established a number of %uFFFDfirsts%uFFFD, including first foreign use of a Greek firefighting aircraft and first Greek military aircraft operating from a Turkish military airport. More importantly, the mission also marked the first operational use of firefighting aircraft against a refinery fire.

The operation in Turkey was an unqualified success and could not have been achieved without the bravery and professionalism of the Air Force officers and non-commissioned officers aboard the aircraft. The Greek contribution was noted in major Turkish newspapers %uFFFD and by the general manager of the Turpas refinery, who said: %uFFFDThe Greek firemen were the first to arrive and the most effective of all.%uFFFD

The operation also highlighted the need for further research into a number of issues. These include: the minimum number of aircraft per burning tank for effective fire suppression; the best foam drop height, in relation to flame height; the right foam type for use on Class B (petroleum) fires and to enable the aircraft to optimize the number of drops per sortie. In addition, the experience at the Turpas refinery also points up the need for refinement of operational tactics, including drop angle of the aircraft, relative to the plume direction.

Lieutenant Dr. Kalli Saini is a Ph.D. mechanical-aeronautical engineer and head of the Fire Fighting Aircraft Department of the Fire Corps, a member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and was operational commander of the Turpas refinery firefighting mission. She is a professor at the Greek Fire Brigade Academy in aircraft accidents, and at the Hellenic Air Force Academy in flight mechanics.

Lt. Colonel Dimitrios Koutsourakis served as chief pilot of the mission in Turkey. He is deputy commander and chief pilot of the Hellenic Air Force amphibious aircraft unit, 355 Squadron. An instructor and check pilot in amphibious aircraft, Lt. Colonel Koutsourakis has more than 300 hours in Bombardier 415 aircraft and more than 3,500 hours in CL-215s.


http://www.patricksaviation.com/user/Dimitris/