MISSOULA, Mont. — As wildfires continue to burn across the west, Neptune Aviation airtankers answer the call to help. "Airtankers are truly there to help people on the ground," said Neptune Aviation senior vice president Dan Snyder.
Their tanker No. 40 dropped 1,147,942 gallons of retardant, and their tanker No. 16 dropped 812,994 gallons. Now, both are back in the hangar for maintenance to be ready again next spring.
"These airplanes have to be cleared to never come back to Missoula for the entire fire season," said Snyder. Aerial firefighting is a big job done by few. "We're one of seven other companies in the United States that do this," Snyder told NBC Montana.
Neptune Aviation is based in Missoula. They are under contract with the U.S. Forest Service, which calls them out on a moment's notice. It's not cheap. "On average, an airplane -- not necessarily Neptune -- but just in general, an airplane would typically be about $5 million a year," said Snyder.
He says they do what they can to save money on the front end. They buy used airliners, then overhaul them with firefighting features. "We're able to breathe new life into the airplanes," said Snyder. "It keeps costs down by doing that."
Historically, they leave the hangar in March and return in October, but Snyder says that isn't always the case. "We've had years where we fight fires for 12 months," he said. "You never know what the season is going to be until it's over."
They operate nine tankers in total. Not all of them are done for the season, but when they are, the tankers will be back in Missoula preparing to hit the skies next year.
Read more on this story at NBC News Montana
