Neptune Aviation Transitioning to Airbus A319 for 2027 Season

Neptune Aviation is transitioning to a new aircraft for wildland firefighting, the Airbus A319 that they expect to be ready for the 2027 wildfire season. This decision comes after they spent two years doing extensive research to come up with the right aircraft, they will partner with Aerotec & Concept. The retardant capacity of the A319 will be 4,500 gallons. According to their December 3, 2024 news release

“The Airbus A319’s increased capacity and advanced features make it an ideal choice for wildland firefighting. Our team is committed to ensuring that Neptune’s new fleet is optimized for maximum efficiency and safety. With our extensive experience in aircraft modification, we are confident that this transition will enhance Neptune’s aerial firefighting capabilities,” says Aerotec & Concept CEO Johan Clochet.

With its new aircraft selected, Neptune Aviation becomes the first company to convert the A319 for aerial firefighting operations. Moving to the A319 will increase retardant capacity to a minimum of 4,500 gallons, compared to the maximum 3,000 that can presently be carried by the BAe 146. The A319 also has greater fuel capacity, which will allow Neptune to reach remote fires located outside of their current service window with a full payload.

As part of the A320 product line, the Airbus A319 is equipped with advanced avionics, featuring a revolutionary fly-by-wire (FBW) flight control system. The FBW system uses computers to process pilot inputs and then sends electrical signals to control the aircraft’s flight surfaces, ensuring the desired flight path. These capabilities enhance safety, reliability, and maneuverability, while reducing weight by eliminating traditional cables, pulleys, and rods.

Draughon (Jennifer Draughon, President of Neptune Aviation) says the transition to the A319 will happen gradually over a number of years and expects that Neptune will operate between 10-15 aircraft in their fleet—a mix of A319s and BAe 146s—depending on the evolving demands of aerial firefighting.

I am about a month late in posting about this and while I suspect that many of you already know that Neptune will be transitioning to the A319, as the title of my blog is aerial wildland firefighting,  it is appropriate that I report on this development. You might be interested in reading other articles about Neptune's transition to the A319:

• FireAviation
• Fire and Safety Journal
• Aerial Fire Magazine
• Newsfile

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News from Coulson Aviation (January 3rd)

 Coulson Aviation is deploying to Australia and has already deployed to Chili after a busy wildfire season in the western United States. See these short posts from X, formerly Twitter for more information.

Today, Coulson Aviation marks 15 million gallons of water and retardant delivered on fire missions this year. Every drop represents our unwavering support for firefighters and the communities they protect 💪 #coulsonaviation #aerialfirefighting pic.twitter.com/0h1NsR5RrM

— Coulson Aviation (@CoulsonAviation) December 30, 2024

 

As 2024 ends, we’re reflecting on an incredible year of aerial firefighting operations. Thanks to the Coulson Crew, partners, and local orgs for trusting us to protect communities worldwide. Here's to a safe, impactful 2025! #happynewyear #coulsonaviation #aerialfirefighting pic.twitter.com/107L7bYiaV

— Coulson Aviation (@CoulsonAviation) December 31, 2024

 

 

Take to the skies with Tanker 138! Before deploying to Western Australia earlier this year, this Herc completed a test flight, ensuring it in tip-top shape for the upcoming fire season. Join us for a glimpse of this incredible aircraft in action 💪 #coulsonaviation #c130 pic.twitter.com/xIQrnXHqU8

— Coulson Aviation (@CoulsonAviation) January 2, 2025

Day 1 on contract in Chile, and Tanker 137 is already making an impact. Our Coulson Crew hit the ground running, ensuring smooth operations and keeping the mission on track. Getting it done is what we do 💪 #coulsonaviation #aerialfirefighting pic.twitter.com/WfPa4GxHxN

— Coulson Aviation (@CoulsonAviation) December 27, 2024

2024 New Jersey Wildfire Season

According to a post on X, formerly Twitter, the NJ Forest Fire Service responded to over 1,400 wildfires that burned more than 11,000 acres. Enjoy this short summary from the New Jersey Forest Fire Service of their 2024 wildfire season and what they do to keep us safe.

Happy Holidays from the New Jersey Forest Fire Service!

In 2024, the Forest Fire Service responded to over 1,400 wildfires burning in excess of 11,000 acres across the Garden State.

As we welcome the New Year, remember Smokey's message: “Only YOU can prevent wildfires.” pic.twitter.com/zqQKfAfIEi

— New Jersey Forest Fire Service (@njdepforestfire) December 22, 2024

Preparing for Next Year's Wildfire Season in New Jersey

Direct link to video from NBC10 Philadelphia on YouTube

Here in New Jersey we had a record number of wildfires during the dry spell in October into mid-November. The ground was so dry that tree stumps continued to burn after the wildfire was contained, something that happens a lot out west but is rare in New Jersey and environs. As you can see from the video that I embedded above the lower portion of the trees are burned, if the roots survived than the tree will (hopefully) survive. New Jersey Forest Fire Service crews participate in training to prepare for the wildfire season. There are things that homeowners in New Jersey living near forested areas can do to protect their homes such as being sure the gutters are cleaned out and that to clear leaf litter, debris and flammable vegetation from around the house.

Seasons Greetings to All

 

Direct link to video on YouTube

I wish all of my readers a happy holiday season.

2024 Holiday Greetings: The Shepard by Frederic Forsyth

My tradition during the end of the year holiday season is to post The Shepard by Frederic Forsyth as read by Alan Maitland on CBC radio. Please join me in pausing and remembering all first responders including but not limited to wildland firefighters who may be away from their families. I wish all of you a happy and safe holiday season.

Direct link to video on YouTube

Managing Long Island Pine Barrens for Fire Protection & Trail Access

 The video that I am going to share with you today that I saw on this mornings video page from B10 NJ Wildland Fire on managing the Otis Pike Pine Forest in the Long Island Pine Barrens on the east end of Long Island caught my eye because of the importance of management of the Pine Barrens for wildland fire safety and prescribed burn operations as well as other needs for access. In addition, while I am not exactly familiar with the east end of Long Island, I did spend some time with friends and family in my youth and young adulthood in central Long Island, so I have a soft spot for Long Island. I have no direct knowledge of they types of management that is done in the NJ Pine Barrens but I suspect that managers do something similar. This is a short video, under two minutes from the NYSDEC.

Direct link to video from the NYSDEC on YouTube

2024 Wildfire Season: MIdewin Hotshots

I do want to recognize the work of the Midewin Interagency Hotshot Crew, the only Interagency Hotshot Crew based in the eastern region. They are based in Wilmington Illinois, their unofficial webpage may be found here and they do have a Facebook page which does not require a Facebook account to view some of their content and they have an Instagram Page. I do not have an Instagram account but I am able to view some limited information.

Up through 2022, they produced annual season videos, which I have posted in the past, go here to see my posts with the Midewin Hotshot tag. Since I discovered a few weeks ago that those of you using smart phones are not able to see content I embed from Facebook, I no longer embed Facebook content. But the Midewin Hotshots have some nice photos on their Facebook and Instagram pages, I urge those of you are able to view this content to take a look at their photos from the 2024 season.

I did look at their Facebook page so I could get a feel for where the Midewin IHC were deployed in the 2024 wildfire season. After they gathered for training and the like in early February their season started on or about February 19th where the spent some time in the eastern region. I don't have access to information on all their deployments in 2024, but thanks to their Facebook account, I know that they started the season with deployments in West Virginia, Tennessee, and Michigan before being deployed out west in Oregon and Washington. I expect that there are deployments that I do not know about and are not listed here. Their season ended on or about August 23rd, see their crew photo here.

I do want to emphasize that I hold a special place for the Midewin Hotshots because they are based in the eastern region of the U.S. where I live. I am very proud of the Midewin Hotshots for their work in keeping us safe from wildfires during their deployments.

2024 Wildfire Season: American River Hotshots doing backfires

 I stumbled across a video on YouTube just now from NorCal Storm Chasing showing the American River Interagency Hotshots performing backfire operations to prevent the spread of the Park Fire on August 7, 2024. The video is a little over 17 minutes. I thought that some of you might be interested. One of the ways that I can experiences what various wildfire crews go through in working wildfires is through videos such as the one that I am sharing here. Enjoy.

Direct link to video from NorCal Storm Chasing on YouTube.

2024 Wildfire Season: Jackson Hotshots

As I share 2024 crew videos from hotshots and other crews at this time of year, as I can I want to be sure to include videos from crews based in the eastern part of the United States. The Midewin Interagency Hotshot Crew is based in the Midewin National Tallgrass Prarie in Wilmington, Illinois. While they posted crew videos from 2022 and earlier, they did not have a crew video summarizing their 2023 season nor have I seen one for 2024.

Moving to the southern region in the U.S., there are four hotshot crews based in the south: Asheville Interagency Hotshots. Augusta Interagency Hotshots, Cherokee Interagency Hotshots and the Jackson Interagency Agency Hotshots, go here for more information on these four hotshot crews. I did find a video from the Jackson IHC summarizing their 2024 season which I am embedding below. The Jackson IHC is the only Bureay of Land Management hotshot crew east of the Mississippi River, go to this BLM web page for more information. While the video does not disclose where they were deployed, that does not matter as I got to see the crew in action and meet some of them.

Direct link to video from Levic on YouTube.