I was looking around for a fun airplane video to share with you for Friday Fun when I came across this animated video for children from KLM. The video may be for kids but this adult loved it, it made me smile. Not only was this video funny but I learned something at the time. I thought that some of you might enjoy it as well.
Direct link to video from KLM Royal Dutch Airlines on YouTube
Direct link to Jan 25th video from The Union Tribune on YouTube
Direct link to Jan14th video from The Sun (UK) on YouTube
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| Current wildfires in Southern CA, obtained from Cal Fire Incidents Page on Jan 29th at 3 PM EST |
The image of the map from Cal Fire that I shared above is a little small of necessity so I could show the location of the four fires that I will update below. This information was obtained from the Cal Fire Incidents Page and is current at the time I post this article. Recent rainfall in southern California has no doubt aided the firefighters in fighting these fires.
Direct link to January 26th video from KCAL News on YouTube
I know from following some media outlets as well as checking the National Weather Service Forecast Office Los Angeles that there was light to moderate rainfall over Los Angeles County including the areas burned by the recent wildfires for the last 48 hours.. I know enough to know that this rainfall has helped firefighters as the work to contain wildfires in and around Los Angeles County. If you go this Facebook post from the NWS Forecast Office in Los Angeles (close the page asking you to log on to Facebook to see the post) where I hope you will see a link for their latest rainfall summary. I am not intimately familiar with the geography of this area but I hope that you will see that light to moderate rainfall was fairly widespread. I also know enough to know that with rainfall comes the risk of flooding and in areas burned by wildfires, risks of debris flows that can further impact any structures still standing as well as impacting roads and bridges.
I saw a nice article earlier this morning from the New York Times by Tim Balk published on January 26th and updated on January 27th the recent rain over the fire areas and the risk of mudslides, you may go here, please note that I can give you 10 days of free access ending on or about February 6th.
Some of you might be interested in reading more about debris flows, shared by the NWS Forecast Office in Los Angeles has some good information from the USGS, For example, on the link titled "what is a debris flow you will find this useful definition from the USGS on what a debris flow including the increased risk to areas burned by wildfires.
Debris flows are fast-moving landslides that are particularly dangerous to life and property because they move quickly, destroy objects in their paths, and often strike without warning. They occur in a wide variety of environments throughout the world, including all 50 states and U.S. Territories. Debris flows generally occur during periods of intense rainfall or rapid snowmelt and usually start on hillsides or mountains. Debris flows can travel at speeds up to and exceeding 35 mph and can carry large items such as boulders, trees, and cars. If a debris flows enters a steep stream channel, they can travel for several miles, impacting areas unaware of the hazard. Areas recently burned by a forest fire are especially susceptible to debris flows, including the areas downslope and outside of the burned area. Debris flows are a type of landslide and are sometimes referred to as mudslides, mudflows, lahars, or debris avalanche.
I close with the latest information from the Cal Fire Incidents page on wildfires currently burning in Los Angeles, note this page is updated frequently so you may see information for different fires on that page. The fire information that I post below is current as of January 27th at 12:30 PM EST
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| obtained on Jan 27th at 12:30 PM EST from the Cal Fire Incidents page |
Direct link to January 23 video from NBC 7 San Diego on YouTube
Direct link to January 24th video from Fox 5 San Diego on YouTube
I have been thinking on the Santa Ana Winds that affected San Diego County yesterday with Red Flag Warnings continuing into this morning (January 24th) in portions of San Diego County and adjoining areas. Thanks to my friends at the B10 NJ Wildland Fire Page who shared the videos about the wildfire situation in San Diego County that I embedded above. The first video refers to a few smaller wildfires in San Diego County, I could only find information for one fire, the Gilman Fire on Cal Fire. In the second video, you will learn more about the Border2 Fire which I read about online yesterday, I am glad to have watched this video. Regarding the two San Diego County wildfires that I referred to in my January 23rd post the Lilac fire is 100% contained at 85 acres and the ncfr3-4 fire is not a Cal Fire Incident and there is no further information on this 80 acre fire at the time I write this post.
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| Obtained on Jan 24m 2025 at 12 PM EST from https://www.weather.gov/sgx/ |
...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM PST TODAY FOR THE MOUNTAINS, SAN DIEGO VALLEYS, INLAND EMPIRE, INLAND ORANG COUNTY, AND THE SAN GORGONIO PASS FOR GUSTY SANTA ANA WINDS AND VERY LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY...
...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM PST THIS MORNING FOR THE MOUNTAINS, SAN DIEGO VALLEYS, INLAND EMPIRE INLAND ORANGE COUNTY, AND THE SAN GORGONIO PASS FOR STRONG GUST WINDS AND VERY LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY...
* WINDS...East 10 to 20 mph with gusts to 40 mph. Isolated gusts to 40 to 50 mph through 6 AM.
* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...As low as 2 percent.
* IMPACTS...If fire ignition occurs, conditions are favorableor rapid fire spread and extreme fire behavior.
* LOCATION...San Bernardino and Riverside County Valleys -TheInland Empire, San Diego County Inland Valleys, San Bernardino County Mountains-Including The Mountain Top And Front Country Ranger Districts Of The San Bernardino National Forest, Riverside County Mountains-Including The San Jacinto Ranger District Of The San Bernardino National Forest, Santa Ana Mountains-Including The Trabuco Ranger District of the Cleveland National Forest, San Diego County Mountains-Including the Palomar and Descanso Ranger Districts of the Cleveland National Forest, San Gorgonio Pass near Banning and Orange County Inland Areas.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now....or will shortly. A combination of strong winds...low relative humidity...and warm temperatures can contribute to extreme fire behavior.
&&
$$
http://www.weather.gov/sandiego
Current wildfire statistics from the Cal Fire Incidents page at 6:45 AM EST on January 23rd
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| Obtained on January 23rd at 7:15 AM from the National Weather Service in San Diego |
In honor of the day we celebrate Martin Luther King's birthday, I am sharing a 14 minute video from the Black Journal about Black pilots in WW II, there fight to even be pilots in the military, the birth of the Tuskegee Airmen and the training of Black military pilots, the role of the Tuskegee Airmen, the prejudices they faced, and their important role in the air war in WW II, and their role after WW II in the military and in the civilian population.
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| Obtained on January 17th at 10:30 from the Cal Fire Incidents Page |
I am always saddened by the loss of life from any wildfire. For the last few days, I have seen the figure that there are 24 fatalities attributed to the wildfires currently burning in LA County and environs.. My thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones of those who have perished in the Palisades and Eaton fires. I went to the individual incident page for each of the three wildfires that I have listed below to get a breakdown of the fatalities attributed to each fire.
I start with embedding a January 14th video from NBC News where reporter Ellison Barber rode along on a Cal Fire helicopter to get an aerial view of some of the wildfires currently burning in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties and a discussion with Operations Section Chief Christian Litz.
Direct link to video from NBC News on YouTube
In my wonderings in preparation for this post, I came across a nice article on USA Today that I hope is freely available to all (I am not a subscriber to USA Today). This January 14th USA Today article discusses the different aerial assets that are currently being used to fight the wildfires in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. The article lists these aerial assets with a drawing and specifications, it is an easy read. In particular the article refers to the :
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| Obtained on January 15th at 11 AM EST from https://www.weather.gov/lox/ |
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| obtained from the Cal Fire Incidents Page at 11:10 AM on January 15th |
Direct link to video from NBCLA on YouTube
When I posted yesterday, January 13th about the wildfire situation in Los Angeles County, I included a graphic warning of Particularly Dangerous Situation (PDS) Red Flag Warnings from the National Weather Service in Los Angeles from 4 AM Tuesday January 14th through Noon on Wednesday January 15th. The NWS in Los Angeles updated their PDS Red Flag Warning yesterday after I posted on January 13th. See the graphic below.
I wanted to give you more information about how the NWS defines a Particularly Dangerous Situation (PDS) as relates to Red Flag Warnings. The video I shared is good, they explain about Santa Ana Winds and then discuss what a PDS is.
Direct link to January 13th video from CBS News on YouTube
I want to update my January 10th post on the wildfires that are currently burning in and around Los Angeles County. As you can see from the video report that I shared, at least 24 people have died and thousands of structures are damaged or destroyed. High winds will again be present over the fire area, but not as high as last week.
I took a screen shot of the latest map on the CAL Fire Incidents Page using my Firefox browser.
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| Image taken at 11:30 AM on January 13th from the CAL Fire Incidents Page |
At the time I write this update, the status of the five wildfires that I reported on in my January 10th post are:
Note: For some unknown reason, I had a problem accessing the map on the CAL Fire Incidents page using Safari and Chrome on my Mac desktop perhaps because of the way the two browsers are configured. I was able to access the page using safari and chrome on my devices and a friend told me they could access this page on both browsers on their Mac laptop.
Direct link to video from Inside Edition (January 9th) on YouTube
Direct link to video from KCAL (January 9th) on YouTube
Direct link to video from KCAL (January 9th) on YouTube
I am heartbroken about the destruction caused by various wind-driven wildfires in Los Angeles County and vicinity. Stories about these wildfires are in all the digital newspapers I subscribe to and then some. So I am sure that most of you know about the wildfires. I will let you watch these three short videos that I have embedded above. One is sharing about calling in the National Guard, a second is reporting on some 1,000 homes that have been destroyed in the Pacific Palisades and vicinity, and the third is reporting on evacuations being lifted. These videos are only a small look at what local media in Los Angeles have been reporting. Then there are other articles in various newspapers, chances are if you subscribe to a newspaper you are reading about these fires, then there will be articles in your newsfeed for those of you who have a newsfeed. Evacuations orders are still in place and many structures have been destroyed.
I know of at least five wildfires of various sizes that are burning in Los Angeles County and environs, information and links are obtained from the CAL FIRE incident page you can go there to look at more maps.
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| Image taken on January 10th, 2025 at 1:09 PM EST from the CAL FIRE incident page |
Direct link to video from KCAL News (January 8th, about 6 AM PST) on YouTube
I follow Wildfire Today and it's sister site Fire Aviation, both sites are reporting on the Palisades Wildfire, Wildfire Today's most recent post (Jan 7th) may be found here and Fire Aviation posted later in the evening on Jan 7th. This is a fast moving fire fueled by extreme winds. The winds are hampering aerial operations which according to this report from CBS News were shut down January 7th at 8PM, the report includes a map of the fire area and reports on the Hurst and the Eaton Fires. Evacuations due all three fires are in place, residences have been destroyed, and there are road closures in the area. Schools have also been closed.
The New York Times reported on these fires this morning, the article is gifted for 10 days. The Washington Post is also reporting on these fires in an article posted today (gifted to you for 10 days).
Life threatening winds occurred Tuesday, Jan 7th and Wednesday morning January 8th for the Los Angeles area.
Neptune Aviation is transitioning to a new aircraft for wildland firefighting, the Airbus A319 that they expect to be ready for the 2027 wildfire season. This decision comes after they spent two years doing extensive research to come up with the right aircraft, they will partner with Aerotec & Concept. The retardant capacity of the A319 will be 4,500 gallons. According to their December 3, 2024 news release
“The Airbus A319’s increased capacity and advanced features make it an ideal choice for wildland firefighting. Our team is committed to ensuring that Neptune’s new fleet is optimized for maximum efficiency and safety. With our extensive experience in aircraft modification, we are confident that this transition will enhance Neptune’s aerial firefighting capabilities,” says Aerotec & Concept CEO Johan Clochet.
With its new aircraft selected, Neptune Aviation becomes the first company to convert the A319 for aerial firefighting operations. Moving to the A319 will increase retardant capacity to a minimum of 4,500 gallons, compared to the maximum 3,000 that can presently be carried by the BAe 146. The A319 also has greater fuel capacity, which will allow Neptune to reach remote fires located outside of their current service window with a full payload.
As part of the A320 product line, the Airbus A319 is equipped with advanced avionics, featuring a revolutionary fly-by-wire (FBW) flight control system. The FBW system uses computers to process pilot inputs and then sends electrical signals to control the aircraft’s flight surfaces, ensuring the desired flight path. These capabilities enhance safety, reliability, and maneuverability, while reducing weight by eliminating traditional cables, pulleys, and rods.
Draughon (Jennifer Draughon, President of Neptune Aviation) says the transition to the A319 will happen gradually over a number of years and expects that Neptune will operate between 10-15 aircraft in their fleet—a mix of A319s and BAe 146s—depending on the evolving demands of aerial firefighting.
I am about a month late in posting about this and while I suspect that many of you already know that Neptune will be transitioning to the A319, as the title of my blog is aerial wildland firefighting, it is appropriate that I report on this development. You might be interested in reading other articles about Neptune's transition to the A319:
Coulson Aviation is deploying to Australia and has already deployed to Chili after a busy wildfire season in the western United States. See these short posts from X, formerly Twitter for more information.
Today, Coulson Aviation marks 15 million gallons of water and retardant delivered on fire missions this year. Every drop represents our unwavering support for firefighters and the communities they protect 💪 #coulsonaviation #aerialfirefighting pic.twitter.com/0h1NsR5RrM
— Coulson Aviation (@CoulsonAviation) December 30, 2024
As 2024 ends, we’re reflecting on an incredible year of aerial firefighting operations. Thanks to the Coulson Crew, partners, and local orgs for trusting us to protect communities worldwide. Here's to a safe, impactful 2025! #happynewyear #coulsonaviation #aerialfirefighting pic.twitter.com/107L7bYiaV
— Coulson Aviation (@CoulsonAviation) December 31, 2024
Take to the skies with Tanker 138! Before deploying to Western Australia earlier this year, this Herc completed a test flight, ensuring it in tip-top shape for the upcoming fire season. Join us for a glimpse of this incredible aircraft in action 💪 #coulsonaviation #c130 pic.twitter.com/xIQrnXHqU8
— Coulson Aviation (@CoulsonAviation) January 2, 2025
Day 1 on contract in Chile, and Tanker 137 is already making an impact. Our Coulson Crew hit the ground running, ensuring smooth operations and keeping the mission on track. Getting it done is what we do 💪 #coulsonaviation #aerialfirefighting pic.twitter.com/WfPa4GxHxN
— Coulson Aviation (@CoulsonAviation) December 27, 2024
According to a post on X, formerly Twitter, the NJ Forest Fire Service responded to over 1,400 wildfires that burned more than 11,000 acres. Enjoy this short summary from the New Jersey Forest Fire Service of their 2024 wildfire season and what they do to keep us safe.
Happy Holidays from the New Jersey Forest Fire Service!
— New Jersey Forest Fire Service (@njdepforestfire) December 22, 2024
In 2024, the Forest Fire Service responded to over 1,400 wildfires burning in excess of 11,000 acres across the Garden State.
As we welcome the New Year, remember Smokey's message: “Only YOU can prevent wildfires.” pic.twitter.com/zqQKfAfIEi
