Reflections on 10 Tanker Air Carrier's DC-10 tankers

Direct link to video on Youtube

Direct link to video on Youtube

If you are like me and you follow wildfires, for example those in the western United States of in Australia, than you have probably seen videos, similar to those I have embedded here,  of a DC-10 tanker working a wildfire. Carrying up to 9,400 gallons of retardant, they can do a lot of good to help wildland firefighters on the ground. Whether a DC-10 tanker makes one drop or multiple drops, they can do a lot of good. I have never seen a DC-10 tanker drop in person, so to speak, but I have seen them on live stream, it is truly awesome to when the drop either a full or partial load.

10 Tanker Air Carrier has a fleet of four DC-10-30 tankers. I am sure that some of you already know that these DC-10's used to be commercial airliners before they were acquired by 10 Tanker Air Carrier and converted for use as tankers (I got the specs and other information on the DC-10 tankers from 10 Tanker Air Carrier's DC-10 Fact Sheet where you may go for more information). 

The four DC-10 tankers are:

• Tanker-910 N612X
• Tanker-911 N17085
• Tanker-912 N522AX
• Tanker-914 N603AX

A crew of three flies the DC-10: pilot in command, second in command, and a flight engineer. A maintenance crew of seven follows the DC-10 with trailers to their assignments. 

Mission Specs:

• cruise speed of 300 to 350 knots to the fire.
• drop speed is 140 knots.
• going back to tanker base to load and return, 380 knots.

Bill Gabbert of Fire Aviation provided an update on the 2020 US Forest Service Large Tanker Contracts on May 2nd. According to Bill's post 10 Tanker Air Carrier will have two DC-10s on this contract. These contracts may change during the fire season, and I expect that Bill will provide updates on Fire Aviation. 

Coulson-Unical CU-47 and UH-60 Helicopters

Last March I noted when Bill Gabbert of Fire Aviation wrote about a partnership between Coulson and Unical Air, called Coulson-Unical. This partnership will add several UH-60 and CH-47 helicopters to Coulson's fleet of firefighting helicopters. Bill wrote about Coulson-Unical in a March 2019 post on Fire Aviation where he had this to say about the plans for the plans for the UH-60 and the CH-47 helicopters:

The capabilities of the helicopters will include night-vision, IFR navigation, and hover filling. At least some of the newly acquired CH-47s and UH-60s will be outfitted with RADS internal tanks. The basic design of the RADS was created by Aero Union decades ago and features steep slopes on the sides when space allows, to facilitate enough head pressure at the bottom to ensure quick and constant flow. The technology used will enable automated target drops for the night vision goggle firefighting program and will have the capability to adjust flow rates based on speed and altitude. A Coulson helicopter that has been certified in Australia for night drops has been used on a regular basis for the last several months during the country’s 2018-2019 bushfire season.

Bill interviewed Coulson Vice President Britt Coulson about the Coulson-Unical partnership in March 2019. You might want to take the three plus minutes to watch the video and learn about these helicopters.

Direct link to Youtube video by Bill Gabbert of Wildfire Today

By August 2019, Coulson-Unical had converted a UH-60 Blackhawk and it was spotted at McClellan in California, see Bill's August 2019 Fire Aviation post for more details. 

Coulson has a nice Facebook page (go here) where they share photos and videos of their aircraft. On May 8th, Coulson posted some photos and a video (the first comment) of their converted CH-47, now known as a CU-47. Then on May 25th, they posted four photos of their new UH-60 Blackhawks. 

I was especially interested in Bill's reporting on the Coulson-Unical partnership and the purchase and planned conversion of CH-47 helicopters because I learned about the capabilities of the CH-47 from a friend of mine. I have actually seen a military CH-47 in the air while one of my pilot friends was taking me flying. Even from a distance of about five plus miles, I was impressed by its size. 

So, when I heard from Mike Archer's Wildfire News of the Day about the Vertical Magazine article about the new CU-47, a recently converted CH-47 by Coulson-Unical I was very interested and saw the May 26th Vertical Magazine article, "Coulson's CU-47 Ready for fire fight" This same article is in the May 22nd issue of Skies Magazine. The author of the article, Howard Slutsken, writes about this conversion, here is an excerpt:

In early March, the first Coulson-Unical CU-47 was flown from the company’s Port Alberni, B.C., base to the Aerial Firefighting North American 2020 conference in Sacramento, Calif.

Featuring a 3,000 gallon roll-on/roll-off internal tank and an advanced Garmin avionics suite, up to 12 CH-47Ds will be converted into next-generation heli-tankers, in a partnership with Unical Aviation that was announced a year ago.

“Unical provides us with the aircraft and a vast supply of parts,” explained Britt Coulson, president and COO, in an interview with Skies.

“They bought the entire Canadian Forces CH-47 parts inventory and were the largest purchaser of CH-47Ds from the U.S. Army.”

The twin-rotor Chinook is well known for its speed, size and payload. While the helicopter is often deployed on fire attack missions carrying a water bucket as an external load, Coulson wanted to give the CU-47 more flexibility and capability.

Slutsken's article on Vertical Magazine/Skies Magazine is freely available as I write this. I don't always know how long such articles will be freely available. 

Memorial Day 2020

I want to take a time out today and pause to remember all those who died serving your country. I remember the families that you left behind.


Direct link to video on Youtube

Women in wildland firefighting: Smokejumping

I have made some posts recently where I have shared some videos on smokejumping as well as offering some videos and my own reflections on the DC-3's long service as a jumpship. I think it only appropriate to share this short 2018 video on Smokejumper Naomi Mills. Enjoy.

Edited on March 29, 2021. The video that I posted here is no longer available. I am sorry, that happens sometimes.

2020 New Jersey wildfire season: May 19 wildfire activity & enhanced fire danger

May 20th, 5:04 PM

The NJ Forest Fire Service Section B10 webpage is reporting that as of this morning the Big Timber Fire has burned 2,107 acres after burnout operations and was at 95% containment


May 20th, 10:10 AM

I understand from a couple of knowledgeable friends who keep me in the loop about wildfires here in New Jersey that there is a major wildfire currently burning in the Winslow Wildlife Management Area in Winslow Township (Camden County). The Big Timber Fire was reported about 1:30 pm yesterday by NJ Forest Fire Service Fire Towers. High winds yesterday exacerbated firefighting efforts. NJFFS Section C6 is working the fire, conducting burn out operations. No structures are threatened and no evacuations have been ordered. As I write this, the fire has burned about 750 acres. NJFFS Section B10 is currently reporting on the fire on their webpage. ABC6 in Philadelphia is reporting on this fire with a video, last updated about 8 AM this morning. I will update this post later as conditions change. Bill Gabbert of Wildfire Today did is usual outstanding job on reporting on this fire, known as the Big Timber Fire, in his article of May 19, 2020.

My friend also told me that yesterday (May 19th) was a busy day for the NJFFS. I know no other details at the moment.

For the second day in a row, the NWS Mt. Holly has issued a Special Weather Statement for enhanced fire danger. I have copied today's Special Weather Statement below.

Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Mount Holly NJ
320 AM EDT Wed May 20 2020

DEZ001-MDZ008-012-NJZ001-007>010-012-013-015>023-027-201700-
New Castle-Cecil-Kent MD-Sussex-Warren-Morris-Hunterdon-Somerset-
Middlesex-Western Monmouth-Mercer-Salem-Gloucester-Camden-
Northwestern Burlington-Ocean-Cumberland-Atlantic-Cape May-
Southeastern Burlington-
Including the cities of Wilmington, Elkton, Chestertown, Newton,
Washington, Morristown, Flemington, Somerville, New Brunswick,
Freehold, Trenton, Pennsville, Glassboro, Camden, Cherry Hill,
Moorestown, Mount Holly, Jackson, Millville, Hammonton,
Cape May Court House, and Wharton State Forest
320 AM EDT Wed May 20 2020

...ENHANCED RISK OF WILDFIRE SPREAD TODAY...

Low relative humidity, gusty easterly winds, and dry fine fuels
will create and elevated risk for the spread of wildfires today
through early this evening across much of New Jersey and far
northern Delmarva.

For more information about wildfire danger, burn restrictions and
wildfire prevention and education please visit your state
forestry or environmental protection website.

$$

MPS

2020 New Jersey wildfire season: May17th wildfire activity

Thanks to a friend, I know of two wildfires that burned in New Jersey yesterday. These are just the wildfires that I know about, I suspect that there may be other smaller wildfires that I do not know about.

Roosevelt 99 Fire: first reported early Sunday morning, May 17th, in Manchester Township, Ocean County (NJ Forest Fire Service Section B5). Structures were near by and were not threatened. Ninety-nine acres were burned after firing operations, the fire was reported to be 100% contained at about 6PM on May 17th. See this post from the NJFFS Section B10 Facebook Page

Mt. Tammany Fire: first reported Sunday afternoon, May 17th, on Mt. Tammany in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area in Warren County NJ, burning about 1 acre near the junction of two popular trails on Mt. Tammany (see this Facebook post from the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. This small wildfire is near the area burned in the 80 acre Rock Face Fire on February 23, 2020. Later on May 17th, the Mt. Tammany fire was still reported to have burned about 1 acre and was at 90% containment. A NJFFS helicopter made bucket drops to aid the ground crews. See this article from Lehigh Valley Live and a second Facebook post (4:30 PM on May 17th) from the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Crews from the NJFFS and the National Park Service fought this fire.

Thanks to the wildland fire crews from the NJ Forest Fire Service and the National Park Service for your work fighting these wildfires. Nice job.

2019 wildfire season: salmon helirappellers

While I have been considering other types of aerial wildland firefighting operations, it seems only appropriate that I share this short highlight video from the Salmon Helirappellers, based in Salmon Idaho. Helirappellers are specially trained to rappel from helicopters to remote locations to fight wildfires, they are an initial attack resource.

The Salmon Helirappellers have a nice photo gallery page with photos and additional videos (including a nice video on helirappelling training) that you may be interested in. According to their who we are page they have two type II helicopters used to deliver helirappelling firefighters and one type III helicopter.


Direct link to Youtube video from Salmon Helirappellers

2020 New Jersey wildfire season (May 13th update)

It is mid-May and while I have no official word about the dates of the spring wildfire season in New Jersey, nor do I have any figures on the number of fires and acreage burned to date, this is around the time of year when the spring wildfire season ends here in New Jersey. I don't take the dates all that seriously, because all it takes is a period of very dry weather to change things. What I can say, and this is by no means "official" is that I understand that in many parts of New Jersey there was been rain every two to four days which may have put on things fire wise. I do know a little about rainfall in part of New Jersey (up north) because I record rainfall in a gage. Since the end of March, I have recorded some rain in my gage every two to four days.

I only know of one major wildfire in New Jersey since the beginning of April, that is the Split Ditch Fire that burned 1,516 acres in early April. I know of some smaller fires, including the Rock Face Fire that while 80 acres in size, made local news because it burned in difficult to access terrain in the Delaware Water Gap off of Interstate 80. I am pretty sure that there have been other smaller wildfire activity across the state of varying acreage.

While perhaps the spring wildfire season in New Jersey has not been as newsworthy as some past spring wildfire season in New Jersey, I am assured and thankful that the great crews of the New Jersey State Forest Fire Service (NJFFS) along with mutual aid responders have been and continue to be ready to keep us safe in New Jersey. Thank-you all NJFFS wildland firefighters for always being ready to fight wildfires to keep us in New Jersey safe.

About SEATS from a SEAT (Air Tractor) Fire Boss pilot

One of the very great pleasures that I have had over the last few weeks is that I have been doing a great deal of reading, thinking, and reflecting about aerial wildland firefighting. I love learning more about airtankers and helicopters and the pilot's who fly these magnificent aircraft. Enjoy this video from Air Tractor where you will hear Mike Young, Assistant Chief Pilot of Air Spray. At the time this video was produced, Mike was in charge of Air Spray's SEAT operations in Chico, CA.




Direct link to video from Air Tractor on Youtube

Reflections on the DC-3 (smokejumpers): part 2 of 2

Among the many types of service (see my May 6th article) that you and your military sisters have done is that of a smokejumper aircraft aka a jump ship. I believe that your first service as a jump ship was around the time that World War II ended. The last of your kind to serve as a jump ship in the United States was retired in 2015. That is about 70 years of service. I believe that it was sometime in the very early 1990s that the last two of you owned by the U.S. Forest Service had your round piston engines removed to be converted to a turbo prop along with other renovations. You were then sometimes referred to as a BT-67 after Basler Turbo Conversions, the company that did the conversion.

I wish that I knew how many of your kind flew for the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management or one of their contractors, but I do not. I think that the numbers may not really matter. What matters is that many of you flew smokejumpers. You served long and well, flying what could be tens of thousands of smokejumpers and their cargo to remote wildfires, mostly in the western U.S. and Canada. That is, many remote wildfires that thanks to you and other jump ships smokejumpers could reach the fire in a matter of hours as opposed to what may have been a day long hike in carrying heavy fire gear and rations.

It is my very great loss that I have not gotten to know you better in your service as a jump ship. Nonetheless, I love you and you have a special place in my heart. While other types of jump ships are flying the smokejumpers, you have a special place in my heart. Thank-you for your service.

In this 2005 video below at about 1:45 you will hear smokejumper Skodt Jones talk about the DC-3.


Direct link to video on Youtube


Direct link to video on Youtube

Reflections on the DC-3 (part 1 of 2)

This is the first of a two part reflection piece about the Douglas DC-3 aircraft. In part 2 to post on May 8th, I will focus on her service as a smokejumping aircraft.

The other day I took a look at the different types of air tankers and Helicopters that I have written about over the past four to five months. I have covered many, but not all, of the current and past air tankers and Helicopters. I was wondering what aircraft involved in wildland firefighting that I could write about next when I thought that I should try to write about some of the current and past smokejumping aircraft. I believe but am not certain that there are at least three smokejumper aircraft currently flying to choose from, the DeHavilland Twin Otter, the the Shorts Sherpa, and the Dornier 228. Rom my reading I heard of one of the variants of the Beech 18. And then there is the Douglas DC-3. I am starting with the Douglas DC-3, I will get to her in a moment. I hope that I will be able to write about the other smokejumping  aircraft in the future I have had some more time to scour the internet for information and to be sure that what I write will not be incorrect.

Before I get to the DC-3's service as a smokejumper aircraft, I want to pause and acknowledge that the DC-3 is among my favorite airplanes. I have seen her or her military cousins hanging on display in museums. but never up close and personal. Her military versions, the U.S. Army C-47, the U.S. Navy R4D, and the British Royal Air Force Dakota saw service as a military transport during and after World War II. Her civilian version, the DC-3 carried passengers on commercial flights (see this article from the Smithsonian Magazine).

Here are some articles that I wrote where you may learn a little more about the DC-3:

• 75th anniversary of the DC-3 (December 17, 2010)
• About the DC-3 
• DC-3 engine sound 
• Virtual tour of the DC-3 courtesy of the MAAM

I close with some videos about the DC-3/C-47.


The Douglas C-47 Military Transport from SleepingDogTV on Vimeo.


Direct link to video from the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum on Youtube 


Direct link to video from the Smithsonian Channel on Youtube

continued reflection for wildland firefighters during a pandemic

I wrote on March 30th that I am not going to write about the Covid-19 pandemic, this still holds true as I write this. However, as wildfire season ramps up in other parts of the country and we in New Jersey have a week or so more to go in our spring wildfire season, I continue to hold all of you who engage in wildland firefighting in any capacity in my daily meditations. This is nothing new as in the eleven years that I have writing this blog on aerial wildland firefighting hardly a day has passed when I did not think of all of you. What has changed for me at least is that I figure that there are two ways I can help you. One is to shelter-in-place, as I continue to do. The second and more to the point of this blog is to keep you in my daily meditations. So, to all of you who are in the wildland firefighting community in any capacity. this post is for you. I know enough to know that there are protocols being put in place for wildland firefighting during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Those of you who are interested in this topic will find Bill Gabbert's reporting on Covid-19 on Wildfire Today to be good reading. Bill is doing is usual excellent job of reporting and he has written a great deal about Covid-19 over the last month. It was Bill's reporting that provided some motivation for this post. Highlights include but are not limited to:

• his interview with the Forest Service about changes in wildland firefighting during the pandemic (April 11th)
• US Forest Service, NW Region, Covid-19 protocols (April 15th)
• Covid-19 protocols issued by the National Geographic Area eastern region (April 16th)
• Simulation for managing Covid-19 during wildfires (May 2nd)

Thank-you all wildland firefighters (ground based and in the air) and all support personnel for keeping us safe from wildfires.


Direct link to video on youtube

2019 wildfire season: Wyoming Hotshots

Enjoy this 2019 season highlight video from the Wyoming Hotshots.


Direct link to video on Youtube