It recently came to my attention that I left out some helicopters when I wrote about different types of helicopters used in wild land firefighting a few months ago. Of note, I left out two of Columbia Helicopters, the Boeing 234 Chinook (3,000 gallon bucket for firefighting operations) and the Boeing/Kawasaki 107 Veritol (1,100 gallon bucket). If you look in the operations menu on Columbia's has homepage under flight operations you will find their fire operations page where you may find more information.
I also left out the Sikorsky S-70 Firehawk. The S-70 used by the LA County Fire Department has a 1,000 gallon fixed tank on its belly. For more on the LA County Fire Department's air operations, including the S-70, go here.
These are three helicopters that I have not yet written about, and be assured that I am aware that there are others that I need to write about. I am in the process of gathering data on these helicopters with the help of a knowledgeable friend. Look for this series in two to four weeks, perhaps little longer.
I have blogged about aerial wildland firefighting since 2009. I am not a firefighter and am not a pilot, just an interested bystander who wants to learn more and share what I learn here. Join me here as I blog on the aircraft and the pilots who fight wildland fires from the air in support of crews on the ground. I also blog on concerns affecting fire crews on the ground as well as other aviation and meteorology issues. Learn what it takes to do jobs that are staffed by the best of the best.
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