Hurricane Hunter Aircraft flying into Hurricane Dorian

As many of you know, Hurricane Dorian is gaining strength off of the coast of the United States. My purpose today is to write about the hurricane hunter aircraft flying into Hurricane Dorian, but first a few preliminaries. The image below is from the National Hurricane Center's web page, under the section for Hurricane Dorian. The National Hurricane Center (go here for their Facebook Page) is a good source of information about Hurricanes, but they do not provide location specific information. If you or a loved one lives in or near an area within striking distance of hurricane, you may go to the National Weather Service where you will see a map  of the United states, click on the area you are interested in. You will then be taken to the local National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office for your region (and check their social media accounts as well), and you will be able to get location specific hurricane advisories, watches and warnings.

Hurricane hunter aircraft may be from NOAA, see the NOAA Hurricane Hunter Facebook Page or from the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron of the 403rd Wing (Air Force Reserve). The 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron has a nice facebook page: U.S. Air Force Reserve 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron Hurricane Hunters. These hurricane hunters fly into hurricanes including multiple flights into the eye to provide crucial data that is then used by weather forecasting models, including those from the National Hurricane Center, for hurricane forecasts issued by the National Hurricane Center.

If you want to know about current and upcoming missions of either the NOAA or the 53rd Squadron's hurricane hunters, go to the webpage for aerial reconnaissance in the North Atlantic Basin, you will find information about reconnaissance mapping on that webpage (Google Earth requires downloading a KMZ file and Cesium does not appear to work in Firefox).

I was thrilled to see that the NOAA Hurricane Hunters has an all female  three-pilot flight crew. This all female crew flies the Gulfstrean IV-SP, NOAA 49 "Gonzo" : Capt. Kristie Twining, Cmdr. Rebecca Waddington, and Lt. Lindsey Norman.

Here are some short videos shared by the NOAA Hurricane Hunters on their Facebook page:

• NOAA 42, aka Kermit (P3 Orion) taking off from NOAA's aircraft operations center early in the morning of August 29th for a reconnaissance mission into Dorian. Go here to see more information on NOAA's two P3 Orion Hurricane Hunter aircraft 
• NOAA 42 landing later on August 29th after completing a reconnaissance mission into Dorian.
• NOAA 42 while flying in Dorian's eye while on a reconnaissance mission into earlier on August 30th.

Here some nice Facebook posts from the U.S. Air Force Reserve 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron:

• August 27th news article about three WC-103J's and one C-130J Super Hercules ready to fly into Dorian
• Behind the scene planning and coordination for upcoming flights into Dorian (August 28th, photo only).
• Photos from an August 27th mission into Dorian
• Photos of buoys dropped by the 53rd's hurricane hunters (August 30th). These buoys will measure the temperature of the ocean surface, surface winds, and surface pressure.

I close by sharing two videos where you may learn a little more about what the hurricane hunters do.

In the first video from ABC Action News (serving Polk County Florida and environs) you will see one of NOAA's hurricane hunters taking off on a mission. This video was uploaded on August 29th.

Direct link to video from ABC Action News

The second video (just over four minutes) is from the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum with highlights of a hurricane hunter from the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron flight, uploaded in April 2019. The video appears to be taken on a flight into Hurricane Florence in September 2018.

Direct link to video   

A Little About the Wildfires in the Amazon

The wildfires that are currently burning in the Amazon have been making headlines in various news outlets so I expect that many of you reading this post know about these wildfires. I do want to spend a little time on these wildfires today. I don't know much about the actual size of the wildfires, nor can I say how many wildland firefighters on the ground and in the air are helping to fight these wildfires. But I do know that there is a lot of person power fighting these wildfires. Before going any further, I am not going to post any pictures because I understand, thanks to this post from Bill Gabbert of Wildfire Today, that there are photos circulating claiming to be from the Amazon wildfires that are not of these wildfires.

 I do know that the Global Supertanker (747 tanker) is currently working in Boliva, flying the Amazon fires in that country, see this August 22nd post from Bill Gabbert's Wildfire Today for more information. Here are three tweets with short videosof the Supertanker working in Bolivia:

• Tweet #1 from Global Supertanker
• Tweet #2 from Global Supertanker
• Tweet #3 from ViVe TV (I learned of this tweet because of a retweet by Global Supertanker.

But there is some satellite imagery of these fires. Below is a satellite photo of the wildfires in Boliva, courtesy of Earth Observatory, for more information about this photo please go here where you can see an overlay with labels for the countries in South America. The image below, dated on or about August 27th, is an image from Landsat 8 courtesy of NASA's Earth Observatory

Instrument: Landsat 8 - OLI. Obtained on August 28, 2019 from https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/145522/fire-burns-in-paraguay-bolivia-and-brazil

The second satellite image is included in an August 21st article from NASA that may be found here.

A visit with the NJ Forest Fire Service at a County Fair

This past weekend was the Fair weekend in my parts: the annual County 4H and Agricultural Fair. This is always a fun time and I go every year, sometimes for more than one day. Yes, there are rides and games for the kids, bands and other entertainment, and the pleasure of watching the local $H clubs exhibit the projects they have worked on all you. Yes, there are shows for the various livestock, poultry and equine exhibitions. There is the tractor pull including a pedal tractor pull for the little ones on Saturday morning. I always enjoy the exhibit of antique tractors. I watched a couple of equine events, and visited the livestock and poultry tents.

But my favorite part this year was stopping by the New Jersey Forest Fire Service Table in one of the exhibition tents. I just missed Smokey Bear who paid a visit to celebrate his 75th anniversary. But I did get to chat with a New Jersey Forest Fire Service (NJFFS) Wildland Firefighter from the section where I live. While I follow the NJFFS on various social media platforms, I rarely get a chance to have a conversation with a NJFFS firefighter in person. The best part was that he may live close to my town, at least he was intimately familiar with some of the open space in and adjacent to my town. More importantly, he knows the County where I live. He told me about the types of mostly smaller brush fires that they fight  and how they work with the local volunteer fire companies, some whom have brush trucks. We talked about how his section will help fight larger wildfires in other parts of New Jersey.

It was nice to put a face to one of these fine NJFFS firefighters who fight fires in my town and county. But my biggest take away is that he and the rest of the NJFFS in my section have the backs of their residents. This is true across New Jersey, your NJFFS section has your back. If the call comes, they will be there fighting the brush fire so that I may be safe. And if it should happen that the small brush fire turns into something larger, they will have our backs. I knew that the NJFFS works with the Volunteer Fire Companies, some of whom have their own brush trucks.

I got to thank him for his service. I told him about this blog, and how much I care about the NJFFS.

So for all the New Jersey Forest Fire Service wildland firefighters, no matter where you are in New Jersey, this post is for you. I want to say thank-you for having our backs, in the large wildfires and the small brush fires. You are there. Thank-you from the bottom of my heart. Stay safe.

SEATS - AT802 Fire Boss: 2019 edition

When I wrote about SEATS the other day (see my August 19th post), I did not specifically mention the Amphibious SEATS, namely Air Tractor's AT-802F Fire Boss (Fire Boss) Often, when I refer to SEATS in this blog, I am referring to both 800 gallon SEATs with conventional landing gear including but not limited to Air Tractor's 802F as well as the Fire Boss. Then of course, I should mention that there are SEATs with smaller tanks such as those manufactured by Thrush as well as Air Tractor (and others) that may be used in both agricultural and fire fighting operations.

Today I am specifically interested in the Fire Boss, the subject of this post. I do know that some of the contractors in the United States who have SEATs do have the Fire Boss in their fleet, but I do not know off hand which ones, nor do I know how many of the Call-When-Needed Contracts in the United States go to Fire Boss SEATS. I did want to have a blog post focusing on the Fire Boss, but was waiting to see some good video of them in action, especially scooping.

hanks to my friends at the NJFFS Section B10 Video of the Week (videos updated weekly) who recently shared a wonderful, but somewhat long (10 minutes) video of a group of three Fire Boss SEATs scooping water from Osooyos Lake in British Columbia, Canada while fighting the Richter Mountain Fire near Cawston British Columbia (see about this video in the link below). I did enjoy seeing this group of three Fire Boss SEATs, from Conair in Canada scooping as a group. (see this Conair page for more information on their Fire Boss fleet). I won't repeat the specs and other information here in this post, rather I will leave those of you who are interested in learning more to follow the links in this post. But I do want to mention that the tank capacity is 800 gallons and there is a separate foam tank to inject foam into the water prior to the drop.


Direct link to video by VMC Aviation Videos

Ode to helicopters: dip and drop

Dip and drop,dip and drop, dip and drop. Regular readers will know that I often think about helicopters, in part because of a friend who loved helicopters who died too soon. I think about the helicopters, not only Hueys but other similarly sized helicopters, that carry 500 gallon buckets. Many states have type 2 helicopters, perhaps under the Federal Excess Personal Property Program and Firefighter Property Program. Some of these helicopters might be smaller helicopters that are mainly used for observation, others might carry a 500 gallon bucket. Some firefighting helicopters use a tube that hangs from their belly to fill their tanks. However, my thoughts turn to these state helicopters with 300 to 500 gallon buckets, and the important work they can do helping wildland firefighters on the ground. Dip and drop, dip and drop, dip and drop. And on it goes. Dip and drop, dip and drop.

A water source close to the wildfire is very helpful, sometimes the water sources may be a small pond in a golf course or even a swimming pool. A helo dipping at a water body provides photo opportunities, but their work is so much more. These water sources for dipping, especially if they are close can mean that the helos and buckets can do a lot of drops. These drops can be an important part of initial attack. The helo crews communicate with the crews on the ground so they know where the drop is needed, and of course there is the skill of the pilots to know how to drop so the water/foam ends up at just the right spot. Perhaps the supervisor of a crew will ask for a drop where they are working, you will fly there and make the drop. Dip and drop, dip and drop.

I am not quite sure of the size of the bucket, 500 gallon or smaller,  in the video below, but that doesn't really matter as she and her pilot did good work to help the crews on the ground in Hawaii put out a grass fire.


Direct link to video

I don’t want to forget the National Guard or Air Force Reserve helicopters, often Blackhawks that have a larger bucket. Dip and drop, dip and drop, dip and drop. Your larger bucket means more water/foam on the fire. Whether you are called up to help out with a larger wildfire or perhaps work a smaller wildfire where there are not enough existing resources, your service is appreciated. Like your smaller cousins, your crew communicates with the wildland firefighters on the ground so you know where your drop is needed. Dip and drop, dip and drop.


Direct link to video

To the helos with buckets and their crew, I want you to know that I know you are there, no matter where you are flying. I know that you are there all the times that there may be no cameras recording your operations. The crews on the ground and those living near the wildfire appreciate you and so do I. Thank-you for your service. Your work can be dangerous and I know your pilots take precautions to stay safe.

Dip and drop, dip and drop, dip and drop

SEATs: 2019 edition

I have not forgotten about the great work that SEATs do in flying wildfires to help out the wildland firefighters on the ground. While their retardant tanks only hold 800 gallons, they are small and can use smaller landing strips then the larger air tankers. I have no specific information about the contractual situation for SEATs in 2019. I believe that the last two years that all SEATs were on call when needed contracts with no SEATs on exclusive use contracts.. However, I do know from video footage and media reports that SEATs have been flying this season. See for example, see this short video, courtesy of InciWeb shared by the NWS IMETs on their Facebook page of a seat flying the Tucker Fire in California earlier this year. KTXS 12 ABC has an August 15th news report with video of a SEAT based at the tanker base in Abilene Texas. Finally there is a nice video report from KREM2 CBS out of Spokane Washington where a SEAT pilot shows us his cockpit controls, go here for this August 15th report from KREM2.

Before you go take a look at these two very short videos of SEATs dropping on a wildfire. The first video is from 2010, showing a SEAT dropping on a wildfire in Idaho.


Direct link to video

The second video is from Texas A&M Forest Service of a SEAT dropping on a March 2018 wildfire in Gray County Texas.


Direct link to video

More on using GOES East and West to detect wildfires

I want to write a little more about how GOES East and West are used to detect wildfires. Some of you may recall that I wrote about how NWS Incident Meteorologists uses GOES East and West on May 3rd where I interview Robyn Heffernan, NWS Science and Dissemination Meteorologist with the National Weather Service National Fire Weather Program Office. Perhaps you want to pause and take a few moments to read my interview with Robyn.

I have been wanting to follow up on that May 3rd article on how GOES East and West are used to detect wildfires. Thanks to my friends at the NWS IMET Office for sharing a great video from GOES 17 (GOES West) showing smoke from the Williams fire on their Facebook Page. I have not been able to find this video on Youtube, so I hope you check out the Facebook post from the NWS IMETs to see this great GOES West imagery.

Here are a couple of videos from NOAA Satellites on Youtube with smoke and wildifre detection imagery.

Direct link to GOES 16 images of smoke and pyrocumulonimbus (pyroCb) in Alberta, Canada in May 2019

Direct link to GOES 17 from northern Saskatchewan, Canada in May 2018

I followed the link in the NWS IMET Facebook page sharing GOES West imagery of the Williams Fire and found some great information on how GOES East and West (also known as the GOES-R series of satellites is use for fire detections. What strikes both about the IMET post is that they mentioned that they can use GOES East and West to detect wildfires from their office. Of course, NWS Forecast Offices have the capability to utilize GOES East and West for wildfire detection as do IMETs in the field. Please take a moment to go and read this short two-page article on using the GOES-R series for fire detection. I'd like to quote from this report about the benefits of GOES-R applications for fire detection:

New ABI channels provide more information to forecasters and improved resolution and rapid scanning deliver high-definition images as often as every minute. This means a much more detailed look at fire conditions, faster detection of hot spots, and the ability to track fire progression and spread in real time to detect changes in a fire’s behavior and predict a fire’s motion. GOES-R Series satellites frequently detect fires before they are spotted on the ground – often before emergency notifications to 911. The satellites are also used to pinpoint the exact location of a fire after reports of smoke. 

GOES-R Series observations are not just valuable for detecting wildfires but are also critical to observing and monitoring smoke from those fires. The ability to monitor smoke plumes in near real-time is particularly useful in directing firefighting efforts from the air. Deploying airplanes and helicopters to spray fire retardant is often hampered due to poor visibility. GOES-R satellites can help guide decisions for deploying flights by providing information on the exact location and motion of smoke from a fire. The smoke detection and monitoring information also enable better air quality forecasts.

Finally if you want to learn a little more about how GOES West (GOES 17) is used for wildfire detection, please see this August 12th twitter post from the NWS Houston retweeted by NWS IMET Operations and take the time to explore the seven tweets from the NWS Houston with different types of GOES 17 wildfire detection imagery.

2019 wildfire season: IMETs ready to save lives

There have been no new IMET deployments since August 9th, but with a two week deployment, I am sure that there are IMETs assigned to wildfire working to save lives. The NWS IMET Office has a Facebook Page (the first link in the list of deployments below is to their Facebook Post for the deployment in question). The NWS IMET Office also has a Twitter account. Here are some IMET deployments over the last several days. I am only listing wildfires at or below 70 percent containment and I don't know if the IMETs are still assigned to these fires:

• August 3rd, US NWS Pendleton Oregon IMET deployed to the Williams Flat Fire near Keller Washington, 45,359 acres burned at 65 percent containment.
• August 4th, US NWS Elko Nevada IMET deployed to Cove Creek Fire near Salmon, Idaho, 4,394 acres burned at 59 percent containment
• August 5th, US NWS Boise Idaho IMET deployed to the Nethker Fire near McCall, Idaho, 2,340 acres at 63 percent containment.
• August 7th, US NWS Portland Oregon IMET deployed to the 163HKComplex near Monument, OR, size and containment information not known.
• August 7th, US NWS Missoula Montana IMET deployed to the Bees Kove Fire near Missoula, Montana, 429 acres burned at 47 percent containment.
• August 9th, US NWS IMET trainee from the US NWS Western Region onsite at the Nethker Fire near McCall, Idaho, 2,340 acres at 63 percent containment. I wrote about IMET trainees in July 2017.

Finally, before you go, some of you know that IMETs sometimes launch weather balloons (aka radiosonde) when deployed to a fire. The IMET Office shared a short video on their Facebook Page on August 1st showing IMET Tom Wright launching a radiosonde. It is a nice video and even if you are familiar with radiosondes, I think you will enjoy this short two minute video.

IMETs save lives!

Escaping the Camp Fire

Jon Mooallem (photographs by Katy Grannan) wrote a long article in the August 4 2019 New York Times Magazine on escaping from the Camp Fire that burned in Paradise California in the fall of 2018. The Camp Fire burned over 150,00 acres and killed at least 84 people. As for structures, over 13,500 single-family residences, over 280 multiple-family residences and over 510 commercial buildings were destroyed.

I subscribe to the New York Times, so I read both the print version and the digital version. The only difference is that the digital version has some videos, I’ll get to those in a moment. The New York Times has a paywall but you do get a few free views each month.

In this essay (that I link to at the end of this article, you will follow Tamara Fisher as she gets out of Paradise California the day the fire started. To say that her escape is harrowing, is an understatement. She drives a short distance before the traffic stops, and as she sits there the fire gets worse. As she is sitting in traffic not going anywhere the car starts to burn up so she abandons her car. She is terrified, fearing for her life. You will meet Larry Laczko, a contractor who was also trying to drive out of Paradise that morning. Larry sees Tamara get out of her car as her car is starting to burn and tells her to get in his truck. Larry and Tamaras finally do get out of Paradise but it is harrowing. There is Joe Kennedy, driver of a bulldozer who finds himself at the Camp Fire helping to clear the way for folk to escape. And there are others.

The essay is very intense, Tamara’s videos are graphic and very intense. I can see that this might upset some of you for a variety of reasons. And if you are one of those, perhaps you want to stop here and move on.

I spent a few days thinking about whether or not to share this article with you because of the intense and graphic nature of the the essay. It is also a long article. I am still a little hesitant. But I post the link to this article because I think it is an important story. Perhaps not so much for those who have lived through the Camp Fire whether you be residents of Paradise and environs or firefighters. From my seat through Moopalien’s writing, the videos and Grannan’s photos, I experienced the exodus from Paradise in a way that is not otherwise possible. For that reason, I am sharing this article with you, go here to read We Have Fire Everywhere: Escaping California’s Deadliest Blaze. Kudos to Jon Mooallem for his great reporting and Katy Grannan for her stunning photographs.

2019 wildfire season: Upper Yukon Alaska wildfires

I have been writing about the wildfires in Alaska of late, see for example my July 26th post about the New Jersey Forest Fire crew, NJS#1 that was deployed to Alaska and my August 2nd post about crews from the continental United States deployed to Alaska. I wanted to do something a little different today, I will get to that in a moment. First, I went to the Alaska Interagency Coordination Center to look at the latest Situation Report from the Alaska Interagency Coordination Center (August 8, 2019), the latest situation report may be found here so the numbers I am presenting here (taken from the August 8th Situation Report) may be different from the latest Situation Report. As of Thursday August 8th, there have been 615 wildfires in Alaska this year that have burned 2,434,032.3 acres where lightning caused wildfires account for 2,391,207 acres, new and or staffed wildfires account for 511,541.8 acres with the difference in acreage representing wildfires in monitoring status.

Always looking for something a little different, as I was today, I checked out Mike Archer's Wildfire News of the Day (go here for subscription information). In his August 5th edition of his Wildfire News of the Day e-mail, I found a nice story from Must Read Alaska showcasing drone footage of the 500,000 acre Chalkitsik Complex (upper Yukon). The Chalkitsik Complex has a page on inciweb. The drone aka (UAS) footage is from the AKIMT/BLM AFS Alaska Fire Service/DNR Alaska Division of Forestry. The video below was embedded in the Must Read Alaska article, uploaded by the 2019 AKUYD Chalkyitisk Complex.


Direct link to video from the 2019 AKUYD Chalkyitisk Complex

I then went to Alaska Fire Info to see if I could find any interesting photographs and I was in luck. I found a nice photo essay from a wildland firefighter from the Tanana Chiefs Initial Attack Crew, the photo essay is dated August 8th and an August 7th photo essay of the Chalkyitisk  Complex. The Chalkyitisk Complex is, if I am not mistaken, located in the Upper Yukon in Alaska, Alaska Fire Info posted an update about the status of the wildfires burning in the Upper Yukon, with a map here.

Aviation Safety: an Air Traffic Controller speaks on thunderstorms

I am in a hurry to finish todays work on my blog in advance of thunderstorms moving through my area. As a non-pilot aviation enthusiast, I am always interested in aviation safety in addition to weather safety.

I found this excellent video from the Air Safety Institute of the AOPA where an Air Traffic Controller talks about thunderstorm, the target audience is pilots. But I think that all of us can learn from this. At the very least, you will learn what Air Traffic Controllers (ATC) due to keep airplanes safe in the sky when thunderstorms are in the area. You will hear the ATCs in the video talk about pireps, short for pilot reports that pilots make to ATC.


Direct link to video from Air Safety Institute

Fire lookouts up close and personal

Enjoy these two videos about fire lookouts.

In the first video you will visit the Pickett Butte Lookout Tower. It is an active fire lookout during fire season in the Umpqua Natonal Forest in the Cascades in Oregon. It is utilized as a fire lookout during the summer from approximately July 15 through October 1 and is available for rent the rest of the time.


Direct link to video from Seatlleleet

You will hear from fire watcher Shirley Payne in the last video. Shirley is a U.S.F.S fire lookout who has staffed the Baker Butte fire lookout near Pine Arizona for 24 years.


Direct link to video From the AZCentral and the Arizona Republic

2019 wildfire season: crews from lower 48 in Alaska

On July 22nd, I wrote about U.S. based crews from outside Alaska who were deployed to Alaska. I am writing this article to follow-up on crews from outside Alaska who are currently deployed to Alaska wildfires as of August 2nd. I obtained this information from the August 2nd Out of Area Crews report that I found on the crews page linked to on the Alaska Interagency Coordination Center (AICC) website. Information on wildfire acreage is either obtained from Alaska Fire Info or the AICC Situation Report for August 2nd. If you are arriving here after August 2nd, you may found the August 2nd Situation Report in the section labeled Previous AICC Situation Reports on this AICC Predictive Services Intelligence / Reports page.

Chalkyitsik Complex (Upper Yukon), 501,629 acres

Crews from the lower 48 assigned to the Complex: Winema IHC (OR),Big Bear IHC (CA). T2IA crews: CA(3),MN, OR.

A Type 2IA crew from OR is assigned to Small Timber Lake (34 acres) within the Complex.

August 1st update from Alaska Fire Info includes link to video embedded below



Cornucopia Complex, 85,511 acres

Crews from lower 48 deployed to complex: Type 2IA: CA(2), IN
Crews from lower 48 deployed to individual wildfires within complex:

• Chandler River, crew from lower 48: Type 2IA: CA
• East Fork Chandler, crew from lower 48:Type 2IA: CA
• Hadweenzic River, crews from lower 48: Tallac IHC (CA), Redmond IHC (OR)

August 1st update from Alaska Fire Info

Grouse Creek, 49,121 acres, crew from lower 48: Type 2IA: CA

Rainbow 2, 19,757 acres, crews from lower 48: Type 2IA: MN, OR

Alaska Fire Info
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