No - it’s not a new Boeing aircraft -
even IF the name seems to be inspired by the Dreamliner. Despite the
name AND the aircraft’s early, Boeing-inspired livery, Coulson
Aviation’s Fireliners are simply converted and modified 737-300s designed
for aerial firefighting applications. We’ll take a look at these
special jets for today’s video! The Coulson-modified 737 FireLiner is one of
a kind, making the company the first in the world to convert Boeing 737 commercial
aircraft into firefighting tankers. The conversion of the 737 is a huge task that
requires over 43,000 man-hours to complete. The company conducts a comprehensive flight
test regime to attain regulatory certifications, including those from the FAA in the US and
EASA in Europe. Coulson Aviation states that each aircraft must be fully compliant and
operational before it begins drop operations. The Fireliners began with a three-year-long
modification on six Boeing 737-300s. After a series of regulatory approvals, the first
converted jet performed its mission in 2018. Despite its main purpose
of carrying fire retardant, the cabin interior and galleys remain in place. The ex-Southwest Airlines 737s
retain 66 seats in the cabin. Britton Coulson, the Co-President of the Coulson
Group, commented on the aircraft interior saying, “With a full retardant load and 4.5 hours
of fuel we are so far under max gross weight we are going to leave the full interior and
galleys in even when just in airtanker mode.” If you’re more interested in LARGER jets
converted for aerial firefighting, we DO have a video on the Supertanker 747-400. We’ll
leave a link to that in the video description! But going back to the FireLiner, a 4,000-gallon (15,000 Liter) tank sits inside the jet’s
cabin and has a simple yet effective design enabling the perfect flow of retardant
with accuracy and precision. The system can be operated using a single button
on the control column in the cockpit. The tank is installed closer to the center of the
fuselage to control the center of gravity of the aircraft during various phases of flight. While
the cabin interior and galleys remain in place, operators can select the number of
seats that must stay, particularly during training and exercise flights. With a Flow rate of 1,600 gallons
(about 6,000 liter) per second, the tank empties in just 2.2 seconds and can
be installed or removed in under 30 minutes. The first aircraft, registered
N617SW was converted in 2017, and the gravity-based retardant systems
were completed in December of the same year. The system enables equal distribution
(during storage and dump) of the fluid, thereby restricting shifts in
the aircraft’s center of gravity. One thing we SHOULD mention is that one
of these aircraft crashed on February 6th, 2023. The two crew members aboard—both
pilots—survived with minor injuries, although it was the first-ever hull
loss of a Boeing 737 in Australia. A preliminary report suggests that
the aircraft had hit a ridge line while dropping retardant at a low altitude. What are your thoughts on the uniquely modified Boeing 737-300 Fireliner?
Let us know in the comments section!