Random Ramblings: Aerial Wildland Firefighting

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.

Friday, June 12, 2020

AgustaWestland 139 - Los Angeles (CA) Fire Department

I have known for awhile that the Los Angeles (California) Fire Department (LAFD) got new helicopters in their multipurpose helicopter fleet. After writing about the Bell 412 helicopters on June 10th, I got interested in the AgustaWestland 139 Helicopters that replaced the older Bell 412 helicopters. Among the first places I went to in order to learn more about LAFD's AgustaWestland 139 helicopters (AW 139) is Bill Gabbert''s Fire Aviation Website where I saw his December 17, 2018 article with a link to Youtube video about the LAFD air operations program that I will link to below, and his February 19, 2020 interview with one of the LAFD pilots, Brandon Pierce, Bill recorded the interview (16 minutes and worth the time). Both articles are good reads.

Direct link to LAFD Air Ops video on Youtube

I got interested in learning more about this very interesting helicopter with a five blade rotor and advanced avionics in the cockpit. I learned a little from the LAFD Air Ops Webpage:

Its Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6C-67C turbines, together with a state-of-the-art 5-bladed main rotor, deliver a high cruise speed even in demanding conditions at all weights. The pilots also utilize state-of-the-art night vision technology to assist ground operations and enhance safety during nighttime operations.

Leading-edge technology includes a Honeywell Primus Epic fully integrated avionics system, a 4-axis digital AFCS and large flat panel colour displays in the cockpit. As a result of the new design approach the AW139 uses fewer components, benefits from integrated avionics and provides easy accessibility to all systems for simplified maintenance tasks. A 480 gallon water tank is attached to the bottom of the airship.

I wanted to know who manufactured the AW 139 and with the help of another article (June 2017) by Bill Gabbert's Fire Aviation and this article from ASD News, I learned that Leonardo (or predecessors?) manufactured the AW 139, I will leave you to go to Leonardo's site and learn about their company.

I'd like to close with two videos of the LAFD's AW 139's fighting wildfires. With a shout out to a knowledgeable friend and fire aviation photographer local to LA who confirmed that yes, you will see the AW 139 in both videos.