Canadair CL-415

what is it?

The Canadair CL-415 (Super Scooper, later Bombardier 415) and the De Havilland Canadair DHC-515 are a series of amphibious aircraft built originally by Canadair and subsequently by Bombardier and De Havilland Canada. The CL-415 is based on the Canadair CL-215 and is designed specifically for aerial firefighting, although it can perform various other roles, such as search and rescue and utility transport. Development of the CL-415 began in the early 1990s, shortly after the success of the CL-215T retrofit programme had proven a viable demand for a turboprop-powered model of the original CL-215.

🔎How to recognise it: 2 turboprops · 28.4 m wingspan

base stats

• speed 359 km/htop speed
• range 2,443 kmwithout refuelling
• seats 18passengers
• size 19.9 tmax take-off weight
• built 90made in total

Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).

fun facts

• 🎂First flew 33 years ago, in 1993.
• 🏎️Top speed is 2.8× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
• 🚗Wingspan of 28.4 m: about 6 cars parked nose to tail.
• 🐘Fully loaded it can weigh as much as 3 African elephants (~6 t each).
• 🌍Range of 2,443 km: 14× Amsterdam to Brussels.

turboprop: A jet-style turbine turning a propeller: efficient on short hops.

spec sheet

first flight

1993

introduced

1994

status

still flying

number built

90

role

amphibious aircraft

origin

🇨🇦 Canada

makers

Canadair

engines

2× Pratt & Whitney Canada PW123AF

crew

2

passengers

18

length

20.4 m

wingspan

28.4 m

height

9 m

max take-off weight

19.9 t

top speed

359 km/h

cruise speed

333 km/h

range

2,443 km

ceiling

4,500 m

ICAO code

CL2T

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.