Rest in Peace Tanker 42 and crew

I want to pause for a moment to reflect on those we lost on Saturday, April 25 in a crash near Stockton, Utah. Tanker 42, a P2V owned by Neptune Aviation and on route from Montana to New Mexico to help fight a wildfire. Three crew members died in the crash:

Crew
Tom Risk, 66, of Littleton, Colo., Pilot
Mike Flynn, 59, of Alamogordo, N. M., Co-pilot
Brian Buss, 32, of Alberton, Mont., crew cheif

Tanker 42
Lockheed P2V, owned by Neptune Aviation
tail number: 42
serial number: 150283
registration number: N442NA

A picture oftanker 42 may be found on Neptune Aviation's homepage. A video of tanker 42 in action on April 22, 2009 at the O"Brien Creek Fire in Montana may be found here. If you are so inclined, take a moment to read the comments.

Neptune Aviation has a tribute page for tanker 42 that may be found here.

I am saddened to be writing another memorial to a fallen air tanker and her crew. I did not know Tom, Mike and Brian nor did I know tanker 42. Yet, I feel like I knew you through my writing about air tankers. I cried for you as I cried for tanker 09, and I know that you are flying in favorable tail winds.

For my tanker pilot friends, stay safe out there.

My thoughts, prayers and reflections are with the family, friends, Neptune Aviation, Tanker pilots and crew, fire fighters and all those who love Tom, Mike, and Brian.

CDF S-2A

The photo is a picture that TL Stein’s Dad (TW Stein) took of the first S-2 that CDF (predecessor agency to CAL FIRE) took delivery of in February 1972. He says:

My father took this photo within an hour of it arriving from the AMARC facility. As pictured, the original fleet of S-2’s served with VT-27 “Boomers” training squadron out of Corpus Christi, Texas. One thing I remember vividly, is that one of the aircraft ferried in that morning still had a practice torpedo in the bomb bay.

I love knowing something about the history of the aircrafts that I am writing about, that there was a life before it was upgraded and retrofitted to work as an air tanker. History makes things come alive, again and again.

There are two short YouTube videos of a CAL FIRE S-2A here and here.

S-2T: history and specs

In the mid 1970’s CAL Fire’s fleet of air tankers were growing old and needed to be retired. These aging air tankers were replaced by newer Grumman S-2A aircraft (sometimes referred to as the S2-F1) beginning in 1975. These aircraft were used from the from the mid-1950s to the mid to late 1970s by the U.S. Navy for surveillance. The S-2A’s used by CAL FIRE were modified for use as civilian air tankers. The last of CAL FIRE’s S-2A air tankers was retired in 2005.

For a short history of the military service of the aircraft that is also known as the Grumman S2-F, the S-2 Tracker Museum has a webpage on it’s history. When you get to the home page, click on the “history” link at the top of the page.

By the mid-1990’s the fleet of S-2A’s had been in service for about 20 years, CAL FIRE began to prepare to retire the S-2A fleet. A decision was made to replace the S-2A’s with what CAL FIRE calls model S-2E/G series aircraft. Without getting into the complexities of changing model numbers over time, let’s just say that these were later variations of the Grumman S2-F aircraft. CAL FIRE acquired at least 23 S-2E/G aircraft from the Department of Defense. Marsh Aviation made extensive modifications to the S-2E/G aircraft including: adding a 1,200 gallon constant flow retardant tank, new turboprop engines, new avionics, and new electronics. CAL FIRE has 23 of these air tankers that they call S-2T’s. By 2005 the last three S-2T air tankers were delivered. Twenty-two are stationed around the state at CAL FIRE air attack bases and one is used for maintenance relief. CAL FIRE has a fact sheet on the S-2T air tanker that may be found here. The CAL FIRE Pilots Association has a nice map of CAL FIRE’s air attack bases that includes links for more information on each base, it may be found at this location.

Specifications of the S-2T:

length (ft): 65
wing span (ft): 73
turn radius (ft): 45
cruise speed (knots): 250
gross weight (lbs): 29,200
range loaded (st. miles): 1,500
contract operating weight (lbs): 29,200
retardant load (gallons): 1,200

NJ: Follow-up on Red Flag warning

Section B-10 of the NJ Forest Fire Service updates their website frequently with brief notes about fire activity. I just checked their website to see what kind of fire activity is/was going on in NJ today. They wrote about three fires in Division B (central NJ).

1. Barnegat/Stafford border off of Rte. 72 (Section B-4, Ocean County), fire of 1.75 acres. The Air Tractor 602 (Bravo 1) made three drops on the fire. At the time I logged on the the B-10 website, they reported that "at 6PM, sounds contained." There is a short news report with a link to a video here.

2. Jackson (Section B-9, Ocean County), an Ag-Cat (Bravo 3) made one drop on the fire. At approximately 5PM, the fire is under control. Acreage unknown.

3. Multiple fires along railroad tracks in Middlesex County, from Monroe to South Brunswick.

I expect that there were other fires that I don't know about.

Nice work NJ Forest Fire Service. Stay Safe.

Revised April 29, 2009

NJ Fire Season update

Section B-10 of the NJ Forest Fire Service updates their website frequently with brief notes about fire activity. Reporting on yesterday's activity:

1. an early morning fire on April 27 of unknown size in the central portion of the State (Section B-5).

2. Two fires of about one-half each, one in the northern part of the state (Section A4, West Milford) and the second in the central part (Section B-6, Pemberton) of the state. one or both with air support.

3. light to moderate initial attack activity continued state-wide for the third day in a row on April 27.

NJ Statewide fire statistics:

YTD through April 19, 421 fires burning 869 acres.
YTD through April 26, 465 fires burning 897.5 acres.

Regarding today's red flag warning, if I hear of any fire activity today, which I may not, I'll post it here.

NJ, DE, PA: Red Flag Warning

Red Flag Warning
URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ
1034 AM EDT TUE APR 28 2009

DEZ001>004-MDZ008-012-015-019-020-NJZ001-007>010-012>027-PAZ054-
055-060>062-067>071-290000-
/O.NEW.KPHI.FW.W.0003.090428T1600Z-090429T0000Z/
NEW CASTLE-KENT-INLAND SUSSEX-DELAWARE BEACHES-CECIL-KENT MD-
QUEEN ANNES-TALBOT-CAROLINE-SUSSEX-WARREN-MORRIS-HUNTERDON-
SOMERSET-MIDDLESEX-WESTERN MONMOUTH-EASTERN MONMOUTH-MERCER-SALEM-
GLOUCESTER-CAMDEN-NORTHWESTERN BURLINGTON-OCEAN-CUMBERLAND-
ATLANTIC-CAPE MAY-ATLANTIC COASTAL CAPE MAY-COASTAL ATLANTIC-
COASTAL OCEAN-SOUTHEASTERN BURLINGTON-CARBON-MONROE-BERKS-LEHIGH-
NORTHAMPTON-CHESTER-MONTGOMERY-BUCKS-DELAWARE-PHILADELPHIA-
1034 AM EDT TUE APR 28 2009

..RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOUNT HOLLY HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG
WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING.

TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO RISE INTO THE UPPER 80S TO LOWER 90S
THIS AFTERNOON WITH RELATIVE HUMIDITIES EXPECTED TO DROP INTO THE
MID 20S. WEST TO SOUTHWEST WINDS SUSTAINED AT AROUND 15 MPH, WITH
GUSTS OF 20 MPH OR HIGHER ARE EXPECTED THROUGHOUT THIS AFTERNOON.

WITH 10 HOUR FUEL MOISTURES LESS THAN 10 PERCENT AND THE CONTINUED
DRY CONDITIONS, THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A RED
FLAG WARNING FOR THIS AFTERNOON INTO THIS EVENING.

A COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO CROSS THE REGION LATE TONIGHT,
REDUCING THE THREAT FOR FIRES.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A RED FLAG WARNING MEANS THAT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS
ARE EITHER OCCURRING NOW...OR WILL SHORTLY. A COMBINATION OF
STRONG WINDS...LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AND WARM TEMPERATURES WILL
CREATE EXPLOSIVE FIRE GROWTH POTENTIAL

C-130 MAFFS II: 2nd generation MAFFS

Aero Union, under contract with the USDA Forest Service has developed a new, 2nd general MAFFS unit. Called the Airborne Fire Fighting System (AFFS) by the contractor, these eight new units will be referred to as MAFFS-2 after the units have been delivered and are operational, military and Forest Services documents will refer to them as MAFFS2. Two of the new MAFFS2 units were tested in California in 2007, see this Aero Union press release.

Unlike the 1st generation MAFFS units that could only be used on C-130’s E and H models equipped with the US Air Force 463L cargo handling system, MAFFS-2 units can be used on C-130 models E, H, and J without special modification, i.e. no cargo handling systems required. This means that the military has more flexibility in assigning C-130’s for MAFFS duty.

Bill Gabbert of Wildfire Today reported on January 28, 2009 that the Forest Service has accepted delivery of two new MAFFS units for operation by the Air National Guard (ANG) of Port Hueneme, CA. The ANG has begun training with these units.

The discharge tube of the MAFFS-2 fits through a port in the side “paratrooper” door of the C-130 allowing all doors to be closed and the cabin pressurized. This also makes for a cleaner aircraft inside and out. And the loadmaster does not have a uniform covered with the red goo.

There are three more important upgrades in the MAFFS-2 unit: (1) one retardant tank instead of five, (2) on board air compressor to recharge the pressurized tank, and (3) the tank holds 3,400 gallons of retardant. Like the 1st generation MAFFS, the MAFFS-2 is loaded onto the C-130 through the rear cargo door, and the module includes the loadmaster’s station.

For a short video of a C-130 MAFFS-2, go here. Windows media player is required to view this video, or if you have a Mac you will need a plug-in or media player that will allow you to play windows media files.

There is a nice, easy to follow presentation on the MAFFS-2 unit see this pdf file. I have tried to provide the salient details of the MAFFS-2 unit here, you may want to take a look at this file to learn more about the MAFFS-2.

For those of you who may prefer not to download the pdf file, the Forest Service has a MAFFS-2 webpage that includes several captioned pictures from the pdf file as well as a link to a short video of a MAFFS-2 equipped C-130 making a practice drop (this is the video I referred you to earlier), and a power point version of the pdf file.

New Jersey Fire Season update

The Mt. Holly Office of the National Weather Service provided this fire weather forcast for today, Sunday April 25:

REMARKS...RELATIVE HUMIDITIES LOWERING TO 25 TO 30 PERCENT IN THE AFTERNOON, WINDS GUSTING AT TIMES TO NEAR 20 MILES AN HOUR ESPECIALLY MONDAY, AND LOW FUEL MOISTURE WILL CONTRIBUTE TO ENHANCED FIRE SPREAD CONDITIONS TODAY AND MONDAY.

The website maintained by Section B-10 of the New Jersey Forest Fire Service reported light to moderate initial attack activity for Saturday, April 25 and Sunday, April 26.

I got year to date wildfire numbers from the NJ Forest Fire Service last Monday. Year-to-date through April 19, 2009: 421 wildfires burning 869 acres.

C-130 MAFFS: more information

I was working on my next and final article on the C-130 MAFFS program when I found a nice short article by the National Park Service on the MAFFS program, it may be found here.

Finally, as I was wondering around you tube a little while ago, I found two videos (parts 1 and 2) of the role of MAFFS's in providing aerial support for the 2008 wildfires in California. This was the first time in twenty years that all eight MAFFS outfitted C-130's were deployed to California.

part 1loading, pre-flight, and take-off.

part 2, cockpit shots and shot from rear of a drop.

Tomorrow I will be writing about the 2nd generation MAFFS unit.

Lockheed P2V crash

Another Lockheed P2V Neptune crashed this afternoon in the Oquirrh Mountains between Stockton and Tooele, Toole County, Utah. It was on route from Missoula, Montana to Almogordo, NM when it crashed. All three crew members died in the crash. While I have seen media reports where the names of the deceased are identified, I am going to hold off on the names for awhile out of respect for the families.

My thoughts and prayers are with the families, friends, and colleagues of the crew members.

May you fly in favorable tail winds...

C-130 MAFFS: retardant drop

The loadmaster, who sits at the loadmaster station on the MAFFS module in the cargo area in the back of the tanker works with the co-pilot in making the drop. You may recall from my earlier post, that the retardant flows through two discharge tubes that stick out the rear cargo doors of the aircraft. This means that cargo doors are left open and the load master wears a safety harness tethered to the rear of the plane. When it comes time to make the drop, the loadmaster monitors and then arms the system using the master control panel at the loadmaster station. It is the co-pilot, sitting in the cockpit, who pushes “the button” to drop the load.

The C-130 MAFFS works with what is known as a lead plane in making the drop. The lead plane flies as close as 1,000 feet in front of the tanker showing the path and height that the tanker will fly in making the drop. There is a nice article an the CAL FIRE MAFFS webpage about the role of lead planes in MAFFS missions. The article is called “exactly who is leading this mission”, it may be found here. Both civilian air tanker and military MAFFS pilots train with a lead plane every year.

To see a short you tube video on a C-130 MAFFS working with a lead plane go here.

C-130 MAFFS: activation

I believe that there are a total of four reserve/national guard bases, each with two C-130’s capable of being fitted with the MAFFS unit. This makes a total of eight C-130 MAFFS. One base is in North Carolina, and three are are out west. with California, Wyoming, and Colorado having one base each.

Before one or more C-130 MAFFS units are activated for wildfire fighting duty, the request has to go through a certain chain of command, so to speak. The incident commander in charge of a fire contacts his or her superior (department head) requesting type 1 air tankers (type 1 air tankers are the class of air tankers capable of dropping 3,000 gallons of retardant. The department head approves the request for type 1 air tankers and forwards the request to the state or regional forester. If the fire is on either privately owned land or State owned land than the request goes through the state forester. If, on the other hand, the fire is on land under federal control, then the request goes through the regional forester. The state or regional forester approves the request and passes it on to the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC).

The NIFC is responsible for deciding what civilian contracted air tankers to send to the fire. If no civilian air tankers under national contract are available in the region the NIFC will look to see if any civilian air tankers under nationwide contract are available. If all are committed to fires or otherwise unavailable, the NIFC then goes through military channels to contact the U.S. Air Force to request C-130 MAFFS air tankers.

Once the request is approved at the appropriate military level, the closest reserve unit with MAFFS capabilities is order to mobilize and sent to the fire.

C-130 history

I was going through my C-130 data a few minutes ago and found a nice write-up on the history of the C-130 here.

Coming up: more MAFFS and S-2 (CAL Fire)

I thought it might be helpful to some of you to know what I plan to write about next.

I have two more posts planned on the MAFFS: (1) activation, lead planes, and drops; and (2) the new MAFFS II unit.

I will then move on to CAL FIRE's S-2 in a series of what I hope will be five posts:

1. specs, history, location CAL FIRE Air Attack Bases
2. S-2's in action
3. pictures (hopefully)
4. end of season maintenance

NJ Forest Fire Service: aircraft photos

Section B-10 of the New Jersey Forest Fire Service maintains a photo page of NJFFS aircraft that may be found here.

I want to draw your attention to some new photos of one of their contract AgCats (a SEAT) and the new Air Tractor-602, and a very nice photo at the bottom of the page of an AgCat working a fire in the NJ Pine Barrens.

There are also photos of their air attack bases, observation helicopters, more AgCats, etc.

C-130 MAFFS: MAFFS unit

The MAFFS unit was developed for Lockheed C-130 Hercules models E and H equipped with what is known as the US Air Force 463L cargo handling system.

The module, weighing 11,000 pounds, has:

1. five retardant tanks and one compressed air pressurized tank (1,200 psi)
2. loadmaster seat -- works the master control panel for the retardant drop
3. master control panel
4. two discharge tubes
5. electric power to the module is supplied by the aircraft or a 24 volt battery on the control panel

For more information, see this article about the MAFFS program on the USFS website and this wikipedia article. A photo of a C-130 MAFFS may be found here.

The five tanks hold 3,000 gallons of retardant that can be discharged in eight seconds. There is a nice video on you tube showing scenes from the rear of the aircraft as a drop is being made, as well as reloading retardant at the AAB, that may be found here. Reload time is eight minutes.

The pressurized tank on the module is recharged at the Air Attack Base (AAB) by means of a special air compressor module that remains at the base. I believe that every base has an industrial sized air compressor. Once fitted with the right fittings, the compressor can be used to recharge the compressed air tank on the C-130. Under this scenario, the air compressor does not have to travel with the C-130.

Twenty-four hours are required to outfit the C-130 with the MAFFS as well as pulling together the required support systems including the military pilots, some ground crew, supplies and equipment. To get an idea of how the MAFFS unit is loaded onto the aircraft see this you tube video. Base personnel at the host AAB will augment the military ground crew that arrives with the C-130.

The two discharge valves extend out the rear door of the aircraft. This means that once the MAFFS unit is set up that the rear cargo doors are left open during the entire mission, which could last two or more weeks. In an emergency, the crew may need to dump the retardant as a safety measure. The loadmaster wears a safety harness teathered to the aircraft to prevent a fall outside the rear of the plane. The plane is flying at a low enough altitude during the drop so that supplemental oxygen is not required.

New Jersey: update on fire season

A few quick updates on fire season in New Jersey that I obtained from a website maintained by Section B-10 of the New Jersey Forest Fire Service.

1. The Jersey Devil fire is 100 percent contained. This is the fire that I posted about on April 19.

2. There was light fire activity on April 19, two fires were mentioned on the B-10 website: (1) a fire in Bergen County in Ringwood at approx. 4 acres, and (2) a 1.5 acre fire in Pemberton, NJ (Burlington County, in or near the Pinelands National Reserve. A helicopter with a bambi bucket worked the Ringwood fire, and an Air Tractor 602 worked the Pemberton fire.

3. Here is a link that I found on the Section B-10 website for a you tube video on a 150-acre that burned in Parsippany/Troy-Hills (Morris County) a couple of weeks ago.

C-130 MAFFS: history and specs

In the early 1970s a number of serious wild fires in Southern California resulting in significant property damage overwhelmed the then existing civilian air tanker flee. The U.S. Congress wanted to address this problem so they asked the U.S. Air Force to serve in a back-up capacity when all civilian air tankers were committed or otherwise unavailable. These Congressional actions resulted in a joint effort between the U.S.D.A. Forest Service, the Air National Guard, and the Air Force Reserve where military C-130’s are fitted with a modular airborne firefighting system (MAFFS).

I will be writing more about the MAFFS unit, as well as the activation, load and deployment of the C-130s in subsequent posts. Briefly, only when all civilian air tankers are either committed to initial attack or extended attack incidents, or are otherwise unavailable can C-130 MAFFS air tankers be requested. A 24-hour lead time is required to outfit the military C-130 with the MAFFS unit before the tanker is deployed to a fire. The C-130 is a transport or cargo plane, and the MAFFS unit fits into the back of the cargo area with two pipes sticking out of the back of the aircraft. The C-130 MAFFS is able to drop up to 3,000 gallons of retardant.

Specifications:
engines: four turboprops (two on each wing)
length (ft): 99
wing span (ft): 133
turn radius (ft): 80
cruise speed (mph): 275
gross weight (lbs): 156,000
range loaded (st. miles) 1,500
contract operating weight: 105,553
retardant load (gallons): 3,000
number of gates: 1

Update on "Jersey Devil" Fire

According to the latest report posted here at 9:45 PM, the fire is 75 percent contained. Volunteer fire departments from Atlantic County NJ have been released with the exception of one water tender. Twenty-five personnel are still deployed. One off-road wildland engine and tractor plow unit will remain over night for mop-up and monitoring over night.

Nice work NJFFS and Atlantic County Volunteer Fire Departments!

A media report with pictures from earlier this evening may be found on NJ.com.

I used the accounts of the Jersey Devil Fire from wildlandfire that I referenced in this post and my earlier post to mark an approximate location of this fire using Google Earth.

Will get back to multi-engine air tankers

I will be getting back to writing about multi-engine air tankers on Monday. At the same time, I will continue to follow the spring fire season here in NJ.

"Jersey Devil" wildfire in Southern NJ

Jersey Devil wildfire:

At approximately 2 PM, an observer in the Batso Fire Tower reported a 300 acre fire in a cedar swamp near in Egg Harbor City burning southeast to Galloway Township. It is 50 percent contained. Ground equipment ( 10 engines, 3 tractor plows, 2 water tenders), a helicopter with a bucket, an observation helicopter, and two contract SEATS are working the fire. Sixty personnel working the fire include the NJFFS and 10 volunteer fire companies.

If my NJ road atlas is correct, this fire is burning in the Pinelands National Reserve.

Yes, the incident has been given the name "Jersey Devil".

For more information on this incident, see this thread on the wildlandfire "hotlist" forums.

New Jersey Forest Fire Service: SEAT contracts

Some of you may recall that I first wrote about the NJ Forest Fire Service (NJFFS), including SEAT contracts, in this post on 1/24/09.

You may recall that the NJFFS contracts for SEATs (AgCats and Air Tractor 602). For more information on SEATs (single-engine air tankers) under contract during the spring fire season (between now and early May, see this posting from the wildlandfire dot come "hotlist" forums.

NJ Forest Fire Service: prescribed burning

The New Jersey Forest Fire Service (NJFFS) has had a prescribed burning program for many years. A friend and I spent a day in the Pine Barrens in central NJ in March. We drove near an area undergoing a prescribed burn. It was well marked, with signage saying that there was a prescribed burn going on and not to call 911 to report same. I also saw evidence of what may have been recent prescribed burn activities in that there were areas of burned ground with standing trees.

For more information on the NJFFS's prescribed burning program go here. There is also a very good short video describing the role of prescribed burning in NJ.

If you go to the home page of the NJFFS and scroll down to the bottom of the page, you will see the following statistics for prescribed burns in 2009:

Statewide Prescribed Burning Totals as of 4/06//09

Northern New Jersey - 749.50 acres
Central New Jersey - 16,929.50 acres
Southern New Jersey - 3,936.50 acres

The Atlantic City Press has an article about the NJFFS 2009 prescribed burning season here.

Fire weather forcast for NJ: April 18

I was interested in brush and/or wild fire activity yesterday in NJ. In my wonderings, I found this webpage for NJ Forest Fire Service Division B Section 10 where they have a box on their main page for current statewide wildfire activity. This morning (Sat. April 18) they reported:

Friday 04/17/09- Light Initial Attack (IA) statewide
Friday 04/17/09- DIV A- Scotch Plains, Union County- (Division)A (section)8 crews worked a reported 2 acre fire on a mountain on the Watchung Reservation. (9pm)

obtained on April 18, 2009 at 12:40 PM from http://www.sectionb10.org/

Watchung Reservation is a park in Union County, NJ.

What is initial attack? The Glossary of Wildland Fire Terminology published by the National Wildfire Coordinating Group initial attack (IA) is:

A planned response to a wildfire given the wildfire's potential fire behavior. The objective of initial attack is to stop the fire and put it out in a manner consistent with firefighter and public safety and values to be protected.

NJ, and portions of Delaware and PA continue under elevated fire threat today.

From the Mt. Holly office of the NWS:

Special Weather Statement

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ
124 PM EDT SAT APR 18 2009

DEZ001>004-MDZ008-012-015-019-020-NJZ001-007>010-012>027-PAZ054-
055-060>062-067>071-182300-
NEW CASTLE-KENT-INLAND SUSSEX-DELAWARE BEACHES-CECIL-KENT MD-
QUEEN ANNES-TALBOT-CAROLINE-SUSSEX-WARREN-MORRIS-HUNTERDON-
SOMERSET-MIDDLESEX-WESTERN MONMOUTH-EASTERN MONMOUTH-MERCER-SALEM-
GLOUCESTER-CAMDEN-NORTHWESTERN BURLINGTON-OCEAN-CUMBERLAND-
ATLANTIC-CAPE MAY-ATLANTIC COASTAL CAPE MAY-COASTAL ATLANTIC-
COASTAL OCEAN-SOUTHEASTERN BURLINGTON-CARBON-MONROE-BERKS-LEHIGH-
NORTHAMPTON-CHESTER-MONTGOMERY-BUCKS-DELAWARE-PHILADELPHIA-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...WILMINGTON...DOVER...GEORGETOWN...
REHOBOTH BEACH...ELKTON...CHESTERTOWN...CENTREVILLE...EASTON...
DENTON...NEWTON...WASHINGTON...MORRISTOWN...FLEMINGTON...
SOMERVILLE...NEW BRUNSWICK...FREEHOLD...SANDY HOOK...TRENTON...
PENNSVILLE...GLASSBORO...CAMDEN...CHERRY HILL...MOORESTOWN...
MOUNT HOLLY...JACKSON...MILLVILLE...HAMMONTON...
CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE...OCEAN CITY...ATLANTIC CITY...
LONG BEACH ISLAND...WHARTON STATE FOREST...JIM THORPE...
STROUDSBURG...READING...ALLENTOWN...BETHLEHEM...WEST CHESTER...
NORRISTOWN...DOYLESTOWN...MEDIA...PHILADELPHIA
124 PM EDT SAT APR 18 2009

...ENHANCED BRUSH AND WILD FIRE CONCERNS FOR THIS AFTERNOON...

EARLY THIS AFTERNOON, RELATIVE HUMIDITY LEVELS HAD DROPPED BELOW
30 PERCENT OVER THE REGION, AND THEY WILL CONTINUE TO DROP THROUGH
MID-AFTERNOON. FINE FUELS ALSO WERE UNIFORMLY DRY. SUSTAINED WEST
WINDS GENERALLY WERE 10 TO 15 MPH, BUT THERE WERE SOME GUSTS ABOVE
20 MPH. AS A RESULT, THERE IS A HEIGHTENED CONCERN FOR THE
DEVELOPMENT AND SPREAD OF BRUSH AND WILD FIRES IN OUR REGION
THROUGH THE REST OF THE AFTERNOON.


obtained on April 18, 2009 at 1:50 PM EDT from http://forecast.weather.gov/showsigwx.php?warnzone=NJZ009&warncounty=NJC019&firewxzone=NJZ009&local_place1=Flemington+NJ&product1=Special+Weather+Statement

update on Red Flag Warnings on April 17

This is an updated map as of 11:00 AM MDT from the Modis Active Fire Mapping Program. Depending on when you access this site, the map that is included on this page may no longer be there. Instead, you will find the most recent map. Perhaps there are archives of past maps somewhere on that site, but I am not familiar enough with the site to know where they might be

Red Flag Warnings remain in effect for Essex,Hudson, Union, and Passaic Counties, NJ as well as much of adjoining NYS, and New England through 8 PM tonight. These warnings may be reinstated on Saturday for some of these areas.

Red Flag warnings for the rest of NJ were canceled at 1 PM on April 17.

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ
211 PM EDT FRI APR 17 2009

DEZ001>003-MDZ008-012-015-019-020-NJZ001-007>010-012-013-015>023-
027-PAZ054-055-060>062-067>071-172300-
NEW CASTLE-KENT-INLAND SUSSEX-CECIL-KENT MD-QUEEN ANNES-TALBOT-
CAROLINE-SUSSEX-WARREN-MORRIS-HUNTERDON-SOMERSET-MIDDLESEX-
WESTERN MONMOUTH-MERCER-SALEM-GLOUCESTER-CAMDEN-
NORTHWESTERN BURLINGTON-OCEAN-CUMBERLAND-ATLANTIC-CAPE MAY-
SOUTHEASTERN BURLINGTON-CARBON-MONROE-BERKS-LEHIGH-NORTHAMPTON-
CHESTER-MONTGOMERY-BUCKS-DELAWARE-PHILADELPHIA-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...WILMINGTON...DOVER...GEORGETOWN...
ELKTON...CHESTERTOWN...CENTREVILLE...EASTON...DENTON...NEWTON...
WASHINGTON...MORRISTOWN...FLEMINGTON...SOMERVILLE...
NEW BRUNSWICK...FREEHOLD...TRENTON...PENNSVILLE...GLASSBORO...
CAMDEN...CHERRY HILL...MOORESTOWN...MOUNT HOLLY...JACKSON...
MILLVILLE...HAMMONTON...CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE...
WHARTON STATE FOREST...JIM THORPE...STROUDSBURG...READING...
ALLENTOWN...BETHLEHEM...WEST CHESTER...NORRISTOWN...DOYLESTOWN...
MEDIA...PHILADELPHIA
211 PM EDT FRI APR 17 2009

...ENHANCED BRUSH AND WILD FIRE CONCERNS FOR LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND
SATURDAY...

TEMPERATURES TODAY WILL TOP OUT IN THE UPPER 60S AND LOWER 70S
THROUGHOUT MOST OF OUR REGION, AND RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES EARLY
THIS AFTERNOON HAD ALREADY DROPPED BELOW 30 PERCENT. A WEST WIND,
WHICH GENERALLY WAS AROUND 10 MPH AS OF 200 PM, WILL BECOME
SOMEWHAT GUSTY BY 400 PM OR 500 PM. OCCASIONAL GUSTS OF NEAR 20
MPH ARE EXPECTED, ESPECIALLY BUT NOT EXCLUSIVELY OVER THE HIGHER
ELEVATIONS.

AS A RESULT, THERE IS A HEIGHTENED CONCERN FOR THE DEVELOPMENT
AND SPREAD OF BRUSH AND WILD FIRES IN OUR REGION. THAT CONCERN HAS
LESSENED ALONG THE IMMEDIATE COASTLINES OF NEW JERSEY AND
DELAWARE, WHERE A SEA BREEZE HAS BROUGHT IN COOLER AND MORE HUMID
AIR.

WITH HIGH PRESSURE IN CONTROL, SIMILAR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED FOR
SATURDAY.

$$

IOVINO/STAUBER/DELISI

obtained from http://forecast.weather.gov/showsigwx.php?warnzone=NJZ009&warncounty=NJC019&firewxzone=NJZ009&local_place1=Sergeantsville+NJ&product1=Special+Weather+Statement on April 17, 2009.

Red Flag Warning for April 17 (northeastern U.S.)

You will see from the above image that much of the northeastern portion of the U.S. is under a red flag warning. Since I wrote about a red flag warning issued in March 2009 in my last post, I think the red flag warning for today is timely so I am posting this.

Red flag warning 04/17/09

urgent - fire weather message
national weather service mount holly nj
435 am edt fri apr 17 2009

njz001-007>010-012>015-172300-
/o.new.kphi.fw.w.0002.090417t1600z-090417t2300z/
sussex-warren-morris-hunterdon-somerset-middlesex-
western monmouth-eastern monmouth-mercer-
435 am edt fri apr 17 2009

..red flag warning in effect from noon today to 7 pm edt this
evening...

The national weather service has issued a red flag warning. It is
in effect from noon until 700 pm.

As temperatures rise into the upper 60s and lower 70s for this
afternoon, relative humidity values will drop into the 20s and
perhaps the teens at some locations. A west wind is forecast to
increase into the 10 to 15 mph range, with frequent gusts around
or slightly in excess of 20 mph anticipated. Even though the
region received some rain on tuesday and wednesday, conditions
remain quite dry.

Due to the expected wind gusts and the continued dry conditions,
the national weather service has issued a red flag warning for
this afternoon into early this evening. There is an increased
potential for the initiation and rapid spread of brush and wild
fires in the region.

With high pressure in control, the dry conditions are expected to
continue into saturday.

Precautionary/preparedness actions...

A red flag warning means that critical fire weather conditions
are expected. A combination of gusty winds and low relative
humidity values will create enhanced fire growth potential

http://forecast.weather.gov/wwamap/wwatxtget.php?cwa=phi&wwa=red%20flag%20warning

And if you go here (this map is update daily so if you go to this page on another day, you will see the map generated for that day):

http://firemapper.sc.egov.usda.gov/recent3.php

You will see the map that I have copied to this page.

New Jersey: wildfire activity, March 2009

I mentioned in my last post that through April 5, there were 332 fires burning 499.75 acres in New Jersey. I want to spend a little time on some of the fire activity in March 2009. All of the links and other information that I am including in this blog entry are obtained from the wildlandfire.com forums on NJ: March 2009 Activity .

March was dry here in NJ. See this summary from the NJ State Climatologist. I was aware of the dry weather at the beginning of fire season, so I was not surprised to see reports of brush fires in NJ on the wildlandfire.com forums.

Wed.-Thurs. March 18-19

A 150 acre fire in Morris County (Parsipanny?Troy Hills). See these reports, both of which were posted to the wildlandfire.com forum referenced above:

Report 3 on March 18 at 23:15.
Final report on March 19 at 9:00.

Two small brush fires in Ocean County, NJ. See this Asbury Park Press article [“Cops: 2 suspicious brush fires set in Lacey” by Margaret F. Bonafide for the Asbury Park Press on March 21, 2009]

Sunday March 22

On March 22, the National Fire Weather Forecast for NJ:

UNTIL WE GET A PRECIPITATION EVENT, THE AREA WILL HAVE AN INCREASING THREAT FOR THE SPREAD OF WILDFIRES... IN THE NEAR TERM, THIS WILL BE EVIDENT ESPECIALLY ON MONDAY AS HUMIDITIES LOWER AND WINDS INCREASE. [obtained from http://www.wildlandfire.com/hotlist/showpost.php?p=35163&postcount=9 on April 14, 2009.

I heard of one very small brush fire near some NJ Transit Railroad tracks between Stirling and Gillette in Morris and Union Counties, NJ where the New Jersey State Forest Service was one of the responders. Perhaps there were more fires on that day that I was unaware of. [“Brush fire burns near railroad in Long Hill” for www.dailyrecord.com on March 22, 2009, obtained from http://www.dailyrecord.com/article/20090322/COMMUNITIES25/903220347/1005/NEWS01 on April 14, 2009.

Monday March 23

A Red Flag Warning covering the much of NJ and adjoining eastern PA:

The NWS has just issued Red Flag Warnings statewide for New Jersey at 1030 hours.

SUSSEX-WARREN-MORRIS-HUNTERDON-SOMERSET-MIDDLESEX- WESTERN MONMOUTH-EASTERN MONMOUTH-MERCER-SALEM-GLOUCESTER-CAMDEN- NORTHWESTERN BURLINGTON-OCEAN-CUMBERLAND-ATLANTIC-CAPE MAY- ATLANTIC COASTAL CAPE MAY-COASTAL ATLANTIC-COASTAL OCEAN- SOUTHEASTERN BURLINGTON-

1030 AM EDT MON MAR 23 2009
...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOUNT HOLLY HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG WARNING, WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING. NORTHWESTERLY WINDS OF 15 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 25 MPH WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING HOURS. THE COMBINATION OF THE VERY DRY CONDITIONS, MINIMUM RELATIVE HUMIDITY
VALUES OF 15 TO 20 PERCENT, AND GUSTY WINDS WILL PROMOTE RAPID FIRE GROWTH IF IGNITION OCCURS.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A RED FLAG WARNING MEANS THAT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE OCCURRING OR IMMINENT. A COMBINATION OF STRONG WINDS, LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY, AND DRY FUELS WILL PROMOTE RAPID FIRE GROWTH. [I obtained this from this link]

A Red Flag Warning was issued by the NWS for eastern PA as well.

RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM THIS MORNING TO 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING FOR EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA [I obtained this from this link].

I don’t know the full extent of wildland fire activity on this day or the next. But the Lehigh Valley News reported that there were eight brush fires in a 36-hour period from Monday morning March 23 through Tuesday, March 24. [Tom Quigley “Early rash of brush fires generates concern and warnings in region”, March 24, 2009 on www.lehighvalleylive.com]

The Sunbeam reported on a fifteen-acre fire on a farm in Salem County from a prescribed burn that went of control on March 23. The landowner had a permit for the prescribed burn, to burn away Phragmites (an invasive wee), but was unaware of the Red Flag Warning. [Randall Clark “Brush fires a danger county faces each spring”, March 24, 2009, www.nj.com/sunbeam]

The Star Ledger reported about one of the Warren county brush fires of March 23, one in Sussex County, and another small brush fire in Hunterdon County [Rohan Maxcarenhas/The Star Ledger “Brush fires break out in northern N.J.”, March 23, 2009].

I suspect that there are more wild (brush) fires in NJ over the last few weeks than those I have written about.

Some rain came later that week later that week and over that weekend. April has started out wetter than March, but it is still fire season.

About the NJ Forest Fire Service

I am going to take a break of about a week, maybe a little more, in order to make a few posts about the New Jersey Forest Fire Service (NJFFS).

Spring in New Jersey means that it is fire season. If you go to the home page of the NJFFS and scroll down to the current wildfire activity box in the middle of the page, you will see that fire season in NJ lasts until about June 1. On this same page, you will also see from the map on the right hand side of the page that NJ Forest Fire Service divides the state into three divisions. There is a Division office in each division. If you scroll over the map, you will see a listing of the counties in each division. These are:

Division A:
Bergen
Essex
Union
Passaic
Sussex
Warren
Hunterdon
Morris
Somerset
Mercer

Division B:
Burlington
Monmouth
Ocean
Middlesex

Division C:
Camden
Gloucester
Salem
Cumberland
Atlantic
Cape May

Note that not all municipalities are in the NJFFS's primary response area. No municipalities in Hudson County are in the NJFFS's primary response area. If I understand correctly, the NJFFS will respond to brush and/or wildfires in towns outside their primary response area under mutual aid.

If you go to this NJFFS webpage, you will see that between Jan. 1, 2009 and April 5, 2009, there have been 332 wildfires burning 499.75 acres in NJ. I suspect that they update this page periodically, so depending on when you read this post, you might see different figures.

This webpage also refers to the goals and objectives of the NJFFS. I will repeat them here:

The objectives of the New Jersey Forest Fire Service are to hold wildfire losses at a level commensurate with values protected and to do the job safely and efficiently.

The goal is to limit the number of wildfires to under 2,000 annually and the acreage burned to less than one half of one percent (.5%) of the 3.15 million acres protected, or 15,750 acres.

Obtained from http://www.nj.gov/dep/parksandforests/fire/ff_aboutus.htm on April 13, 2009

Finally, There is also a very good video introducing the NJFFS on this same webpage called Living with Fire. If you live, work, or vacation in NJ, you might want to watch this short video.

CL 215/415: more info, pictures, and videos

For a good overview of the CL 415, including narrative about the amphibious air tanker along with footage of the air tanker in action, and a description of its “scooping” capabilities, go here and allow about seven minutes to watch the video. This appears to a video from TLC -- The Learning Channel -- on mega machines where they did a segment on the CL-415 super scooper.

As I was reviewing the files that TL Stein sent me on the CL-215 and 415, I began to appreciate that this amphibious aircraft is probably not well suited for canyon drops and flying in tight conditions. See this short LA Times article where a now retired CL-415 pilot who flew the plane in southern California talks about the difficulty in flying this airplane in southern California. For a longer discussion of some of the politics of flying this aircraft in Southern California, see this 1998 article from Wildfire News.

Finally one link to pictures and four more videos that you might enjoy:

Pictures of the CL-215 and CL-415, see this page on airliners.net.

YouTube - 10/17/2008 North Bay terraces Wildfire #2

YouTube - Circuit CL 215 water bomber practice drop

YouTube - bullock drive fire

Revised on October 12, 2015 to remove dead links.

CL-215/415: Specs

The CL-215 was designed and built by Canadiar -- a Canadian company -- for fire suppression. It is an amphibious aircraft that “scoops” water from Lakes, Reservoirs, and other open water bodies. It “scoops” up water by skimming the surface of a body of water, without landing. That is, it scoops while it is “flying”. It takes about 10 secs at 86 to 92 mph to refill its water tanks.The first CL-215, sometimes known as a scooper or a Canadair, flew in 1967. This large aircraft is powered by two Pratt and Witney R-2800-83AM 18 cylinder radial engines (2,100 hp each). These are piston engines. Some 215’s (known as CL-215T) were upgraded with turboprops (Pratt & Witney 123AF) that resulted in a 15 percent increase in power. Most of the CL-215’s in service are flying outside of America (Canada and Europe for example). North Carolina has one, Minnesota has two, and a private operator in Arizona has a couple that were under nationwide contract in 2008 (based in Alaska).

Specs (CL-215):

length (ft): 65
wing span (ft): 94
cruise speed (mph): 180
range loaded (st. miles): 550
maximum take-off weight with disposable load on land (lbs): 43,000
maximum take-off weight on water (lbs): 37,700
retardant loads: 550 gallons water
number of gates: 2

The CL-215T’s were a success so Canadair (and later Bombardier) began manufacturing the CL-415 (aka the super-scooper) in the early 1990s with the first CL-415 flying in 1993. The piston engines are replaced by two Pratt & Witney Canada123-AF turboprops (2,380 shp each). The airframe is essentially the same as the one used in the CL-215 with the added power from the turboprops meaning larger water tanks and a longer cruising range. The 415, like its predecessor has a foam delivery system to allow foam to be mixed with the water. The super-scooper scoops water with two four by six inch probes in 12 seconds at 80 mph. It can scoop water from water bodies that are six feet deep by 300 feet wide. The province of Quebec in Canada leases two CL-415’s to the LA Fire Department for two or three months during fire season.

Specs (CL-415)

length (ft): 65
wing span (ft): 94
cruise speed (mph): 223
range loaded (st. miles): 1,310
maximum take-off weight with disposable load on land (lbs): 43,850
maximum take-off weight on water (lbs): 37,000
retardant loads: 1,300 gallons water
number of gates: 4

References used and further information:

Canadair CL-215 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bombardier 415 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Airliners.net The Canadair CL-215 & 415
Bombardier's homepage of the SuperScooper
Canadair CL-215/415 Close-Up by Geoff McDonell

2009 Federal Contract Airtanker List

It seems that the list of air tankers under federal contract for 2009 has been out for two or three weeks now. I just found out about this list over the weekend. As I understand it, this is the list of multi-engine air tankers available for nationwide contract. It is available here on the National Interagency Coordination Center reference material webpage. A pdf viewer is required to view the list.

Lockheed P2V: pictures and video from cockpit

Updated on May 13, 2013 taking out old outdated links and replacing with new links. Neptune Aviation, operator of P2V-5 and P2V-7's under federal air tanker contract, has a photo gallery of their aircraft that you might want to look at, go here to see the slideshow.

If you have a sixteen minutes to spare and want to see a video shot from the cockpit of a P2V airtanker in action the video used to found on Patricks Aviation which is no longer in operation. But I did find what I believe is the same video on the AAF youtube channel.

direct link to video

In Memoriam: Tanker 09

As I was going through the data that I had on the Lockheed P2V, I learned five days ago that a P2V air tanker owned and operated by Neptune Aviation and under contract by the U.S. Forest Service crashed at approximately 6:10 PM PDT on September 1, 2008 shortly after takeoff from Stead airport near Reno NV. There were three crew members on board, all died in the crash. Air tankers certified by the Interagency Airtanker Board for fire fighting and available for nationwide contract are given tanker numbers. The aircraft involved in this crash is Tanker 09 or T-09. T-09 had made a few retardant drops on a 200-acre fire (the Burnside Fire) in the Humboldt-Tolyabe National Forest south of Lake Tahoe, CA. After completing these drops on the Burnside Fire, CAL Fire ordered T-09 to make a retardant drop on the Smitty Fire in Calaveras County, CA. T-09 and her crew were on there way to the Smitty Fire when she crashed.

There is a nice seven minute montage of photographs of tanker 09 on You Tube.

I have been writing about air tankers for over two months now, and writing about wildland fires since early July 2008. I can no longer be dispassionate and uninvolved. I am involved, if only through my writing. I can not find the words to express my respect, admiration, and compassion for those who fly air tankers. What you do is incredibly risky. I know that the community of heavy air tanker pilots is a small one. I have gotten to know a couple of you through this blog. I am quite aware that it could have been you in that tanker. And it wasn’t. I was deeply saddened when I first learned of the crash from comments about a You Tube video on Tanker 09 (referenced above) five days ago.

I have grown to care about the men and women who fly, maintain, provide all means of ground support for air tankers.I have also grown to love the air tankers. I can never be “one of you”, but I do care. Writing has a way getting me up close and personal, and changing me forever.

I pray through my words and offer this entry as a memoriam for T-09 and her crew.

Gene Wahlstrom, 61, Captain of T-09 and chief pilot for Neptune Aviation with over 25 years in the aviation industry.

Greg “Gonzo” Gonsioroski, 41, First Officer, received his type rating on the P2V in the spring of 2006 and was well on his way to becoming an air tanker Captain.

Zachary VanderGriend, 25 an airframe and powerplant mechanic, was fairly new to Neptune. He got his private pilot’s certificate at the age of 17.

Tanker 09, registration number N4235T, serial number 150282, model number SP-2H, date of manufacture: 1962. Owned and operated by Neptune Aviation, Missoula, Montana.

For all of you at Neptune Aviation, I can not begin to imagine what you went through and are still going through. To the larger wildland fire fighting community, the crash of Tanker 09 happened to you as well, I can not conceive of the pain you felt and are still feeling. To the family, friends and colleagues of Gene, Gonzo, and Zach, please accept my heartfelt condolences and prayers. Tanker 09, may you keep flying in favorable winds.

I will fly with you one day.

Lockheed P-2 (P2V) Neptune: Specifications

The first Lockheed P-2 (P2V) Neptune, built for the U.S. Navy was in service around 1945. It was used for submarine surveillance and also for long range patrol until, beginning in the 1960s, it was replaced by the Lockheed P-3 Orion. The P-2 was converted for use as an air tanker, first by the U.S. Forest Service and then by independent operators. Originally a twin-engine aircraft with two reciprocating engines, the addition of two turbo jets to later models gives the aircraft additional power.

Three models of P-2’s are used as air tankers. The P2V-5 and the P2V-7 have identical specifications with the only difference being that the P2V-7 has a bubble cockpit. With 6 gates, the P2V uses a multiple-door gate system for retardant drops.

Specs (P2V-5/P2V-7 models):

length (ft): 86
wing span (ft): 98
turning radius (ft): 72
cruise speed (mph): 225
range loaded (st. miles): 1,100
gross weight (lbs): 80,000
contract op.wt (lbs): 73,900
retardant loads: 2,400 gallons
number of gates: 6

The third model, a SP2H is modified Lockheed P2V where the jet engines are removed. The retardant tank has a smaller capacity then the P2V and the retardant delivery system is a variable flow system with one gate. The aircraft is lighter then the P2V.

Specs (SP2H):

length (ft): 95
wing span (ft): 98
turning radius (ft): 71
cruise speed (mph): 22
range loaded (st. miles): 1,100
gross weight (lbs): 80,000
contract op.wt (lbs): 62,000
retardant loads: 2,000 gallons
number of gates: 1

Neptune Aviation has several (ten, I think) P2V’s under nationwide contract. For more pictures and videos of the P2V in action see these You Tube videos:

Lockheed PV2 Neptune Fire Bombers in California
Air Tanker Drop on Palace Fire, Prescott AZ
Milford Flat Fire-Tanker Drop

A couple of revisions to post on the Lockheed P-3 Orion

I made some revisions to yesterdays post to the first paragraph on terminology. I also added an acknowledgment thanking TL Stein for his continued help.