An Erickson Air-Crane's "Helitanker 737" Skycrane climbs into the sky after using a hose pump to fill it triangular shaped tank with water from the East Fork of Baker Creek, to fight the Beaver Creek Fire, northwest of Hailey, ID, on Tuesday, Aug 20, 2013.
The S-64F Aircrane Helicopter serves as a Type-1 Helitanker. The specialized aircraft is designed specifically for lifting. It's two turbine engines develop a maximum total of 9,600 SHP that turns a 72 foot main rotor, lifting a maximum hook weight of 25,000 lbs. For firefighting purposes, the designed weight of the loaded Fire Tank with water, is less than it's maximum load, to provide better flight performance in mountainous terrain. USDA Photo by Lance Cheung. Original public domain image from Flickr