Friday Fun: Helicopters Flying Over Stadiums

For last week's Friday Fun I shared a video of the Blue Angels performing at Annapolis. I was chatting with a friend a couple of days who told me that they saw some helicopters flying over a stadium. That conversation gave me the idea for this week's Friday Fun on Helicopter Flyovers.

I am embedding three short videos of helicopter flyovers football stadiums. Enjoy

1. Helicopters flying over Bills Stadium (late 2022?)

Direct link to video by Owen Gage on YouTube

2. Helicopter Flyover NFL Bills-Jets Game, 11/19/2023

Direct link to video by MarkB on YouTube

3. 2023 Army-Navy Game (jets and helicopters)

Direct link to video by AStack75 on YouTube

About Air Attack from Bridger Aerospace

 Air attack planes flying fire provide a very important service to keep the air space above a wild fire as various firefighting aircraft enter and depart that airspace. One of the companies that I follow on social media is Bridger Aerospace out of Bozeman Montana. I know that Bridger Aerospace has Scoopers, I was not aware that they also have Pilatus PC-12 aircraft flying air attack. I cam across this Facebook post from Bridger this morning discussing thier air attack aircraft that were recently deployed to Alaska.

Memorial Day: Remembering All Who Made the Ultimate Sacrifice

 

Friday Fun: Blue Angels Over Annapolis

 I have been following the aftermath of the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore on Baltimore media where I learned that Blue Angels flew over Annapolis on May 21st. I enjoy watching the Blue Angels and thought that you might too. Here is a four minute video of highlights of their performance.

Direct link to video on YouTube from akbar20777

Coulson C-130 Drop with Lead Plane

 I know that many air tankers work coordinate with a lead plane in making a drop on a wildfire. I enjoyed this two-minute video from Coulson Aviation with a split screen between one of their C-130's and a lead plane including radio transmissions. Enjoy.

Direct link to video from Coulson Aviation on YouTube

About Remote Automated Weather Stations (RAWS)

Direct link to video from National Interagency Fire Center on YouTube

Several years ago I learned about Remote Automated Weather Stations (RAWS), automated weather stations located around the United States, where I am able to obtain weather observations. I use weather information from RAWS in addition to the observations that I can obtain from my local Weather Forecast Office. One source of RAWS observations is MesoWest where you can click on a State you are interested in and select "RAWS" in the "network box" on the top left, or you may use the drop down box. For example. I have accessed RAWS data for New Jersey from MesoWest that may be found here. In my explorations just now as I was preparing to write this post, I found a National RAWS Archive for the United States with a clickable map.

To be completely honest while I sometimes use RAWS observations for my own personal information, I am also very interested in how RAWS are used to aid in fire weather forecasts, both permanent RAWS stations and Incident Remote Automated Weather Stations that are used by Incident Meterologists. The National Interagency Fire Center has a network of about 2,200 RAWS stations that includes most of the RAWS sites on MesoWest  used to aid fire weather forecasters among other uses. 

I hope that you have watched or will watch the four minute video from NIFC that I embedded above to learn about how fire weather forecasters and incident meterologists (IMETS) use RAWS and or the portable Incident RAWS (IRAWS). Note the IRAWS are also used for hurricane forecasting, and in responding to other natural or man made disasters.. You may also want to read the NIFC page on RAWS which includes a link to the video on this NIFC webpage. 

79th Anniversary of Lockheed P2 Neptune

Direct link to video from Weapons Detective on YouTube 

Direct link to video from Scorched Sky Productions on YouTube

I lucked out in looking at today's post from Neptune Aviation on  Facebook where they shared that today, May 17th, is the 79th anniversary of the Lockheed P2 Neptune. A great aircraft who did good service during the Cold War and later as an air tanker. I have many posts on the Lockheed P2V tanker that you may find under this tag. I will never forget Neptune Aviations P2V Tankers, I cut my teeth on these Air Tankers when I started this blog in 2009, see this post where I offered my reflections on this Tanker. Neptune Aviation's last P2V Air Tanker was retired in October 2017. 

2024 Wildfire Season: Neptune Aviation Deploying Air Tankers

 I am always interested in when Air Tankers and Helicopters on Contract with the US Forest Service and other Federal and State agencies are deployed to bases for part or all of a fire season. Unfortunately, I have not yet been able to find a listing of Air Tankers on Contract with the US Forest Service for the 2024 wildfire season nor do I have access to helicopters and SEATs on contract with Federal or State Agencies.. This only means that I have no access to such a list, this happens and I do my best to keep my eyes open for such a list and if I find such a list I will post it on my blog. 

In the meantime, thanks to following some Aviation companies who fly fires on Facebook such as Neptune Aviation, I can follow their activities. Neptune Aviation recently posted about two of their tankers that were deployed within the United States, one to Florida (T12) and another to Colorado (T10).

Neptune Aviation T10 to Colorado for the summer

Neptune Aviation T12 to Florida

2024 Wildfire Season: Acadia National Park, Maine

Direct link to video from News Center Maine on YouTube

Thanks my friends at the B10 NJ Wildland Fire Page for sharing a short video this morning about a wildfire on St. Sauveur Mountain in Acadia National Park that was reported about 5 PM on Saturday, May 11th, see this post from the Bangor Daily News. I know that a helicopter and bucket from the Maine Forest Rangers flew the fire, I do not know how many drops he made nor do I know the size of the wildfire. I believe but am not certain that the wildfire is extinguished.

Having grown up in Massachusetts and spending time on the coast of Maine as a child and a couple of times as an adult I have am especially fond of Maine. I have only been to Acadia National Park once, as an adult 21 years ago. It was very special to spend a couple of days at the Acadia and see first hand some of the majesty of Acadia, I am sure that are things that I missed. I do not believe that I hiked on St. Sauveru Mountain.

Kudos to all the wildland firefighters on the ground and in the air as well as other fire fighters who responded to the wildfire. 

Pilot Chris Blackie in Ranger 905

Photos from the Maine Forest Rangers of the wildfire at Acadia

About C-130 MAFFS for Aerial Firefighting

 C-130 military aircraft that can be configured as firefighting aircraft with special portable retardant delivery systems, known as Modular Aerial Firefighting System (MAFFS), are a great resource. While these C-130 MAFFS do a lot of work out west when activated, they are a national resource available when there are not enough air tankers and helicopters to work in an area with a lot of wildfires. Currently there are 8 C-130 MAFFS available from four military units: 

152nd Airlift Wing, Nevada Air National Guard, Reno

153rd Airlift Wing, Wyoming Air National Guard, Cheyenne 

302nd Airlift Wing, Air Force Reserve, Peterson Air Force base, Colorado 

146th Airlift Wing, California Air National Guard, Port Hueneme 

For more information about MAFFS as well as a couple of videos see this webpage on MAFFS from the US Forest Fire Service

Thanks to my friends at the B10 NJ Wildland Fire Page for sharing a video about MAFFS from KCAL News in southern California. The video is under three minutes and you will learn more about C-130 MAFFS and how they are used.

Direct link to video from KCAL on YouTube

Smoke Jumpers

 Smoke jumpers are an important resource to get wildland firefighters on the ground, often in remote places. Enjoy these two videos about smoke jumpers

1. Smokejumper training 2024

Direct link to video from National Interagency Fire Center on YouTube

2. BLM Smokejumpers working the Trail Canyon Fire (2023)

Direct link to video from National Interagency Fire Center on YouTube

May is National Wildfire Awareness Month

Direct link to video from the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) on YouTube 

May is National Wildfire Awareness Month. I have run across the above video previously and may have already shared it. If so, the video has some good information and is easy to understand and is good to see again. 

The following post on Facebook from NIFC contains a link to some good information on wildfire awareness. I followed one of their links to find the video that I shared above. Please be safe during your wildfire season and take the appropriate precautions around your house to be as safe from wildfires as you can.

New Helo Pod deployed in Northern San Diego County CA

Direct link to video from KPBS on YouTube

I have a special place in my heart for helicopters, this is for you Matt, and I am always interested in the different ways that helicopters may refill their tanks if tanker or refill their bucket. I learned of the Helo Pod in San Marcos, CA (northern San Diego County) that you see in the KPBS video the other day when I was perusing Facebook and saw a video from CAL FIRE San Diego of the demonstration of a San Diego County Sheriff's helicopter using the Helo Pod. I believe that I may have read about other Helo Pods in the past several months. This Helo Pod holds 5,000 gallons and can be filled remotely. The idea is that helicopters will be able to access this Helo Pod at any time thus reducing turn around time and saving lives. For more information, see this April 30th article on KPBS.

If you are a fan of watching helicopters work as I am, then you may enjoy this seven minute live video that CAL FIRE San Diego recorded on April 30th and shared on their Facebook page. I enjoyed watching the video and I thought that some of you might enjoy it as well so I am embedding it below.

Single Engine Airtankers Used by the NJ Forest Fire Service

When I was checking out the New Jersey Forest Fire Services Facebook account yesterday, I noted their April 29th post featuring a two minute video about the single engine air tankers (SEAT) that they have on contract during this spring's wildfire season. Thanks to my friends at the B10 NJ Wildfire Page, I know that there is an 800 gallon SEAT based in central New Jersey and a 600 gallon SEAT based in southern NJ. Thanks to this video I learned more about these SEATS and their pilots. I enjoyed this video and hearing from the two SEAT pilots and I hope that you enjoy it.

The video that I share below is posted by the NJ Department of Environmental Protection, the parent agency of the NJ Forest Fire Service

Direct link to video from the NJ Dept of Environmental Protection on YouTube