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, November 18, 2022

CH47 Chinook

Several years ago when I was still going on occasional scenic flights with a pilot friend, I have a memory of seeing a CH47 Chinook. If memory serves, my pilot friend saw it first, and then I saw it. The Chinook was probably a few miles away so it appeared to be small. However, considering that I can recall seeing small single engine aircraft from the same distance that looked like a large dot in the sky, the fact that we could recognize the Chinook said something about its size. That was the first and last time I was even close to seeing one in person, so to speak. For some reason I was thinking about this apparent sighting of a Chinook while on a scenic ride this morning and decided to focus o the CH47 Chinook today. Knowing that the CH47 is being used for wildland firefighting I wanted to devote today's post to the CH47.

The CH47 has a sixty plus year history dating back to the Vietnam War era, for specifications, history, and some photos of the CH47 go to this page from Military.com.

Some CH47 Chinook's have been repurposed for use as a heavy lift helicopter that can be used in wildland firefighting and other heavy lift operations. Billings Flying Service out of Billings, Montana operates CH47 Chinooks. With a range of 360 miles, a maximum gross weight of 50,000 pounds, a maximum air speed of 140 knots and a hook that carry about the 26,000 pounds (Billing's CH47 Chinook page for this and more specifications and information about their CH47 Chinooks) they are an impressive helicopter. The Billing's CH47 Chinooks, with a tank capacity of 2,500 gallons and a bucket capacity of 2,700 gallons, are used for wildland firefighting, see Billings aerial firefighting page for more information.

In the video below from Earl Watters featuring a Billings Chinook CH47, you will see some shots of the instrument panel, shots of dipping to fill her tanks, shots from the cockpit of dropping water, and shots on the ground getting her read to fly a fire. The CH47 was working a fire near Folsom California in August 2022. Enjoy. Allow just under five minutes to watch the video.