Simplex Manufacturing Company announced today Minuteman Aviation of Missoula, Montana, has elected to switch its entire helicopter fire fighting fleet to the new Fire AttackStorm Tank for its bucket operations.
Minuteman Aviation president, Mike Mamuzich said “While I enjoy the capability of the automatic functions, I tend to prefer operating the StormTank in manual mode, which works great for multiple split loads. I can tell you one thing that I enjoy is not having to cinch up anymore or carry multiple sized buckets to meet USFS requirements. Mamuzich also stated “The most impressive aspect of the FAST bucket is that we are still using the initial unit delivered, and have had no downtime, nor have we needed any replacement parts, in two years of service.”
Developed and manufactured by Absolute Fire Solutions of Calgary Canada and distributed exclusively through Simplex, Storm Tank provides many advantages over other water bucket fire fighting systems. Storm Tank utilizes a modular design for easy maintenance with a unique closed-circuit electronic/hydraulic operating system that provides the pilot with a variety of options from the cockpit, including volume/weight control, multiple drop capabilities and multiple flow rates along with data logging of all loads. Storm Tank, which Simplex is marketing under the name Fire AttackStorm Tank, or “FAST,” will be on display at the Simplex booth 2147.
Based in Portland, Oregon and founded in 1946, Simplex has built a reputation as the leader in design, manufacturing, certification, and distribution of aerial application systems and mission equipment for helicopters.
