Aerial Firefighting: Helicopter Capabilities and Limitations

I have never been in a helicopter. Perhaps one day I will have the opportunity to ride in one. Nonetheless, I am interested in what goes into flying a helicopter, both for wildland firefighting and other purposes. I suspect that flying a helicopter for wildland firefighting poses a different set of challenges because they are not landing and taking off from airports or heliports. While the video I am sharing on "Helicopter Capabilities and Limitations" from the National Wildfire Coordinating Group is a part of a training course on helicopter operations in wildfires I learned a lot about what goes into flying a helicopter for wildfire operations. I am sharing this eleven-minute video because I learned a lot and I hope that some of you enjoy this video.

Direct link to January 2026 video from the National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) on YouTube

Density altitude and helicopters (part 3 of 3)

Density altitude affects all aircraft equally, the higher the density altitude, the lower the performance of fixed and rotor-winged aircraft. In helicopters a higher density altitude will, among other things, translate to

(1) a lower hovering ceiling at a given gross weight, and

(2) the higher the density altitude the more power is needed for a vertical take-off and under certain weight and density altitude conditions, there may not be enough power for a vertical take-off. if that is the case, the helo pilot may need to do what is sometimes known as a running take-off.

For more information on the affects of density altitude on helicopters see this article

How to fly a helicopter

I have what I believe will be one more post to make in my series of posts about the Erickson AirCrane. Today got a little complicated and I am trying to do some fact checking before making that last post. So, stay tuned, it will come, I promise. In the meantime. . .

As a part of my background reading and research on helicopters, I was checking around on the internet for materials on how to fly helicopters. Now, I also happen to now someone who is a helicopter pilot, George. George does not fly firefighting helicopters, and he is a wonderful teacher and mentor. He knows his stuff.

Anyway, George has been helping me learn about helicopter flight performance. In the course of my e-mails with George, I sent him some of the materials that I found on the internet about flying helicopters. I asked him which one was the best of the group of four or five that I sent him. He said that the best is the youtube video that I have embedded below.

Thank-you George!