Reflections on Fifteen Years of Blogging on Aerial Wildland Firefighting

It was in January 2009 that I made a commitment to devote this blog to aerial wildland firefighting and related issues. If someone had told me 25 years ago that I would be writing a blog on aerial wildland firefighting I would not have believed them. Then a series of changes in my life 20 years ago started me on a quest to do some writing. I wrote a couple of articles related to a former job and then I took a trip to Malawi in 2007. I began this blog to record my thoughts before, during, and after my trip to Malawi. I had some hopes of turning my time in Malawi into something more than just a life changing trip. So I knew that at some point I would have to find something else to write about. I ran out of things to post about Malawi in early 2008 and then spent a few months writing about various things that interested me.

I got interested in wildland firefighting in the fall of 2008 after following a major fire in California so I began learning about wildland firefighting. To be clear, I am not a wildland firefighter, nor am I a pilot. It is hard to explain but deep down inside I knew that I wanted to write about aerial wildland firefighting and I knew that not being in the business would pose some challenges. I have to give credit to a couple of friends of mine for encouraging me to follow this dream, especially Tom Janney. Without Tom’s early help and encouragement and a couple of other friends in the business. the early days of this blog would not have been possible. 

I can never write from the point of view of a wildland firefighter or those who flew tankers and helos in support of wildland firefighters on the ground. What I lack in first hand experience, I’d like to think that I make up with my passion and some research skills that I learned in graduate school and a think tank where I used to work as support staff.

I make no money off this blog, it has been and will remain a labour of love. Sure I get discouraged sometimes, wondering why I keep the blog going. During those times when I am discouraged either something happens in the world of wildland firefighting that gives me a reason to keep going or a firefighter friend tells me that I need to keep this blog going. 

I owe a debt of gratitude to some good social media groups, blogs and websites for letting me observe news on current and past wildfires as well to my friends in the wildland firefighting business (past or present) for answering my questions. I sometimes delve into related areas, such as weather events, and first responders responses to flooding and the like. 

For those of you reading who are wildland firefighters on the ground or in the air and your support teams, I want you to know how much I care about what you do. In the way that I can, I hope that I honor you in this blog.

Finally, I save the most important people for the last. That is you, my readers. Whether you drop by only on occasion or are a frequent reader, I do this blog for you. Thank-you from the bottom of my heart for reading and being a part of my journey. I hope to keep this blog going for many more years. 

Reflections on Big Sur (CA) and Wildland Firefighting

In my wonderings in my news feed and elsewhere, I found out about the Colorado Fire  burning near the Big Sur coast in Monterey, County, California (see this Jan 23rd article from the Mercury News ( https://www.mercurynews.com/2022/01/22/rare-terrifying-winter-big-sur-fire-burns-down-to-iconic-highway-1-bridge/ ) and Bill Gabbert’s recent article on Wildfire Today I have heard varying reports of acreage burned from 700 to 1,050, but according to CAL FIRE’s update as of 7:52 AM PST on Jan 24th, the fire has burned 700 acres, one structure has been damaged and the wildfire is at 35 percent containment. 

Reading about the Colorado Fire brought me back to the summer of 2008 before I had decided to devote the blog to aerial wildland fire fighting and related issues. The Basin Complex Fire which burned 162,818 acres. It is hard to explain but through hearing media report about this wildfire I became interested in learning more about wildfires and how wildfires are fought. So, I decided to take my readers along on this journey and a few months later, thanks to the help of some friends who helped me to learn the ropes of wildland firefighting and aerial wildland firefighting in particular, I devoted this blog to aerial wildland firefighting and related concerns. That was almost 13 years ago now. 

Writing this blog has been and continues to be an adventure. I am still learning and I take you along as I learn. There is much that I can never know because I am not a wildland firefighter and am a non-pilot aviation enthusiast. I do care about the wildland firefighting community in the air and on the ground. I hope that comes across. I am grateful to all you, my readers, thank-you for reading me and following me over the years. 

Reflections on Aero Union's P-3 Orion Air Tanker

When I started to write about aerial wildland firefighting over 10 years ago, I quickly learned about Aero Union's P-3 orion air tanker. I never had the opportunity to know one of her pilots nor did I ever meet her in person. But that does not matter because I got to know her through her reputation and through a myriad of videos of air tanker operations over wildfires. With tanks carrying up to 3,000 gallons of retardant, she was a valuable resource. I loved watching videos of her dropping on fires. Even better was watching her work wildfires in the western United States on live stream.

Those days are gone. The U.S Forest Service cancelled its contracts for Aero Union's P-3's in the summer of 2011. Bill Gabbert of Fire Aviation writes about the efforts to bring the P-3 back to wildland firefighting configuration here.

I want to honor the work of Aero Union's P-3 tankers. I can think of no better way to do so then by sharing a couple of my favorite videos. The first one has no sound For the record, there was a version with sound and a snappy musical track, but I can no longer find it online. Even without sound you will get to see the P-3  working wildfires. 

Direct link to video on Youtube

The second video was done by Scorched Sky Productions in 2011 as a tribute to Aero Union's P-3 tanker after Aero Union lost it's USFS contract.

Direct link to video by Scorched Sky Productions

Reflections on the CH-47 Chinook Helicopter

Direct link to video

I became more familiar with the CH-47 Chinook Helicopter about 10 years ago thanks to a good friend of mine who worked with the CH-47 while he was in the military. He was either a flight engineer or a mechanic, I am not sure which. Needless to say, he loved the CH-47 and suggested I learn more about the CH-47 as he knew that they were used for aerial firefighting while he was in the military. He told me to check out Columbia Helicopters and learn more about the CH-47 and the civilian version. I learned a short time later that Columbia holds the type certificate for the civilian version of the CH-47 known as the Columbia 234 Chinook, go here for more information.

I admit that I don't know as much about the CH-47 and her civilian cousin, however, because of my friend I have deep affinity for the CH-47. So when I am perusing videos of aerial wildfire operations, especially wildfires where military reserves have been called into service, I do look out for the CH-47 Chinooks or Columbia's 234 Chinook.  In addition, there are two other helicopter operators that I know of that have CH-47's used for civilian heavy lift operations as well as wildland firefighting operations, Billings and Coulson. Bill Gabbert of Fire Aviation has written several articles on the CH-47 used in firefighting operations that you may find tagged on his site. Bill wrote about Coulson's CH-47 on March 1, March 8, and September 5, 2019. He wrote an article on Billings in January 2019 . There may be other heavy helicopter operators that I do not know about.

In closing, I would be remiss if I did not mention another incident involving the CH-47 that further ignited my affinity for the CH-47. That is, about five years ago, a pilot friend was taking me on a scenic flight, I believe that we were somewhere in eastern Pennsylvania. He was getting flight following so he was getting advisories of aircraft near are flight path. The controller came over the radio telling him to look out for CH-47 flying north, I believe. I do not recall how far away the CH-47 was, at least five miles? Anyway, it took both of us a several seconds before it registered that what we were looking for, the CH-47 helicopter. So, we both looked and spotted her. She seemed small as aircraft are from that distance, but she was easy to spot. I was thrilled beyond words. I still remember that with a smile on my face. I took out my camera and tried to get a picture, a very bad picture. But I tried. But the better image is what I remember. It is the first, last, and only time I have seen a CH-47 in person, so to speak, with my own eyes.

Reflections on the Erickson Air Crane

Yesterday I read a short article  about an Ericsson Air Crane that has or will soon be delivered to the Korean Forest Service., Bill Gabbert of Fire Aviation wrote about this same Air Crane in November while she was still being tested prior to delivery to Korea. This article gave me pause to consider that over the years that I have been writing this blog and looked at countless videos of aerial wildfire operations across the world. Perhaps it is the distinctive look of the Air Crane while she is fire fighting configuration, but I have seen her in several videos while she is in firefighting service outside of the United States. With her large capacity tank, on the order of 3,000 gallons, and her ability to scoop water from a water source, she is a very valuable part of the aerial wildland firefighting fleet of aircraft.

I am not sure if I have seen an Air Crane in New Jersey, if I did I believe that she would have been doing work on utility transmission lines. And It would have been from a distance. 

I am very fond of the Air Crane because she was among the first aerial firefighting aircraft that I wrote about over ten years ago. I am very grateful to Kenny Chapman, long-time pilot of an Erickson Air Crane who answered my questions and walked me through fighting fires with an Air Crane. I occasionally correspond with Kenny over social media, he is a gentleman and he always answers my question. Thank-you Kenny for introducing me to the Air Crane and for giving me a glimpse up close and personal of the Air Crane.

I never tire of the Air Crane and over the years I have shared numerous videos of the Air Crane in action both working wildfires and doing other heavy lifting, you may read them here.

Sometimes a picture, or in this case a video, is indeed worth a thousand words.  I am going to share a 20 minute video about the Ericsson Air Crane by B Dudas Productions where you will see her perform firefighting and other duties. Enjoy.

Direct link to video by B Dudas Productions

Thank-you tanker and helicopter pilots for flying wildfires

Rarely a day goes by when I do not think about pilots flying tankers, helicopters, lead planes, bird dog aircraft, and observation aircraft over wildfires in support of the wildland firefighters on the ground. 

• You do what you do because you love flying and care about doing all that you can to help those on the ground. 
• You go through pre-season recurrency training as required by contract. 
• You get weather briefings before you go, if it is too windy, foggy, or there are thunderstorms in the area you won't fly.
• There are restrictions in your on-call hours, and mandated daily off-duty time and days off.
• You want to be safe when you fly and you want those on the ground to be safe. 
• You communicate with other aircraft and those on the ground to coordinate where to drop your water or retardant.
• You fly low when you make your drops.
• What you do is dangerous.
• Depending on where you are based and where your family is, you may be away from home for weeks during wildfire season. 
• If activity is slow, and you are on contract, then there may be hours when you are hanging around your base passing time, doing whatever you do to relax and pass time.

Know that you are appreciated. Words are wholly inadequate to express my gratitude for what you do and the sacrifices you make. Thank-you from the bottom of my heart.

Ode to helicopters: dip and drop

Dip and drop,dip and drop, dip and drop. Regular readers will know that I often think about helicopters, in part because of a friend who loved helicopters who died too soon. I think about the helicopters, not only Hueys but other similarly sized helicopters, that carry 500 gallon buckets. Many states have type 2 helicopters, perhaps under the Federal Excess Personal Property Program and Firefighter Property Program. Some of these helicopters might be smaller helicopters that are mainly used for observation, others might carry a 500 gallon bucket. Some firefighting helicopters use a tube that hangs from their belly to fill their tanks. However, my thoughts turn to these state helicopters with 300 to 500 gallon buckets, and the important work they can do helping wildland firefighters on the ground. Dip and drop, dip and drop, dip and drop. And on it goes. Dip and drop, dip and drop.

A water source close to the wildfire is very helpful, sometimes the water sources may be a small pond in a golf course or even a swimming pool. A helo dipping at a water body provides photo opportunities, but their work is so much more. These water sources for dipping, especially if they are close can mean that the helos and buckets can do a lot of drops. These drops can be an important part of initial attack. The helo crews communicate with the crews on the ground so they know where the drop is needed, and of course there is the skill of the pilots to know how to drop so the water/foam ends up at just the right spot. Perhaps the supervisor of a crew will ask for a drop where they are working, you will fly there and make the drop. Dip and drop, dip and drop.

I am not quite sure of the size of the bucket, 500 gallon or smaller,  in the video below, but that doesn't really matter as she and her pilot did good work to help the crews on the ground in Hawaii put out a grass fire.


Direct link to video

I don’t want to forget the National Guard or Air Force Reserve helicopters, often Blackhawks that have a larger bucket. Dip and drop, dip and drop, dip and drop. Your larger bucket means more water/foam on the fire. Whether you are called up to help out with a larger wildfire or perhaps work a smaller wildfire where there are not enough existing resources, your service is appreciated. Like your smaller cousins, your crew communicates with the wildland firefighters on the ground so you know where your drop is needed. Dip and drop, dip and drop.


Direct link to video

To the helos with buckets and their crew, I want you to know that I know you are there, no matter where you are flying. I know that you are there all the times that there may be no cameras recording your operations. The crews on the ground and those living near the wildfire appreciate you and so do I. Thank-you for your service. Your work can be dangerous and I know your pilots take precautions to stay safe.

Dip and drop, dip and drop, dip and drop

2019 fire season: large tankers on contract with US Forest Service

I knew that it was getting to that time of year when we would start seeing large air tankers on contract with the US Forest Service. So, I went to Bill Gabbert's Fire Aviation site to find out if he had posted about the 2019 large air tankers. My efforts were rewarded when I found hist April 15th article, updated on April 17th on 13 large air tankers under contract for 2019.

I know that many of you follow Bill's blogs, and you will already know about the13 large air tankers on exclusive use contracts with the US Forest Service in 2019; according to Bill it is likely that another five air tankers will be going on contract soon. As I do write about aerial wildland fire fighting, I think it is important for me to post about these exclusive use contracts for large air tankers.

Bill writes the following in his April 15th article on these 13 large air tankers:

Currently six of them have been activated according to the estimated starting dates of the Mandatory Availability Periods (MAP). On April 17 a seventh will begin. The rest will come on between May 1 and May 29. 

The 13 air tankers confirmed so far on exclusive use contracts for 2019 are:
• 10 Tanker Air Carrier: 910 and 912 (DC-10)
• Coulson: 131 (C-130Q)
• Aero Air: 101 and 107, (MD-87)
• Aero Flite: 160, 161, 163, and 167 (RJ85)
• Neptune: 01, 15, 16, and 40

You will want to read Bill's April 15th in its entirety to read about related issues.

If five additional large air tankers go on exclusive use contracts sometime soon, whatever that means, the 18 large tankers on exclusive use (EU) contract are not enough. The advantage of exclusive use contracts over call when needed (CWN) contracts is that air craft under exclusive use contracts are paid to be available during a contract specified mandatory availability period while call when needed aircraft are only paid when they are called up to be ready to fly and at a higher cost as compared with exclusive use aircraft.

In June of 2018, I wrote about my concerns over the decrease in air tankers and helicopters on contract to fly fires. I don't know the status of CWN contracts for 2019. My concerns remain the same this year. On June 8, 2018, I wrote in part:

Following up on Bill Gabbert’s comments on the higher costs and other concerns about the CWN contracts along with the reduction in available EU contracted aircraft, it is just a matter of time during this 2018 wildfire season when all EU contracted aircraft will be assigned to fires, so the call will go out for additional aircraft to work wildfires. So, the USFS asks those contractors on CWN contracts if they have available aircraft. As Bill points out in his February 21st [2018] article, the cost of aircraft under a CWN contract is higher than under an EU contract. It stands to reason that the contractors may try obtain other contracts for their CWN aircraft. Or perhaps, sadly, they haven’t other contracts, deciding that it costs too much to keep a CWN aircraft and crew ready to fly fires so the aircraft sits without a contract. What happens then? 

Not only does the CWN contractor have to have available aircraft, they also have to have available crew and maintenance personal. What happens if that crew can not afford to sit around with no pay waiting for the call to fly? Perhaps they get other flying jobs in the meantime. What happens then?

It is important to note that at this time, I do not know about the status of any CWN contracts that the US Forest Service might issue. If the number of available aircraft and crew on CWN contracts this year is lower than in 2018 then the scenario that I wrote about last year might be worse.  With a reduced number or no aircraft on CWN contracts in 2019, what happens once all available EU aircraft are assigned to a fire? Could a call go out for a large air tanker or a helicopter to work a fire with a response that none are available? What happens then?

More reflections on ten years of blogging about aerial wildland firefighting from a non-pilot aviation enthusiast

In the fall of 2008, I got interested in wildland firefighting, see my June 29, 2018 article for reflections on learning about wildland firefighting. In late 2008 and early 2009, I met a now very good friend and retired tanker pilot and aviation historian who offered to introduce me the world of aerial wildalnd firefighting. I took him up on his very generous offer. He and I remain good friends to this day. He spent a lot of time with me over e-mail and sometimes over the telephone in the first three or four years of this blog. Through him, I met other retired and current tanker and helicopter pilots as well as others in the business. The help of all this fine folk has been invaluable to me over the years. Ten years later, I know that these friends have my back. This is important because I write this blog more as an observer and not a participant.

I wrote my first article introducing my interest in aerial wildland firefighting on January 23, 2009. About 18 months later I made the decision to change the name of the blog, making a quiet but more public commitment to blogging aboutaerial wildland firefighting and related concerns. Little did I know that for years I had buried what I know now to be a lifelong passion for aviation. As I learned about the world of aerial wildland firefighting, my thirst for knowing about aviation grew.

A dream that I had of getting a pilot’s license can never happen. That is the things are sometimes. But I did not let the fact that I will never be licensed pilot stop me. I attended aviation ground school, but never went further than that. Through aviation ground school, I learned the basics of flying, at least as much as I could through books. I was fortunate that I found some pilot friends who took me flying, I was always in the right seat and never handled the controls of the airplane. Yes, at the direction of the pilot, I may tune in the radio to the correct frequency. I had learned a little about navigation so I can plot a route and follow along on my maps using visual cues on the ground.

I love to read about flying. When I am reading a book that was written by a pilot, in a sense I can fly through their words and their descriptions of the landscapes they flew over. I like reading about aviation history and am currently reading a couple of books about the early female pilots, including but not limited to Amelia Earhart, there a slew of lesser know female pilots of that era, some died. But many male pilots died as well. I have huge amounts of respects for these early women of the air. I promise to write more about some of these women in later articles, but I want to finish reading these books first.

I also like videos shot from the cockpit, both fire fighting tankers and helicopters as well as general aviation aircraft.

My passion for aviation has broadened my horizons in other ways, I have gotten more interested in weather and try to pay some attention to the aviation resources that NOAA and other agencies use to help weather forecasters.

I would be remiss to not take a moment to remember all the wildland firefighters on the ground, I have learned about the work that you do over these ten years. The air support, when available, is there to help these “ground pounders” fight wildfires. I learned about how the ground pounders communicate with aerial resources, that they work together to contain the fire.

I am not a wildland firefighter or any other kind of firefighter. I hope that my blog honors all the great work that you do, whether you be a firefighter on the ground or in the air.

Most important, I’d like to thank all of you who read this blog, I try to take you along on these various journeys that I have embarked on over these ten years.

Reflections Fall 2018: not enough firefighting air tankers and helicopters

About four months ago, I wrote a reflection piece that I called not enough firefighting air tankers and helicopters, see my June 8th article. My resource for that reflection piece is Bill Gabbert’s Fire Aviation website http://fireaviation.com/ , specifically he had written on February 16th: “air takers to be cut by one-third in 2018”  He went on to say that the USFS would issue call when needed contracts, which come at an increased coast. I wrote in early June that I was very disturbed by the reduction in USFS exclusive-use large tankers from 20 in 2017 to 13 in 2018, and at that time. the status of whether or not there would be any SEATs on exclusive-use contracts in 2018 was unknown. I am not quite certain but there may not be any SEATs on Exclusive-Use Contracts in 2018.  For information on type-2 helicopters exclusive-use contracts see Bill's April 10th article on Fire Avaition. In February 2018, Bill wrote about an increase in unable to fill orders for type-1 helicopters here with a reminder that in 2017 type 1 helicopters on exclusive use contracts were reduced from 34 in 2016 to 28 in 2017. Yes we have the MAFFs, but only eight of them. 

I was hoping that there would be some large tankers on call-when-needed contracts to offset the reduction in the number of tankers on exclusive-use contracts. I was upset when I read Bill Gabbert’s October 4th article on Fire Aviation where he reports that “CWN contracts first advertised May 30, 2018 for additional aircraft have not been awarded." I do know that there are states that have tankers and helicopters on various contracts including but not limited to California, Oregon, Colorado  with Air Tractor 802 SEATs, North Carolina and Florida. Then there are including but not limited to New Jersey New Jersey and Pennsylvania who contract for SEATS during their spring wildfire season. My understanding is that aircraft on state contracts are limited to flying fires in that state.

As we enter the fall season here in the United States, the fire season continues to be very active, especially out west. it is disconcerting to say the least that there may not be enough large air-tankers, SEATs, and helicopters available to help support the wildland firefighters on the ground. I know that they support of aircraft, including but not limited to the early stages of a wildfire, can be crucial, especially in remote and hard to access areas. It seems to me that we need more of all types of aircraft used to fight wildfires: large tankers, SEATs, and helicopters. It may be too late for the 2018 season, but it is not too late for the 2019 season.

There is much that I don’t know. I have some questions that I think about, I have no answers for you and I suspect that some of you have the same questions. How many times have aviation resources been requested but were not filled? In States that have fixed wing and helicopters under contract, are these resources able to fulfill the need? Some contractors may have (or have had) air tankers and helicopters that are not under exclusive-use contracts, what has happened to these aircraft and their pilots? For those with current call-when-needed contracts, how many aircraft and pilots do they keep available and how long before they can be dispatched if the call comes? For aircraft on contract, whether they be exclusive-use or call-when-needed, are there enough relief pilots?

When I want to find out about various firefighting aviation contracts in the United States, I go to Bill Gabbert’s Fire Aviation website, where he has tagged his articles on contracts. There was a time when I was able to find some information on the internet about these federal contracts, but these sites are understandably no longer available to the general public. I have looked to no avail to see if there was other publicly available information on U.S. federal aviation contracts. So, I am especially grateful for the work that Bill Gabbert does to find and distill this information for the public. Then there is Mike Archers, Wildfire News of the Day. I subscribe to Mike's five-day a week e-mails chock full of current stories about wildland firefighting in the United States and across the globe, including articles about air tankers and helicopters. The Associated Aerial Firefighters posts news about aerial firefighters. Finally, another source of good information is the American Helicopter Services and Aerial Firefighting Association. There may well be other folk who write about aviation resources and contracts that i do not know about. 

Reflections: not enough firefighting air tankers and helicopters

If you have not been following Bill Gabbert’s articles on Fire Aviation about the decrease in the number of air tankers on an exclusive use (EU) contract with the USFS in 2018, I hope you take a few moments to read Bill's February16th article, "Air tankers to be cut by one-third in 2018", if not now the after you finish this article. Bill writes that there were 20 air tankers on an exclusive use contract with the USFS in 2017. In 2018 there will only be 13 heavy air tankers on exclusive use contracts with the United States Forest Service (USFS). There will be air tankers on call when needed (CWN) contracts with the USFS but at a higher cost.

And the decrease in aerial resources on exclusive use contracts does not stop with large air tankers. Bill reports that the number of type 1 helicopters on exclusive use contracts will be lower, I do not know if there will be any type 1 helicopters on CWN contracts. Exclusive use contracts for the two super scoopers are not being renewed, and the USFS program to convert USCG C-130s to aerial firefighting configuration may be discontinued.

I don’t know about you, but I find this quite alarming. Yes, as Bill reports, there will be air tankers on call when needed contracts with the USFS, but at an increased cost. I do not think that my concerns are original. But I want to express my concerns as a show of support to those in the business of flying wildfires under federal contracts.

Following up on Bill Gabbert’s comments on the higher costs and other concerns about the CWN contracts along with the reduction in available EU contracted aircraft, it is just a matter of time during this 2018 wildfire season when all EU contracted aircraft will be assigned to fires, so the call will go out for additional aircraft to work wildfires. So, the USFS asks those contractors on CWN contracts if they have available aircraft. As Bill points out in his February 21st article, the cost of aircraft under a CWN contract is higher than under an EU contract. It stands to reason that the contractors may try obtain other contracts for their CWN aircraft. Or perhaps, sadly, they haven’t other contracts, deciding that it costs too much to keep a CWN aircraft and crew ready to fly fires so the aircraft sits without a contract. What happens then?

Not only does the CWN contractor have to have available aircraft, they also have to have available crew and maintenance personal. What happens if that crew can not afford to sit around with no pay waiting for the call to fly? Perhaps they get other flying jobs in the meantime. What happens then?

Wildfire activity can occur any time of year. Perhaps a State has State-contracted aircraft to augment their State-owned aircraft during a spring, summer, or fall wildfire season (aka designated wildfire season). They may also have arrangements to use State-based National Guard aerial resources during times of high fire activity.  Sometimes these wildfires, even those that occur after the designated wildfire season, can be bought under control without needing put out a call for federal aviation resources. For example, in New Jersey, where I live, in recent years wildfires occurring outside of the designated wildfire season have been brought under control without the need to request USFS tankers or type 1 helicopters. It is just a matter of time before there will be a very large wildfire in New Jersey or elsewhere in the Northeast that “require” federal tankers and type 1 helicopters. The State could put out the call for such aircraft, it is likely that none will be available. What happens then?

Speaking of “State-owned” and State-contracted aircraft, what happens in States where for some reason there is a shortage of such aircraft used in firefighting. What happens then?

There are not enough heavy tankers and type 1 helicopters on EU contracts. As I write this, the status of the SEAT contracts are unknown. No scoopers, and perhaps the USFS program to convert CoastGuard C-130s to firefighting configuration will be discontinued. There are not enough aerial resources to fight wildfires. With the possibility of worsening droughts in parts  of the country, I am afraid of what I’ll happen. More wildfires and not enough aircraft?


Further reading, you will want to read the February 21st article and comment, Shrinking the Fleet on the Associated Aerial Firefighters website to read about the reduction in the number of air tankers on USFS exclusive use contracts.

Reflections for the start of another new year

As we begin a new year, I find myself reflecting on the up coming seventh anniversary of devoting this blog to aerial wildland firefighting and related issues. In late 2004, I made a decision to devote my full-time efforts to writing. I spent the next four years engaging in what I now call a period of exploring my writing interests. I started this blog in mid-2006 as one means of exploration. Starting in late 2006, I spent much of the next 15 months writing about a trip to Malawi, Africa. When that writing project ended in early 2008, I was not quite sure what to do next. That summer I got interested in wildland firefighting and starting using the blog to write about what I was learning. Someone who is now a good friend was instrumental in encouraging me to start writing about aerial wildland firefighting. He helped me learn the ropes, so to speak, over the next year. He was involved in the business of aerial wildland firefighting and I later met others who were or are involved in the business who have helped me at various times as I continue to write this blog. Without their support and encouragement this blog would not be possible. You know who you are, thank-you.

Eleven years ago I never would have imagined that I would be doing what I am doing now, writing about and continuing to learn about aerial wildland firefighting. This has become a part of my life, a part of who I am. 

As regular readers know, I am not a wildland firefighter. I do have a passion for aviation, and have come to terms with not being able to be a licensed pilot. I do believe that aviation is in my blood, so to speak, and am thankful for some pilot friends who take me on scenic flights from time to time. My passion for aviation is one of the things that fuels my writing.

Every so often I delve into issues relating to wildland firefighting, aviation, and sometimes weather. But it is my love for aerial wildland firefighting that drives me. I strive to honor those of you who are or have fought wildland fires from the air or on the ground. 

I am not going anywhere, and I will continue writing about aerial wildland firefighting and related concerns. 

Who knows what the 2016 U.S. wildfire season will bring. And in parts of the United States, e.g. California, is wildfire season ever really over? And it is summer in the southern hemisphere where Australia and Southern Africa among other countries are well into their summer wildfire season.

Stay safe everyone!

Reflections on Firecats

We have never met, that doesn't really matter. I have one of your patches on a denim jacket I wear in the warmer weather and I have gotten many compliments on your patch. I also have a Conair Firecat medallion that I carry on my key chain. Both were gifts from a friend who used to be one of your pilots. So in some way, you are always with me.

I have known a couple of pilots who have flown you while you were in service with Conair in British Columbia. So, I know you through them. You and your cousins have flown fires around Canada, in Europe and in the United States (CAL FIRE).

You loved flying fires. Some of you and your kin bought the farm, but those of you who survived continued to fly fires, doing what you do best. 

Those of you who flew for Conair are now retired from firefighting service with Conair. Your service will not be forgotten. Not by those who flew you,  served as your ground crew and  your bird dog pilots; not by all those in and around the communities where you flew fires, and not by me.

May you always fly in favorable tail winds.

Visit to Downstown: Reflections on SEAT operations

I want to pause for a moment in the series that I have been writing based on my visit to Downstown Aero Crop Services the end of April to offer some reflections.

I am thrilled to have gotten a peak into SEAT operations in NJ. The folk at Downstown have been very generous with their time, including but not limited to flying me down for my visit in late April.

I really enjoyed seeing their operations and meeting some of the Ag Cats and one of the Air Tractors. Regular readers of this blog know how much I love airplanes. You'll be reading more about their operations next week, so I won't give any more away. But there is more.

The day I visited we had lunch in Downstown's dispatch center, The SEAT operations manager, a second manager from Downstown, Chief Pilot, Aircraft Dispatcher, and Aircraft Loader. We had a nice time. I had just met them, but I felt like them I had known them longer. Not only did we chat about SEAT operations, conversations I drew on in some of the articles that I have already written, but we talked about baseball and other things.

More importantly, I was struck by what I'll call a "brotherhood" or camaraderie. Clearly these guys, who happen to work together are friends. And somehow these words seem inadequate. I learned later over e-mails with my friends at Downstown that the Downstown pilots and many of the NJ Forest Fire Service (NJFFS) Incident Commanders, NJFFS Fire Tower Observers, and other NJFFS personnel know each other by their voice. But it is more than that, many are on a "first name basis", and are friends, socializing and otherwise spending time together with each others families. I am certain that this friendship extends beyond the Downstown pilots to the SEAT Operations Manager, and the rest of the ground crew at Downstown.

I've been reflecting on the friendship between the guys at Downstown and the NJFFS firefighters and support staff. I only have a small peak at their world and their friendships. A peak into their world is only a peak into their world. A peak into their world is not the same as being there. But this peak into Downstown's SEAT operations has given me something I haven't had before. Something that I can share with you.

Reflections on upcoming fire season

Over the last two or three weeks I've been focusing on wildfire activity in NJ and elsewhere in the Mid-Atlantic and New England. As things have begun to calm down, at least for the short term, here in NJ due to green up and recent rains, I am aware that wildfire season is under way elsewhere in the U.S. In other areas of the U.S., fire season is just beginning.

While my recent attentions had been focused closer to home, so to speak, where NJ had seen a decrease in the number of SEATs on contract during the spring fire season compared with prior years (go here), my thoughts were never far away from the small number of type 1(retardant capacity of at least 3,000 gallons) and type 2 tankers (retardant capacity of 1,800 to 2,999 gallons) on national contract. From upwards of 40 such tankers on contract in 2002, we now have 11 tankers.

Neptune Aviation has 9 P2-V tankers, one of which (T-10) is out of the rotation due to a cracked wing (go here for more information). Minden Air has two P-2V tankers> Neptune Aviation has one BAe-146 jet tanker (carries about 3,000 gallons of retardant). Eleven is not enough. These resources are in the process of being made available for wildland firefighting about one every other week or so since February.

I was reminded of the shortage of tankers on national contract late last week when a good friend of mine sent me an article, WILDFIRE: Federal officials brace for fire season, from the Press Enterprise. MIchael Archer referenced this same article in his Fire Publications Blog on April 27.

A day later, Michael Archer referenced a report from KABC in LA in the Fire Publications Blog discussing the upcoming wildfire season in California and the shortage of type 1 and 2 tankers on national contract.

Bill Gabbert of Wildfire Today reports on a joint statement by the U.S. Dept of Agriculture and the U.S. Dept. of Interior here

Yes, I know about the eight National Guard MAFFS C-130s that the Press Enterprise article refers to. Bill Gabbert wrote here about training of the MAFFS crews.

California has CAL FIRE's S2-Ts and helicopters. Other states have their own aerial firefighting resources.

And there are helicopters (buckets and helitankers) on federal contract as well as Single Engine Airtankers (SEATs) on federal contract under the Bureau of Land Management.

Will all these aerial resources be enough?

I will miss the Very Large Airtankers (VLATs), the two DC-10 tankers and the Martin Mars (based in British Columbia). I hope that federal governments writes exclusive-use contract for these VLATs. A month of the Martin Mars on exclusive-use contract based in CA in the early fall would help. I understand that Evergreen has detanked the 747 supertanker, would be nice to see her back on contract and available to help out.

I suppose that all we can do is wait . . .

Reflections on tanker availability

We are due to the enter the wildfire season with 11 heavy tankers, including Neptune's T-40 (BAe-146). As for the whereabouts of T-40, Bill Gabbert of Wildfire Today reported in an article he posted yesterday (scroll to the bottom of the article).

Having heard nothing to the contrary, I assume that eight of Neptune's P-2s and Minden's two P-2's are ready to go when their respective contracted mandatory availability period starts. You may recall that Neptune Aviation found a wing crack in one of their Lockheed P-2V tankers and the FAA issued an Emergency Air Directive calling for inspections of all Lockheed P-2V tankers. As I understand it, Neptune's tanker with the cracked wing is undergoing repairs, with the rest of Neptune's P-2's (8) and Minden's two P-2s ready to go. That brings us to ten heavy tankers. Recall that the USFS terminated their contract with Aero Union last summer, grounding Aero Union's Lockheed P-3's.

Some of you might be wondering about the very large airtankers (the DC-10 tankers and Evergreen's Boeing 747 supertanker to be specific). Good question. Last year, the US Forest Service did not have exclusive use contracts for the DC-10 tankers or the 747 tanker. Instead, the USFS offered call when needed (CWN) contracts. Evergreen did not sign, Tanker 10 company (DC-10 tankers) did sign, see two articles by Bill Gabbert here for more information. What about this year? You'd think that given that we have fewer heavy tankers this year as compared with last year at this time (eight Aero Union P-3s and 11 P-2s, T-40 was not on contract until later in 2011) that the USFS will sign exclusive use contracts for the 747 super tanker (20,000 gallons of retardant) and the two DC-10 tankers (12,000 gallons of retardant). Not only do exclusive use contracts mean that these tankers are on call and available during the contract period, but exclusive use contracts offer make it financially worthwhile for the respective companies. CWN contracts only pay when the tankers see action, meaning that if they are not activated, the contractors are not paid. As far as I know the USFS has not offered exclusive use contracts for either tanker.

Coulson's Martin Mars is also a very large airtanker (VLAT). I don't quite recall if Coulson's Martin Mars tanker saw action in America last year, but I do believe that she flew in Mexico. And she has flown fires in California in past years, for example in 2009.

I know that we still have the single engine airtankers (SEATs) and a variety of helicopters including helitankers such as the Erickson AirCrane on various national contracts. All are valuable aerial firefighting resources, as are the various aerial firefighting resources that individual states contract for.

In addition, there are the MAFFs, and perhaps Canada will loan us some of their Convair 580s and CL-215/415 water scoopers later in the fire season as they did last summer, see another article by Bill Gabbert from last September on air tankers that were available last year.

And we do await news of the USFS RFP for next generation turbine tankers as reported here, but I have no idea whether the awarding of this contract will lead to more heavy tankers on contract during the 2012 fire season.

I don't know about you, but I will miss Aero Union's P-3s this fire season.

Reflections on a tanker taking off

I enjoyed the video on the P-2 tanker take-off that I posted the other day because it gave me a sense of sitting in the cockpit during take-off. A great feeling. But, I found myself wishing that I could look at the P-2 cockpit instruments during take-off. That is unlikely to happen anytime soon, if ever.

However, from time to time I do have the opportunity to go up in a Cessna Cutlass (172 RG) when I go on a scenic flight. Unlike the trainer, the Cutlass has a fuel pump, retractable landing gear, cowl flaps and a constant speed propeller. The engine is carburated. There are about four instruments in the cockpit of the Cutlass that are not in the trainers that I usually go up in.

Before our flight, I showed the pilot the P-2 tanker video along with G's comments.

Some of the instruments are the same as that found in the P-2V in the video. I wanted to watch these gauges for myself during a short flight to a nearby airport. By the way, a great day for flying. I was watching the gauges so no pictures from the flight.

So I watched the instruments. And got a bit of a sense of what my friend G was saying in his commentary describing the P-2 take-off. When we were on our take-off roll in the Cutlass the manifold pressure was 28" with a prop rpm of 2700. A point of comparison, G tells me "in the P2, we would pull about 52 inches and 2900 turns (of the prop) on take-off."

I have one important job on take-off and landing, when the pilot said that he was lowering the gear, I looked out my window and told him that the gear on my side is up (or down). He calls out that the gear on his side is up (or down).

As we climbed in the Cutlass, the pilot reduced the MP to 25" and a prop rpm of 2500. As we climbed the MP goes down but the prop rpm stays the same. Cruise power is MP of 21" and a prop rpm of 2300.

I watched the gauges as we flew and listened to the pilot as he spoke. And I learned more. I had dug up some Cutlass check lists on the internet so I had an idea of what the power settings would be. And I understand more thanks to a great pilot and teacher. But there was more. I thought about flying a tanker with two large recips and the jets used on take-off. And an awful lot more instruments to keep track of.

I thought about the how the pilot and the co-pilot in the video worked together during the take-off. Each had their jobs. Two pilots are needed to fly the P-2V. It was awesome watching them work together in the video. Elegance in action.

The role of the co-pilot is to watch the gauges as the pilot flies the airplane. And I thought that there is nothing simple about flying a tanker loaded with retardant. Or as Larry Kraus told me once, "See, I told you that the tanker business is complicated." Elegant but complicated.

Reflections as tankers and helos go on contract

I have begun to hear about wildfires cropping up in various parts of the U.S and I have heard rumblings that tankers and helicopters have worked at least a couple of wildfires. However, I don't know any specifics to report to you here. Don't worry, that time will come. I am sure.

As I am now in my third year of writing about aerial wildland firefighting tankers of various sizes along with helos are beginning to go on federal or state contracts. Pilots and co-pilots who aren't on contract are going through their annual training and check rides. Aircraft are being made ready for the season and their inspection prior to the start of the season. Some tankers and helos are already on federal or state contract. Or will be soon. Here in NJ our SEATs go on contract soon for our spring fire season. Fire season is already under way down south.

I wondered the P-2s and P-3s that are starting to go on contract. A couple of weeks ago, there was no 2011 list available, now there is, you may go here to get a copy. I saw that there are already five or six P-2s and P-3s on contract.

As I prepared to write this article, I found myself thinking about how much I care about all who are involved in aerial wildland firefighting both in the U.S. and abroad. Those of you who follow my blog know that I write about other things, but my raison d'etre is about tankers and helos fighting fires from the air. So, for all of you in the world of aerial of aerial wildland firefighting from pilots to co-pilots to loaders to base personal to mechanics to base gofers to dispatchers and to anyone I am missing, this blog is for you.

I can not fly a plane, and even if I could, I could not fly a tanker or a firefighting helo. I learn about aviation because I am finding that aviation is and always part of who I am. But I also do this for all of you, in hopes that I can bring what I learn about aviation to my writing to better honor all of you in the tanker and helo business. And to bring my readers into your world. At least in the way that I can.

I wish all of you pilots and co-pilots safe flying and favorable winds. Favorable winds in more ways than one. I know that you do what you do support the crews on the ground and to keep all of us safe from wildfires.

To the public, if you wonder where the tankers are and the winds are squirrelly or you can't see because of smoke or fog, then the tankers are not flying because it is not safe for them to fly.

Distance constrains me from being out west on the tanker bases in the public viewing areas watching you work. Perhaps I'll get to one of the tanker bases here in NJ this fire season to watch. Nonetheless, be assured that I am with you all in my own way through my meditations and words.

Safe flying in favorable winds everyone.

Retardant drops are complicated

Several days ago, I was showing my nephew some pictures of tankers making retardant drops. He asked me how fast the retardant was falling when it came out of the tanker.

There is no simple answer to the speed at which the retardant drops out of the airplane onto the ground. The answer is, It depends. Some of you may recall that I wrote about retardant drops here, and information on retardant coverage levels from the USFS may be found here. The best drop is one that drops straight down as a heavy rain of retardant where all the retardant reaches the ground. In reality, this is hard to achieve, depending on a few different factors that all have to come together.

I'll start with the concept of the safe drop height. This is defined as the height above the ground that the tanker needs to fly in order for the retardant to drop straight down in a heavy rain of retardant where all forward momentum is lost. Drop to low and the forward momentum is not lost, resulting in possible injuries or even death to firefighters on the ground either from flying debris or from the retardant itself. Drop too high and the retardant disperses before it reaches the ground. To make it slightly more complicated the safe drop height varies depending on how much retardant is drop and the rate of flow from the tank.

How low are these tankers flying when they are making retardant drops? The multi-engine tankers are flying anywhere from 150 to 300 feet above the ground. Single-engine tankers are flying about 100 feet above ground level. This is dangerous flying, and the pilots know it. If something happens to the airplane when they are flying so low with a load of retardant (it is heavy), even the best and most experienced pilot may not be able to avoid a fatal crash.

Winds can affect the drop. A tanker pilot can take low winds into account when making the drop by either starting the drop before or after the start of the drop target depending on whether it is head or tail wind. But this only goes so far for sometimes the winds are too strong and dropping in conditions that are too windy can cause the retardant to miss the drop target. Sometimes the winds are too strong for the tankers to fly safely, not only will retardant drops in such conditions be ineffective, but strong winds can bring an airplane down.

Aircraft speed also affects the accuracy of the drop. The temperature and elevation affects aircraft performance which affects the accuracy of the drop.

What can I say to wrap this up? I'll quote one of my tanker pilot friends who keeps reminding me, "see I told you that the tanker business is complicated."

So, I think that the answer to my nephew's questions is, it depends because flying tankers is complicated.

Flying Tankers is Complicated

By the time that I had been writing about aerial wildland firefighting for a few months I had realized that flying tankers is complicated. Moreover, a couple of tanker pilots that I correspond with will be quick to remind me that the tanker business is complicated. Recently, I have have found reflecting on the fact that the tanker business being complicated.

Speaking of being complicated, even flying Cessna trainers (e.g. the Cessna 172) used by many flight schools is not uncomplicated. There is a lot for the student pilot to learn, both for the systems portion of the FAA written exam as well as all aspects involved in flying the airplane. The Cessna trainers do not have retractable landing gear and have what is known as a fixed pitch propeller. You can not change the pitch or angle of a fixed pitch propeller as you can with controllable pitch propellers found in more complex airplanes. And as a reminder, the Cessna trainers have one engine and what is known as tricycle landing gear - two main wheels and a nose wheel. By the time the student pilot has passed all of the FAA exams (written and practical) flying a Cessna trainer should be close to being second nature.

The next level of complexity in airplanes could be a plane with retractable landing gear and a controllable-pitch propeller. Not only do you have to retract your landing gear at the correct speed after take-off and extend it again before landing, the controllable-pitch propeller means more instruments to monitor. The change to a tail wheel plane means learning how this plane, known as a tail dragger, handles. At one time, taildraggers were the convention, now a days, there are more tricycle gear planes than tail draggers.

When you transition to a more complex airplane there is another round of sessions with a certified flight instructor.

Take the Air Tractor 802F (one of the types of SEATs used in aerial wildland firefighting), a tail dragger, with non-retractable landing gear, and a type of controllable-pitch propeller known as a constant speed propeller. Now, add in the gate system for dropping retardant and remember that SEATs -- as do other tankers -- fly low, often in windy conditions in mountainous areas making drops on a wildfire. Flying SEATs is way complicated.

Now take a heavy tanker, such as one of Butler's DC-7's (4 engines), a P-2 (2 engines plus 2 jets), or a P-3 (4 engines. More engines, more instruments. Another layer of complexity is added with multi-engines on top of the complexity of retardant drops.