1. It's expensive to maintain.

2. It has to carry it's own weight (so sacrifices proportionally more lift that could be used to carry water).

3. It's jet-powered, so it's minimum speed is higher than might be optimal for water-pouring planes.

4. It is hard to maneuver due to size.

5. It can't refill at lakes, and since it's a freaking jumbo jet, it won't be able to land at most air fields either.

So yeah... Or maybe I'm completely wrong.

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Oh. Right.

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Other problems exist though: even if it didn't flop around, the water doesn't necessarily go to the seat of the fire, or if there's rollover going on, it doesn't cool that down. Also, the weight of the hose outside the window would certainly pull the whole thing out of the house.

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Aim is critical.. you don't get two shots (i'm thinking)

If a building is burning enough, just getting water in there ANYWHERE is important.. if only to save surrounding buildings.

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Just think about/try this. Take a 3/8 standard garden hose. Tie a 5 pound weight to the end. Go out into the yard, and with the hose coiled, throw it. It's not going to go far/be accurate. Uncoil the line, now try to throw it. Again, not accurate. Now, if the picture above is to scale, that end piece is dragging a two inch firehose behind it which weighs as much if not more than a garden hose. Trying to get this into a four foot tall window usually crossed with muntins at a distance, and it becomes harder.

@Eavangel: If this could carry a two inch line like the designer says it could, then yeah I think it could seriously injure someone/kill if they were hit in the chest/head.

@sonburn: Yeah, it looks like 2 inch line.

@Geisrud: I know they are rated for the pressure, but it's been my observation that the more pressure in the hose, the more it wants to straighten out, which could cause this slide out of the window like you say. It could also be dangerous as when the hose pressurizes, the end would whip around:

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