Friday Fun: A behind the scenes look from the cockpit of CAL Fire Air Attack

Enjoy this 2022 video from the Grass Valley Air Attack Base in California of a behind the scenes look at air attack on the Still Fire. Grass Valley has an account on Facebook, but you need to have a Facebook account to access their page. You will hear various radio traffic related to the Still Fire and there is cockpit footage from various air craft working the fire, including the OV-10 Air Attack (spotter), a helicopter and a CAL FIRE air tanker.

Direct link to video from Grass Valley Air Attack Base on Youtube

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.

Direct link to video from Earl Watters on YouTube

2022 wildfire season: Washburn Fire (Yosemite) update #2

I continue to monitor the Washburn Fire because of my interest in the Giant Sequoias, an interest that I am sure are shared by many of you. As I write this, Inciweb is reporting that the fire has burned 3,772 acres and it appears that there is some progress in containment, although that can always change. I continue to see coverage of the Washburn Fire in national media such as CNN. I turn to Bill Gabbert's Wildfire Today when I am interested in a particular fire, I was not disappointed. In a July 12th article, updated early on July 13th he reports that the fire is likely human caused: 

Yosemite Superintendent Cicely Muldoon said the fire was caused by humans.

“As you all know there was no lightning on that day so it is a human start,” Muldoon said Monday night. “It’s under investigation. That’s all I can say about that right now. We’re looking at that really hard.”

More important for my purposes, Bill reported on the current status of the Giant Sequoias in the Mariposa Grove in Yosemite: 

Approximately 340 acres of the blaze is within the Mariposa grove of giant sequoias, some of which are close to 3,000 years old. The more than 500 mature giant sequoias are adjacent to heavy fuels and have so far avoided serious damage from the fire, the National Park Service reported Tuesday.

Of course conditions in the world of wildland fires can change. If there is a change in threats to the Giant Sequoias, I will let y'all know.

 

 

2022 wildfire season: Washburn Fire (Yosemite) update #1

 

I suspect that some of you already know about the Washburn Fire from your local media, national media, and or social media. As I write this, the Washburn Fire has burned 2,340 acres in Yosemite National Park and is 0 percent contained. I liked the video report from CBS News that I have embedded here, but I never know how long the embed code will work. They report that up to five percent of all Giant Sequoias in the State of California may have been burned in recent wildfires, an estimated 75,000 Giant Sequoias. I am sharing the latest update, July 11th, on the Washburn fire from Twitter. Inciweb has a page for the Washburn Fire, but I have been unable to access Inciweb for much of the day.

#WashburnFire Daily Update for July 11, 2022. Currently 2,340 acres, 0% contained with 545 firefighters assigned to the fire.@YosemiteNPS pic.twitter.com/BPdf1fQ9nC

— Yosemite Fire and Aviation Management (@YosemiteFire) July 11, 2022

I am writing this post because I know that the Washburn Fire could threaten the Giant Sequoias in the Mariposa Grove section of Yosemite. Like many of you, I love trees and thought I have never seen the Giant Sequoias, I am awed by these magnificent old trees. Here is a nice July 11th article from New York Times article (paywall hopefully removed through July 21st) on the threat to the Giant Sequoias from the Washburn Fire and efforts being made to save them: "Emergency responders are “proactively protecting” the giant trees by removing fuels such as dead trees and using sprinkler systems to increase humidity on the ground, the Yosemite fire management office said on Sunday. Firefighters were also using bulldozers to clear vegetation that was feeding the wildfire, The Associated Press reported." Bill Gabbert of Wildfire Today has done a great job reporting on the Washburn Fire, including his wonderful mapping (with the location of the Gian Sequoia Groves in relation to the fire) that may be found here. You might also want to check out KPIX, CBS in San Fransico, one of the local media outlets reporting on the Washburn Fire.

I write this out of love and respect for our precious Giant Sequoias that are again threatened by wildfires and I want you to know that I am paying attention and I care. I want to thank all the wildland firefighters on the ground, in the air, along with park officials working to keep the Giant Sequoias safe for all of your hard work to protect our natural resources and also to protect the public from the Washburn Fire. On my next trip to the west coast, when ever that is, I hope to make time to see the Giant Sequoias in person while I still can.

2022 wildfire season: Coastal Fire (Laguna Niguel, Orange County CA)

I am writing about the Coastal Fire which has burned at least 200 acres in Laguna Niguel (Orange County, California) because I heard that a friend of a friend lives in or near Laguna Niguel. My friend wanted to know where to get more information about the Coastal Fire, so I told them about the CAL FIRE incident page on the Coastal Fire (last updated on May 12th) and about Bill Gabbert's Wildfire Today where Bill has a nice article about the Coastal Fire. Bill does excellent reporting on wildfires including nice maps, I recommend you follow him if you are interested in wildfire news. I understand from Bill's article and other reporting that I have seen that there are evacuations in place and at least 20 residences have been destroyed and one firefighter was injured.

I am reminded that even a more moderate sized fire can affect people and destroy homes. I thank all the wildland firefighters on the ground and in the air who are working this fire. I am thinking of all those who are under evacuation orders, some will go back to find their homes destroyed. 

I am reminded that with the dry conditions in California and elsewhere in the western United States that wildfires such as the Coastal Fire will occur. At this time it may too early to know how large the Coastal Fire will be before it is contained. 

Here are two video reports from Los Angeles TV Stations dated May 13th.

direct link to video on Youtube from CBS Los Angeles

direct link to video on YouTube from KTLA