Quote:
Originally Posted by Eomer
I seem to recall that they sometimes mix clay or other aggregate with the water, but I could be wrong on that.

The red fire retardant you see dropped by the water bombers is a product called Phos-Chek. This is made up mostly of ammonium polyphosphate, diammonium phosphate, diammonium sulfate, monoammonium phosphate, attapulgus clay, guar gum (or a derivative of guar gum), hydroxypropyl, and trade secret performance additives. The red coloration is a water soluable non-toxic dye.

The phosphates and sulfates in the formulation prevent combustion. They also act as a fertilizer once the fire danger has passed. The guar gum and hydroxypropyl are thickening agents to prevent dispersal of the Phos-Chek after it is dropped from the plane.

Though it looks like water.. trust me it's not. A friend of mine flies the S-2T Fire Bomber out of Ramona, CA and I've had a chance to see this stuff up close. It's seriously gooey, sticky stuff.</div> <div> __________________
Elidroth Renato
Game Designer
Everquest
Sony Online Entertainment, LLC

"But there's no sense crying
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