Historical information

The Canadians developed a machine that used "ping pong balls" instead of cylindrical incendiary capsules, and in 1977 the FCV purchased a Premo machine for evaluation.

The balls were made from high impact polystyrene, diameter 32mm containing potassium permanganate in capsule 3.5g. They were injected with 1ml of glycol which would ignite after a short delay

The first Premo machine used four slipper blocks, which were loaded via a hand-operated hopper which when rotated forward the balls would be fed into four feed chutes to individual slipper blocks. Each slipper block has an opening allowing individual balls to enter and exit once injected.

The original design the machine was not suitable to meet the burning objectives and a number of modification were necessary.

Following close inspection and field testing it was clear that utilising four slipper blocks was excessive and would generate too much fire. It was acknowledged that satisfactory spacing’s could be achieved by using just one slipper block. Selective spacing’s could be achieved by the speeding up or slowing down of the slipper block transferring the capsule’s during the injection process.

By regulating the speed that the injected capsules are being dropped controls the amount of fire created on the ground.

This machine was the result of many years of expermiation at Altona

Significance

Significant development of aerial incendiary machines enabled expansion of the fuel reduction burning program across Victoria.

Physical description

Aerial Incendiary machine for use in helicopters

Modification at the Altona workshops over many years by Barry Marsden