Original Message

I agree the 205 is a tough medium to beat. Seems the forest service wants the 412epi. At $11-12m what advantages are you gaining? +10-20kts cruise and bigger fuel tanks for ferry? I'm guessing the useful load is comparable with a managed fuel load? Once at a fire all you're really gaining is a $25-30k daily rate?

what other next gen medium is there for fire? The 169? Don't know much about them but AW is MX heavy. The 145 technically squeaks in but with a small bucket it's a glorified type 3