Abstract: Firefighting bucket (11) suspended from an aircraft by lines (15), has open top (12A) and a valve at base (13). The valve is attachable to the aircraft by remotely actuatable line (16) and independent movement of lines (15-16) may utilise the weight of the water to facilitate opening and closing of the valve. Dynamic sensing of a bucket attribute, e.g. weight, enables bucket (11) to be filled or discharged by a pre-determined volume by the pilot. Chemical fire retardant may be added by entraining it with water discharging from the valve.

Abstract: An improved shuttle drive for a narrow ware loom which includes a batten which is moved vertically in a pattern to one of several positions, a warp shed and a vertical row of shuttles mounted on the batten for vertical movement therewith and positioned so that only one of the shuttles is in active position for each position of the batten, the shuttles being mounted on the batten for horizontal movement through the warp shed. The improvement includes means for detecting which side of the shed the active shuttle is on, first actuating means for moving the active shuttle from one side of the warp shed, second actuating means for moving the shuttle to the opposite side of the warp shed and control means operatively connected to the detecting means for activating the appropriate actuating means.