Super Scoopers get their name from their ability to pick up 6,000 liters from bodies of water and drop them in just 12 seconds on wildfires burning nearby, he said.

The Super Scooper skims the water’s surface at 100 mph, collecting 1,600 gallons in under 12 seconds. The pilot drops the load directly above the wildfire, then circles back to repeat the process.

A Super Scooper aircraft drops water over the Martindale fire on September 28, 2020. Super Scoopers are proving vital to fighting the fires in Los Angeles. Photo by David McNew/Getty Images ...

Super Scooper planes that fight wildfires are ‘rugged, reliable' — and rare Only about 160 of the fire-dousing aircraft, which are built in Canada using a 55-year-old design, are in operation ...

Super Scooper planes that fight wildfires are ‘rugged, reliable' — and rare Only about 160 of the fire-dousing aircraft, which are built in Canada using a 55-year-old design, are in operation ...

One reason last week’s collision between a firefighting plane and a drone caused such a stir was because Los Angeles doesn’t have many spare “Super Scoopers” to take the aircraft’s place.

Super Scooper planes that fight wildfires are ‘rugged, reliable' — and rare Only about 160 of the fire-dousing aircraft, which are built in Canada using a 55-year-old design, are in operation ...