Conair Group Inc. of Abbotsford, British Columbia

Abbotsford, British Columbia

Abbotsford is a Canadian city located in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, adjacent to Greater Vancouver. It is the fifth largest municipality in British Columbia, home to 123,864 people . Its Census Metropolitan Area, which includes the District of Mission, is the 23rd largest in Canada,...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

, formerly known as Conair Aviation Ltd., is a company specializing in retrofitting firefighting aircraft and maintaining customer and company-owned aircraft. Conair has a fleet of aircraft that are broken down into two categories — air attack, and airtankers.

Aircraft

• Air Tractor AT-802F & 802F "Fire Boss" amphibian
  Air Tractor AT-802
  |-Specifications :-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Jackson, Paul. Jane's All The World's Aircraft 2003–2004. Coulsdon, UK: Jane's Information Group, 2003. ISBN 0-7106-2537-5.* Keijsper, Gerard...
  
  
• Piper PA-60 Aerostar
• Convair CV-580 Series, Conair Convair 580 - air tanker
• Turbo Commander TC 690 Series
• Cessna 208B Caravan
• Conair Firecat
  Conair Firecat
  -References:* -External links:*...
  
  
• Douglas DC-6
  Douglas DC-6
  The Douglas DC-6 is a piston-powered airliner and transport aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company from 1946 to 1958. Originally intended as a military transport near the end of World War II, it was reworked after the war to compete with the Lockheed Constellation in the long-range...
  
  
• Canadair CL-215 Scooper
  Canadair CL-215
  The Canadair CL-215 was the first model in a series of firefighting flying boat amphibious aircraft built by Canadair and later Bombardier. The CL-215 is a twin-engine, high-wing aircraft designed to operate well at low speed and in gust-loading circumstances, as are found over forest fires...
  
  
• Canadair CL-215T Scooper -sometime in 2009

Air attack

Conair's air attack aircraft, more commonly known as "Bird Dogs", are aircraft that contain the pilot and Air Attack Officer. The birddogs ensure the runs to be made by the laden airtankers are safe and free of obstructions. The crew inside the birddog determine the run locations and drop types to be made, coordinate the aerial action with the ground crews if present and control the airspace around the fire. The attack aircraft are Piper PA-60 Aerostars, Rockwell Turbo Commanders, and Cessna 208 Caravans. These aircraft are always used in conjunction with the airtankers.

Air tankers

Conair's tankers include Air Tractor AT-802F, and AT-802F Amphibious "Fireboss" variants, Convair CV580s, Convair CV580As, Convair CV5800s, Conair Firecat

Conair Firecat

-References:* -External links:*...

s (retrofitted S-2 Tracker

S-2 Tracker

The Grumman S-2 Tracker was the first purpose-built, single airframe anti-submarine warfare aircraft to enter service with the US Navy. The Tracker was of conventional design with twin engines, a high wing and tricycle undercarriage. The type was exported to a number of navies around the world...

s), Douglas DC-6s, and Canadair CL-215

Canadair CL-215

The Canadair CL-215 was the first model in a series of firefighting flying boat amphibious aircraft built by Canadair and later Bombardier. The CL-215 is a twin-engine, high-wing aircraft designed to operate well at low speed and in gust-loading circumstances, as are found over forest fires...

s. Conair's headquarters are in Abbotsford at the Abbotsford International Airport

Abbotsford International Airport

Abbotsford International Airport is located in the City of Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada, southwest of the city centre.The airport is classified as an airport of entry by NAV CANADA and is staffed by the Canada Border Services Agency...

 which also is where their maintenance and retrofitting facility is located. Conair bases their aircraft under contract to fire control agencies throughout western Canada and the US. Currently, Conair airtanker groups (a group consists of one birddog and from one to four airtankers) are contracted to agencies in BC, Alberta, Yukon and Alaska. Conair serves as the Canadian dealer for Olney, Texas-based Air Tractor, which produces the AT-802F, one of only three types of aircraft specifically designed for aerial firefighting (the others being the Canadair CL-215 and 415 models).