Lead Plane Training in Australia

Direct link to video from Coulson Aviation on YouTube

Lead Planes are an important part of many aerial firefighting operations, including but not limited to large airtankers. While the specifics of how different countries and forest fire services use lead planes and the like differ to guide airtankers and helicopters into wildfire areas for drops, training is important. In this short video from Coulson Aviation you will see lead plane training in Australia working with Tanker 131 in New South Wales, Australia. Thanks again to my friends from the B10 NJ Wildland Fire Page for sharing this video on their website yesterday.

About Lead Planes from Coulson Aviation

Direct link to video from Britt Coulson on YouTube 

I have gained some idea about how lead planes work over wildfires in the years that I have been writing this blog. I learned something about what lead planes flown by Coulson Aviation do and I think that what Coulson does is similar to what other contractors flying lead planes do. I enjoy videos like these because it takes me up close to operations that I would not be able to see in person.

Thanks to my friends at B10 NJ Wildland Fire Page who shared this video on their website today.

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 being a USFS pilot from a female pilot

Circumstances prevent me from obtaining my private pilot's license nor do I fly as a Sports Pilot. Some of you know that I don't let my lack of having a private pilot's license prevent me from my interest in aviation. I am especially interested in female pilots, including but not limited to  the few female pilots who fly for the United States Forest Service and their various contractors, or who work in wildfire aviation in other capacities.

Within the first several months of writing this blog on aerial wildland firefighting, I had heard of Mary Verry who was then a Lead Plane Pilot for the US Forest Service. If you want to know about a little more about lead planes, see my February 11, 2011 article about lead planes.

I recently ran across a US Forest Service Video, "Taking Flight in the Forest Service." In this four-minute video you will hear Mary Verry explain how "everyone in aviation is in support of something bigger than themselves." She talks about flying for the US Forest Service, as well as some advice for those who are interested in flying.

At the time this video was made Mary has been a USFS pilot for just under 21 years and is currently the Fixed Wing Program Manager for the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. In her capacity as a Lead Plane Pilot she flies anywhere in the lower 48 states (the Continental United States) and Alaska.


Direct link to US Forest Service You Tube video

Tanker Notes - updates on status for the 2014 season

With many thanks to Bill Gabbert of Fire Aviation, I can provide a somewhat overdue article on the status of heavy tankers as we move towards Spring 2014. Bill does a fine job of keeping up with and reporting on the current status of aviation resources used in aerial firefighting in  Fire Aviation, and other wildland firefighting news in Wildfire Today. Some of you may already follow Bill's blogs and are already up to speed. With the exception of a couple of articles from Missoulian, all the articles that I link to are from Bill Gabbert's Fire Aviation.

Neptune Aviation Legacy contract

On February 12, Fire Aviation reported on the status of Neptune Aviation's Legacy contract under which Neptune Aviation will supply six Lockheed P-2V tankers and one BAe-146 jet tanker this coming fire season.

US Forest Service to acquire C-130's

Bill Gabbert of Fire Aviation has written many articles reporting on the transfer of seven C-130H aircraft to the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) for conversion to air tankers (Fire Aviation 12/20/13).  See for example Bill's article on the passage of the Defense Bill clearing the way for these transfers and the transfer of up to 15 C-23B +S Sherpas to the Smoke Jumping Division. You might also want to read his article on January 4 that two of the C-130's may not need major maintenance an article on January 11 about wing box replacement, and an article on January 14 about the management of the C-130 tankers.

The Missoulian reports on USFS's acquisition of the seven C-130s in an article by Rob Chaney on January 7.

A history of the Sole Source Air Tanker Award 

I reported on January 8, 2014 that The Sole Source Contract awarded Neptune Aviation is under protest. I understand that a decision by the GAO is still due by March 28, 2014. Yesterday, March 11, Bill Gabbert wrote an excellent article reviewing the history and developments behind the sole source air tanker award to Neptune Aviation. I commend this fine piece of reporting to you.

I had been wondering about the status of the Next Generation Tanker Contract and was glad to see that Bill provides an update in his March 11th article on the Sole Source Tanker Award. Recall that only two of the seven tankers under the Next Generation Contract flew in 2013, the DC-10 tanker and Coulson's C-130Q tanker. 

The other five missed their contractual start dates and in September the USFS issued “cure notices” to the three companies. The USFS contracting officer established new mandatory availability period (MAP) dates of March 30, 2014 (Minden), May 3 and 7, 2014 (Aero Air), and May 20 and 28, 2014 (Aero Flite). Fire Aviation, March 11, 2014, A sole source air tanker award, and how it developed.

You might also want to read this January 7th article by Rob Chaney in the Missoulian about the protest of the sole source contract.

Lead Planes

Speaking of jets, on February 27, Bill reported that the Bureau of Land Management has awarded the first contract for a jet-powered lead plane (A Citation CJ) in 2014. Bill reports on the USFS lead planes and ATGS platforms in an article he posted on February 28.

lead planes working with tankers

I wrote the other day about Conair (from Canada) leasing five tankers and a "bird dog" plane, a 690 Turbo Air Commander to Victoria, Australia for their summer season. What is a bird dog plane? A bird dog plane in Canada is similar to a lead plane in the U.S. One of the functions of a bird dog or lead plane is to sniff out the route that the tankers will take to drop retardant on a fire. Simply, the lead or bird dog plane leads the tanker to the site of the retardant drop.

Previously I have written about a couple of fires that Larry Kraus's T-62 worked, with pictures that show T-62 working with a lead plane. In this article, Larry explains how he works with an Air Supervision Module, function as both a lead plane and air attack. Another series of photos showing T-62 working with a lead plane with commentary from Larry may be found here.

I hope, but may not be able, to write a little more about lead planes in a few weeks, but for now I found three two videos that I am embedding here, they are all short, showing footage of a bird dog or lead plane working with a tanker. You know what they say, one picture is worth one thousand words. These videos show lead planes in the United States working with tankers. In both videos you will first see the lead plane followed by the tanker.

edited on November 10, 2017 to delete unavailable video


Direct link to video


Direct link to video