Enhanced Fire Weather in NJ for June 2

For much of April into late May, it has been a tad wet here in NJ. We had a few days of drier weather in early May was followed by at least a week of daily rain events (through May 23). I may be mistaken, but as I recall, there have been no red flag warnings or enhanced fire weather advisories for any portion of NJ since late March or early April.

While some areas of NJ have had isolated showers or thunderstorms over the last seven to ten days or so, we have begun to dry out so to speak.

In my little corner of NJ, we had a thunderstorm early Sunday morning followed by a shower yesterday. I figured that at some point the conditions would again be favorable for fires, and the weather service would issue either an enhanced fire weather advisory or a red flag warning.

No red flag warnings, but I did note the following enhanced fire advisory in the hazardous weather outlook issued by the Mt. Holly Office of the National Weather Service at 3:28 AM EDT this morning:

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL DELAWARE...NORTHERN
DELAWARE...SOUTHERN DELAWARE...NORTHEAST MARYLAND...CENTRAL NEW
JERSEY...NORTHERN NEW JERSEY...NORTHWEST NEW JERSEY...SOUTHERN NEW
JERSEY...EAST CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA...NORTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA AND
SOUTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT.

ENHANCED FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS WILL OCCUR TODAY...WITH GUSTY
NORTHWEST WINDS...LOWERING HUMIDITIES...AND DRYING FINE FUELS.

followed by the special weather statement at 8:06 AM:

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ
806 AM EDT THU JUN 2 2011

DEZ001>004-MDZ008-012-015-019-020-NJZ001-007>010-012>027-PAZ054-
055-060>062-067>071-022300-
NEW CASTLE-KENT-INLAND SUSSEX-DELAWARE BEACHES-CECIL-KENT MD-
QUEEN ANNES-TALBOT-CAROLINE-SUSSEX-WARREN-MORRIS-HUNTERDON-
SOMERSET-MIDDLESEX-WESTERN MONMOUTH-EASTERN MONMOUTH-MERCER-SALEM-
GLOUCESTER-CAMDEN-NORTHWESTERN BURLINGTON-OCEAN-CUMBERLAND-
ATLANTIC-CAPE MAY-ATLANTIC COASTAL CAPE MAY-COASTAL ATLANTIC-
COASTAL OCEAN-SOUTHEASTERN BURLINGTON-CARBON-MONROE-BERKS-LEHIGH-
NORTHAMPTON-CHESTER-MONTGOMERY-BUCKS-DELAWARE-PHILADELPHIA-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...WILMINGTON...DOVER...GEORGETOWN...
REHOBOTH BEACH...ELKTON...CHESTERTOWN...CENTREVILLE...EASTON...
DENTON...NEWTON...WASHINGTON...MORRISTOWN...FLEMINGTON...
SOMERVILLE...NEW BRUNSWICK...FREEHOLD...SANDY HOOK...TRENTON...
PENNSVILLE...GLASSBORO...CAMDEN...CHERRY HILL...MOORESTOWN...
MOUNT HOLLY...JACKSON...MILLVILLE...HAMMONTON...
CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE...OCEAN CITY...ATLANTIC CITY...
LONG BEACH ISLAND...WHARTON STATE FOREST...JIM THORPE...
STROUDSBURG...READING...ALLENTOWN...BETHLEHEM...WEST CHESTER...
NORRISTOWN...DOYLESTOWN...MEDIA...PHILADELPHIA
806 AM EDT THU JUN 2 2011

...ENHANCED FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS...

A DRIER AND GUSTY WEST TO NORTHWEST WINDS WILL INCREASE OVER THE
AREA THIS MORNING AND PERSIST INTO THE AFTERNOON. RELATIVE
HUMIDITY LEVELS AND FUEL MOISTURE LEVELS WILL DECREASE THROUGH THE
DAY ALSO. THESE CONDITIONS INCREASE CONCERNS FOR WILDFIRE GROWTH
ACROSS THE AREA TODAY. CONSIDER POSTPONING ANY ACTIVITY THAT
INVOLVES OUTSIDE BURNING TODAY.

Don't know what will happen today. If I hear of anything in the way of wildfires here in NJ, which I may or may not depending, I'll follow-up here.

SEATs in action - hydromuching

Speaking of SEATs, I ran across this nice two part video on SEATs on youtube the other day. I thought that they looked familiar, but it wasn't tell I was well into watching part 1 that the lightbulb went off and I remembered when I had seen them. It was when I was writing a series of articles about sixteen months ago on hydromulching and I included these videos in the series. They are well worth watching again. The video shows five SEATs doing hydromulching operations as a part of post-fire recovery after the Angora Fire.

Memorial Day

Let's pause and remember all those who served our country. Thanks everyone!

About the SEAT

Best Defense Against Wildfires: The 'Seat': MyFoxPHOENIX.com

Thanks to a friend who told me about this report on SEATs and how they are used in Arizona. This is a great report on the SEAT and the role they play in fighting fires in Arizona. While the report focuses on Arizona, I think that the importance of the SEAT in aerial firefighting applies to other locales.

You will meet "Betty", the AT-802A, her pilot Steve, and ground support Russell.

An article that goes with the video, by Fox 10 in Phoenix AZ, may be found here.

SEAT crash (5/9/11) near Miles City, Montana

On Monday, May 9 at about 9:15 MDT, an Air Tractor AT-802A crashed while on a ferry run. The sole occupant and pilot, Mike Biggerstaff (65) of Stanford Montana died in the crash. The AT-802A was owned by New Frontier Aviation (Fort Benton, Montana) According to this report by 3KRTV, Biggerstaff had just finished a 30-day contract in Wisconson. He left Wisconson  on Sunday, May 8, and flew to Aberddeen SD for the night. He was due to refuel at Miles City before continuing to Fort Benton.

I'd like to take this opportunity, albeit a little on the late side, to offer my condolences to Mike's family, friends, and co-workers. May you fly in favorable tailwinds.

Associated Aerial Firefighters (AAF)

I first became aware of the Associated Airtanker Pilots, now known as the Associated Aerial Firefighters a couple of years.  Some of you are already familiar with the AAF, and some are not.

According to the AAF FAQ page,

Created in the early 90s, the Associated Airtanker Pilots (AAP) is a fraternal non-profit organization whose members have a common interest in the aerial firefighting industry. Included in this definition are fixed and rotary wing aircraft that a) drop fire retardant, foam or water, b) fly in a lead plane or tactical air-control capacity and/or c) provide logistics support or personnel deployment missions at fire incidents. In 2010, the name was changed to the Association of Aerial Firefighters (AAF), to more accurately reflect our diverse membership.

If you scroll down on the AAF FAQ page, you will see that the AAF is a membership organization. I joined last year as an auxiliary member because I am a member of the general public interested in supporting the AAF community.

I have benefited greatly by the time I have spent on their website and reading their message board over the last couple of years. They have recently updated their website and have a new message board using the familiar model of multiple thread forums. Anyone can register for the forums, I believe that you must be registered in order to post to the forums. However, "guests" can read. New users might want to read the AAF forum FAQs

I like the newly redesigned AAF forums, and I am looking forward to following the forums as the wildfire season continues. I have already benefited from what I have read in the forums. For example, there have been posts about safety, news from the fire line, and a general topic thread where interesting news about the biz is posted.

The forums are still relatively new, only a couple of months old. Drop by and visit, and check back throughout the fire season and beyond. I know that I will.

Fire breaks in the NJ Pine Barrens

One of the the fire mitigation projects under way in the Pine Barrens in NJ is the construction of fire breaks in Stafford and Barnegat, towns within the Pine Barrens. I wrote last February, about the planned construction of a fire break along Pancoast Rd. in Barnagat and a similar project on Hay Road in Stafford.

In my wanderings recently on the internet, I came across an article from Courier Post Online, that the construction of fire breaks is currently under way in both Stafford and Barnegat. The article says in part:

Long-planned fire break projects are under way in Stafford and Barnegat. Over the last four years the state Forest Fire Service methodically burned more underbrush during controlled conditions, setting up blocks of less-flammable forest to help defend against future wildfires.

"We've been doing some work on Hay Road (near the Stafford Business Park) and Pancoast Road" in Barnegat, said Bill Edwards, a district fire warden.

Work by contractors involves thinning trees alongside the roads to create a defensible zone that firefighters can use to head off an advancing blaze.

Contractors get valuable oak and pine out of the projects, and the 2007 fire actually delayed the Hay Road contract by burning up a lot of good wood, Edwards said.

"That was a project that was in the works before the fire," he said.

Both the unpaved, sand Hay and Pancoast roads are wagon trails through the Pine Barrens that make logical lines of defense, for wildfires cannot be stopped by brute force with hoses, only with strategy and maneuver that aims to deprive fires of fuel before they arrive.

I'm not certain how long the link to the Courier Post Online will be active, and there is a photo montage of a fire burning in the Pine Barrens, I understand from this post on the wildlandfire hot list (where I first saw this article), that the fire shown in the slide show is not the 2007 Warren Grove Fire (the fire referred to in the article), but is the 2008 Atison Fire that also burned in the Pine Barrens. The photo montage includes photos of a SEAT working the fire and a helo doing bucket work.

The NJ Forest Fire Service just put out a publication called Best Management Practices for Creating and Maintaining Wildfire Fuelbreaks in New Jersey's Wildland Urban Interface, it is a very nice, short, easy read to read publication with a nice glossary and photos. Construction of a fuel break is something that most homeowners can do, perhaps with some help of an arborist to remove trees. The publications provides some how to tips for constructing fuel breaks. While written by the NJ Forest Fire Service for New Jersey residents, I think that it some of the information crosses state boundaries. So, I'd recommend reading it. You may click on download the publication in pdf format.

Slave Lake Fire, Alberta - tanker video

A friend of mine told about the video that you see above. If I am not mistaken, you are seeing two Canadair tankers (nor sure if they are 215 or 415) dropping water on the Slave Lake Fire in Alberta. According to this article from CBC News, there are 44 fires burning in Alberta, and 17 are in the Slave Lake area, the article also mentions that evacuees are getting there first tour, by bus, of the Slave Lake fire.

Fatal Bell 212 Helicopter Crash - Slave Lake Fire

While checking my e-mail this morning, I read the very sad news of the crash of a Bell 212 helicopter while fighting the Slave Lake Fire in Alberta, the pilot and only occupant died in the crash.I went online and found this article from the CBC. Then I saw Bill Gabbert's (Wildfire Today) article onthe crash here.

I offer my condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of the pilot.

Spring Fire Season in NJ???

Since I first began writing about aerial wildland firefighting early in 2009, I have equated the arrival of spring here in NJ with the start of the period when the NJ Forest Fire Service's Single Engine Airtankers aka SEATs (AgCat's and two AT-602's) are under contract. This year the first SEAT went under contract in southern NJ on March 21. Most of the remaining SEATs were under contract by March 26, several went off contract on or about May 4. The last SEAT went off contract on or about May 11.

Some of you may have noticed that I have not written much about wildfires in NJ this spring. I do recall a couple of days of red flag warnings in late March. Then followed a reasonably wet April. The NJ State Climatologist has a detailed report on New Jersey's April weather here.

As I understand it, after some moderate fire activity earlier this year, wildfire activity in NJ was fairly light during most of the spring fire season. However if things do dry out in NJ, and all it takes is some dry weather for a couple of weeks, and wildfire activity could return to "normal" levels, or perhaps even above normal levels if there is a prolonged dry spell.

As I sit here and write this article after a week of rainy and cloudy weather here in NJ due to a cut-off low, it is hard to think about prolonged dry weather. But you never know.


Corrected on May 21, 2011 - Sorry for leaving out the date when the first SEAT went on contract here in NJ.

Texas wildfires - update # 3

Recalling the wildfires that plagued Texas that I first wrote about on April 18 and in subsequent articles later on April 18 and again on April 20 and April 22, I was curious about current wildfire activity in the Texas. I had been aware that while some of the larger fires that burned in late April have since been contained, I knew that wildfire activity continued.

For example, one of the fires that made national headlines was the Rock House Fire (314,444 acres per inciweb). When I went to the inciweb page for the Rock House Fire today, I saw that the fire has been contained and controlled. National crews and equipment (engines, dozers and a water tender) continue to work with TX firefighting crews to mop-up and monitor the fire. I would be remiss if I were to leave out Bill Gabbert's report on local resident's reaction on the management of the Rock House Fire.

When I went to inciweb today and set the filter to Texas only, I saw three wildfire incidents in TX with updates within the last 24 hours, the Schwartz fire (83,995 acres, 90% contained), the Iron Mountain fire (87,401 acres, 90% contained), and the Gage - Holland Fire (5,975 acres, 100 % contained. Please be advised that what I have referenced from  inciweb for Texas, may be different when you access the page, as the incident information is updated, and new incidents are added. Also, not every incident makes inciweb.

I went to the Texas Forest Fire Service Newsroom very early this morning , before todays update (note, what you see when you click the link may be different as daily updates are mode). On May 16, the Texas Forest Fire Service reported that

"Since fire season started on Nov. 15, 2010, Texas Forest Service and area fire departments have responded to 10,123 fires that have charred 2,589.303 acres."

As of May 18, 2011, the Texas Forest Fire Service continues to report on the Iron Mountain Fire and the  Schwartz Fire that have been picked up by inciweb (above). They also report on a new fire since Tuesday, May 16 - the Price Fire in Sterling County (3,363 acres, 95% contained). In todays update, they report on a new large fire, the Forest Ranch Fire in Wichita County (1,000 acres, 75% contained).

I understand from both the reports from the Texas Forest Fire Service that I have already referenced, that two SEATs worked the Foster Ranch Fire and three "heavy tankers" worked the Price Fire. Inciweb reports that aircraft worked the Schwartz Fire (obtained from http://www.inciweb.org/incident/2220/ on May, 19, 2011).

A final point. Fighting these and other wildland fires often involved both ground crews and air tankers and helos along with other aerial resources such as lead planes, observation aircraft, air supervisor modules). Aerial resources work to support the crews on the ground. Words the echo in my head as I write this come from some correspondence I had with an airtanker pilot last year - "see, I told you that the tanker business is complicated."

I think that the business of fighting wildland fires is complicated. All of you who are involved fighting wildland fires, whether you be on the ground or in the air have my utmost respect.

Part 9 of 9: Cessna Annual 172P - Reflections

As I write this piece, it has been about four months since I sat in on the annual inspection of the Cessna 172P that I call Red. An inherently stable aircraft, she is also known as a trainer, used by student pilots learning how to fly. I have taken a few scenic flights in Red.

Something changed when I saw Red’s last annual inspection. I saw her up-close and personal, taken apart. I suppose you could say that I saw her naked. But it was more than that. I still remember the love and care that Brent and his apprentice John took with her annual. It is hard to explain what I experienced as I watched them work on “Red.”

Yes, I was assured of Red’s safety.

Yes, I know that Brent and John love what they do, and live out the aviation mechanic creed. I'd like to thank Brent for opening up his shop to me. It was great. I learned a lot from both Brent and John.

I hope that what I have written here along with the pictures give you some idea of what is involved in the annual inspection of the Cessna 172P and similar trainers. I am so glad the Brent opened up his shop, State Line Aviation, to me.

Red is an airplane, loved by many. But if it is possible to bond with an airplane, than I bonded with Red over the course of those three days.

Honey Praire Fire, GA

For the last couple of weeks now, I've been monitoring the Honey Prairie Fire that is burning in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia. According to today's update on inciweb, it is burned approximately 128,000 acres.

The Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge has a publicly available facebook page with a video page where you may see five videos. Four are videos from NFWS personnel of the fire. One shows a helo and a bucket dropping on a hot spot, a second shows a helo and a bucket doing to (or from) a dip site.

I found a third video to be very interesting because it was taken from inside a helo where personnel were doing mapping operations around of the fire perimeter using a GPS. Nice piloting by the helo pilot! A fourth video is a very short clip of the fire itself. Finally you will want to check out the fifth video of one of their visiting alligators named "Big Boy."

For more information about the fire, you might want to check out:

• wildland fire hotlist thread on the Honey Prairie Fire,
• Wildfire Today 5/15 article,
• Miami Herald - Florida Wires on 5/17,
• Florida Times Union (5/16),
• You can download a copy of the latest morning report of the Southern Area Coordination Center here.

Wildfire in Alberta, Canada

Bill Gabbert, of Wildfire Today is reporting here (5/15) and here (5/16) on a wildfire that has burned a significant portion of the town of Slave Lake. As I understand it from Bill's articles, airtankers and helicopters were grounded yesterday by high winds. He has some photos, a video, and a map of the fire area. I suspect that Bill will continue to report on this fire, so those of you who are interested might want to check his blog.

Crash of Air France 447 - data recovered

This just in. The French BEA issued a press release earlier today, go here for this press release saying that investigators have successfully downloaded data from the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder into a secure computer. According to the BEA press release, this operation was filmed. In addition, observers from the U.S., Great Britain, Brazil, an officer from the French judicial police and a French court expert observed the operation. Data analysis will be ongoing for a few weeks, and the BEA expects to release an interim report later this summer.

You might also want to check out this 5/16/11 New York Times article. The NY Times reports on the data recovery as well as additional details of the ongoing investigation by French agencies.

Part 8 of 9: Cessna Annual 172P - finishing up the annual

Final installment in this series on May 18, my reflections

Crash of Air France Flight 447

Watch the full episode. See more NOVA.

It is now almost two years since Air France Flight 447 crashed in the Atlantic Ocean on a flight from Brazil to Paris, France. I suspect that many of you know that this crash is again in the news as remains of the crash were recently located by a team of investigators along with the two black boxes. More information on the location of the wreckage on the ocean floor, the recovery of the two black boxes, and other information may be found in these press releases from the French BEA investigation of AF 447.

The folk at PBS's NOVA did there own investigation into the crash of AF 447 in an episode aired in February 2011. This is not to be confused with the investigation currently underway by French authorities. Given that this crash has been in the news recently I thought that some of you might be interested in watching this hour long show, so I am embedding the video here. A link to the video on the PBS is found here and the accompanying NOVA webpage for the crash may be found here.

The show was recorded before the two black boxes were found, so it will be interesting to see what the French investigation into the crash turns up when the report is released. According to this BBC report, the final report on BEA's investigation into the crash of AF 447 will not be released until early 2012 (at the earliest).

If watching shows about airplane crashes is not your thing, than you might not want to watch the video.

Note - Blogger had an outage on May 12 and I have temporarily lost the posts that I made on Wed. May 11, including my original post on the Crash of Air France Flight 447. I recreated the article last Friday, including some updates.

Part 6 of 9: Cessna Annual 172P - magneto services

Blogger had an outage on May 12 and I have (temporarily) lost the posts that I made on Wed. May 11 including "part 6 of 9: Cessna Annual 172P - magneto services." I am reposting this now, out of order. Thanks for your patience.

I will write about the magneto service here, and will continue discussing magnetos when I write about the engine and propeller service in part 7 of 9. The  three photos below show the magneto service.

I watched Brent do the magneto service over the course of about 30 to 60 minutes (I think). I enjoyed watching him work. Unfortunately, I spent most of the time listening, and did not take a lot of notes. Sometimes it is better to just watch and listen. so, I regret that I don’t have more to say about this service. Perhaps I’ll have an opportunity to watch him do another magneto inspection in the future.

However, while Brent was talking, I did make some notes about what the magneto does. Single-engine planes such as the Cessna 172P have two magnetos. Simply, they are self contained ignition systems. One of the items on the pre-takeoff check is checking that both magnetos are operating on their own. If one of the magnetos doesn't work, you are grounded. While you only need one magneto for flight, you always want to go up with two working magnetos. You do not want to take off with only one working magneto and risk having that one working magneto fail in flight. It may not be a good outcome.

Part 7 of 9: Cessna Annual 172P - magnetos (cont), propeller, and engine services

I was taking some notes as Brent showed me around the engine of this 172P. The Lycoming engine of this 172P is a horizontally opposed engine. One magneto is wired to the bottom left side and the top right side of the engine. The other magneto is wired to the top left and the bottom right side of the engine. In the photo below, you see a close up of this wiring on one side of the Lycoming engine.

For those of you who are interested, a magneto works by means of a rotating magnet. A charge is created a that eventually travels through the distributer cap to a wiring harness to the spark plug on the engine.

The bottom spark plugs are disconnected during the inspection so the propeller can be safely turned. While you can start a Cessna 172P by turning a key inside the cockpit, you can also start the plane by turning the propeller by hand (known as hand propping). So, disconnecting the bottom spark plugs is a safety measure. There is no risk that the 172P will start accidentally. See the two pictures below.

The engine service includes but is not limited to servicing the alternator belt, inspecting the engine controls, and inspecting the engine.

After the propeller is inspected it is polished. In the photo below you see John polishing the propeller.

Next up on Monday, May 16: Finishing up the annual.

Part 5 of 9: Cessna Annual 172P - Inspection

There are many inspection portals in aircraft, including the Cessna 172P, where the Airframe and Powerplant Mechanic with Inspection Authorization can inspect what is “underneath”. Mostly various wires and cables. In this series of photos, you will several such portals, finishing up with a couple of shots of Brent performing this phase of the annual inspection.

Next up: magneto service

Martin Mars working in Mexico

In other news, Bill Gabbert of Wildfire Today is reporting on the Martin Mars working the fires in Mexico, see this article with a photo and a video. The Martin Mars works with a sikorsky helicopter and both have been very effective as they work in Mexico. Take a few moments to read Bill's article.

Wildfire in North Carolina

Two videos on a fire currently burning near Stumpy River NC (Dare County) in the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge.

According to this post on the wildland fire hotlist the fire had burned 3,500 acres yesterday (May 6).

Part 4 of 9: Cessna Annual 172P - Battery Service

Unlike the battery in my car, I learned that the battery in the Cessna 172P is not a sealed unit. That is the battery in the Cessna 172 can be opened up to add distilled water. In the photo below, the battery is being charged. Distilled water has already been added to the battery, if necessary, prior to being charged.

MAFFS training in Boise Idaho

I saw in an article earlier today about the C-130 MAFFS training that is currently on near Boise Idaho when I saw this wildlandfire hotlist thread linking to an article from the Magic Valley News (with pictures). A little later, a friend of mine who lives near Boise wrote me telling me that the C-130s have been putting on quite an airshow in the Boise area for the last couple of days.

Then as I was in the process of signing on here, I saw that Bill Gabbert had written an article about the MAFFS training here also referencing the article from the Magic Valley News. I learned from Bill's article that the National Interagency Fire Center has a face book page where they posted photos.

Tomorrow I will posting my fourth article in a nine-part series (was eight parts, but decided to split one article into two) based on three days that I spent watching the annual inspection of a Cessna 172P. Tomorrow's article is on the battery service. As I post the rest of the articles in this series over the coming weeks, I am keenly aware that fire season is already upon us in parts of the U.S. and elsewhere in the world, so I will be keeping my eyes open and my electronic pen in working order.

Part 3 of 8: Cessna Annual 172P - Emergency Locator Transmitter Service

I watched the service of the Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT). I learned that the batteries are replaced after 1 hour of cumulative use or after 50% of their service life is expired. The ELT is designed to activate and transmit a signal after being subject to forces generated in a crash. I understand that the ELT is in different locations in different airplanes.

Next up: battery service

Part 2 of 8: Cessna Annual 172P - landing gear, wheels, and brake service

My first afternoon at State Line I watched Brent’s apprentice, John, work on the landing gear and brakes. John works under the direction of Brent. Brent is a Airframe and Powerplant Mechanic with Inspection Authorization and is the one who “signs off” on the annual inspection. John cleans the landing gear with mineral spirits in the first two photos. The wheel bearing is cleaned with mineral spirits in a parts cleaning machine in the third photo.

In the first photo below you see the new brake pad (L) and the old brake pad (R). The brake calipers are shown in the next three photos.

Landing gear wheel back in place.

Next up: emergency locator transmitter service

Part 1 of 8: Introduction to Annual Service of Cessna 172P

Late last December I spent two half-days and one full day at State Line Aviation on the field of Alexandria Airport (N85) watching one of N85's Cessna 172P trainers, (I refer to her as “Red”), get her annual maintenance. I had a great time and I learned a lot. As I watched the inspection and had the opportunity to ask Brent or his apprentice questions, I took notes on what I saw and heard. Over the next few articles, I am going to take you on a photo tour of my time watching the annual along with some commentary about what I learned. This is not meant to be a chronicle of an annual maintenance from beginning to end. Rather, I suppose you can say that I am touching on certain highlights of this annual. This is the first of eight articles that I will post over the next 2 to 3 weeks.

I want to start with the aviation mechanic's creed that is posted on the wall of the State Line Aviation. Please take a moment to read it. When I was talking to the owner, Brent, we got talking about what makes aviation mechanic's tick. He took me out and showed me the creed. I stood there, spending a few minutes reading the creed and letting the words soak in. As I watched Brent and his apprentice, John, work on Red over the course of the next couple of days, I saw the creed in action.

See the image below for a copy of the 100 hour/annual inspection checklist. In the case of the 172P, this is her annual inspection.

This is Red with her engine cover taken off, this a side view of the engine compartment. Having done a couple of pre-flight inspections that included checking the oil and checking one of the belts, it was something special to get my first glimpse at what is under the hood (or cowling). What is under the hood and the propeller (out of the picture) provides the thrust. Thrust along with the lift provided by the wings are two of the four forces of flight that act on an aircraft in flight. The other two forces of flight are drag and weight. Drag works in opposition to thrust and weight (gravity) works in opposition to lift.

Remembering the days when my car had a carburetor, I wanted a photo of Red’s carburetor.

One of the things on the done in the annual is changing the oil filter, note the date on the filter. That is the date the new filter was installed. The number 3998.4 is, according to Brent, the tach time (akin to an odometer in an automobile) found on the bottom of the tachometer. The tachometer records the revolutions per minute (RPM) of the engine crankshaft. In the 172P, the propeller is attached to the engine crankshaft, so the tachometer records both engine and propeller RPM. Tach time is the total number of hours that the engine has run.

Next up: landing gear, wheels, and brake service

retardant v suppressant (follow-up)

Last week, I was writing about retardant v suppressant here. Let’s just say that I was wondering about when to use the term fire retardant and when to use the term fire suppressant. To be honest, I had forgotten that some of the information that I was looking for on retardant v suppressant is here in this blog, written over two years ago. What I am going to do is to spend a little time with what I wrote two years ago, and do some additional reading and revisit retardant v suppressant. However, I do want to briefly address the question that I raised last week.

In the meantime as I understand it, foams and gels (water enhancers) are suppressants, suppressing the fire. The Martin Mars, Canadair CL-215/415 (aka super scoopers) and some Helicopters with buckets and/or tanks (e.g. type 2 helicopters are among the aircraft using water/foam (usually clear). Retardant on the other hand (usually red in color) retards or slows the fire. Some of the aircrafts using retardant include but are not limited to CAL FIRE’s S-2T’s, P-2s and P-3s.

The US Forest Service has a page with some definitions that you might useful. In addition, you might want to read an article I posted in March 2009 on the differences between retardant and foam.

As I said, I’ll be writing more about retardants v suppressants, just not quite sure when. Tomorrow, I will be starting a series based on some time I spent last December watching the annual inspection of a Cessna 172 (aka a trainer).

We don't always see the tankers (intial attack)

Someone sees a small fire, doesn’t matter how it started. Word goes out to the nearest CAL FIRE tanker base, a S-2T tanker and the OV-10 air attack plane are dispatched. The OV-10 arrives first followed in short order by the S-2T tanker. Air Attack communicates with the tanker pilot telling him where to make his first retardant drop, asking him to drop a half load. The tanker pilot flies his pattern and makes his drop. Around this time the wildland firefighters arrive and their incident commander (IC) communicates with Air Attack, discussing the fire. IC tells his crew where to start digging line and tells Air Attack where he wants the second drop, the tanker pilot drops what is left of his retardant as directed by Air Attack and the IC. The IC tells Air Attack that he wants the tanker to come back, doing what is known as a load and return (with more retardant). Air attack continues to circle overhead talking to the IC and talking to the tanker. The tanker returns, makes a couple of more drops as directed by Air Attack and the IC. One more load and return is ordered by Air Attack before Air Attack sends him back to base, satisfied the fire is near containment. Time elapsed maybe an hour or two. Maybe your only witness to your actions, aside from other aircraft and the crews on the ground, were those too far away to comprehend your mission.  I'm sure you got the attention of a Coyote or two as well.  Many of us don’t need to witness your call to duty, we already know. We silently celebrate your safe mission, and silently wait for your next call.

Red Flag warning in an eastern state at the beginning of the spring fire season. The Single Engine Air Tankers (SEATS) just went on contract, AT-602’s. A small fire in the woods, grasses and trees are burning. Wildland firefighters are dispatched along with the AT-602 from the nearest base. An acre maybe two. Winds are blowing, but not strong enough to ground the SEAT. Firefighters are concerned because the winds are favoring the fire moving to some difficult to access terrain. If that happens, the fire could blow up to something bigger. The Huey arrives with her bucket. The Huey and the Air Tractor make drops in strategic areas as designated by commanders to help the efforts of the firefighters on the ground. The firefighters back burn a couple of acres in hope that the fire can be stopped at the road. Helos work hotspots. Another SEAT arrives to help. Three or four hours later the fire is contained at 25 acres, including the burn out. Maybe your only witness to your actions, aside from other aircraft and the crews on the ground, were those too far away to comprehend your mission.  I'm sure you got the attention of a Deer or two as well.  Many of us don’t need to witness your call to duty, we already know. We silently celebrate your safe mission, and silently wait for your next call.

These are hypothetical examples of initial attack. The all important initial attack that often goes unnoticed. But not by me and not by many. I may not know all the incidents where you are flying initial attack. I don’t have to, for you were there, doing what you do best, working to support the firefighters on the ground to put out the fire.

They (as in the P-3's) are baack

By now I suspect that some of you already know that Aero Union's P-3 tankers are back in the air, see this National Examiner Article by Bill Gabbert. I'd like to thank a friend who sent me the link to Bill's article over the weekend.

I thought that some of you would enjoy seeing these short clips of the P-3 tankers in action.









Updated on August 3, 2015: The US Forest Service terminated its contract with Aero-Union for their Lockheed P-3's, going out of business a month later. (see my articles of July 30, 2011, August 17, 2011, and January 18, 2012). 

Texas wildfires - air attack

C-130 MAFFS from the 115th Airlift Squadron, California Air National Guard



Air Attack - Wildfires near Possum Kingdom Lake



And some more footage of the fire near Possum Kingdom Lake TX from the same videographer that did the above video, this time focusing more on the fire itself and shots of the devastation. And also some footage of the air attack.




Helitanker drop

Texas Wildfire update #2

Some footage from CNN (dead link removed on 10/21/16) of the fire burning near possum Kingdom Lake, TX. You will see a C-130 MAFFS at the beginning of the footage and Neptune T-11 towards the end. A street sign is fitting -- hellsgate.

correction - (posted on April 23, 2011 and revised on April 24, 2011)
In the video when you watch T-11 making a drop, the reporter refers to a tanker dropping fire suppressant. I believe that the proper term is fire retardant, not fire suppressant. I tend to use the phrase fire retardant not fire suppressant. However, at this point it is not clear to me that the phrase fire suppressant is improper usage. I'll try to spend some time reading up on this issue and write something to follow-up on the usage of fire retardant v fire suppressant at some point in the not to distant future.

Update on October 21, 2016: the link to the CNN that I shared here is no longer valid and I have removed it. 

Texas wildfire update #1

This video was posted on the Abilene Reporter News website this morning. The video shows footage of the Wildcat Fire near Grape Creek. The Albilene Reporter News has a nice page of fire photos.

Bill Gabbert of Wildfire Today has been doing a good job reporting on the Texas Wildfires. He reports here on the C-130 MAFFS working the fire with three videos of the C-130s that you may want to check out. Another article, this one on a fire threatening McDonald Observatory may be found here.

Firefighter death

Finally Bill reports on some sad news here, on the death of a Firefighter Jaquez who suffered third degree burns while fighting one of the Texas wildfires a few days ago. Another article on Mr. Jaquez's death may be found here. My deep condolences to Mr. Jaquez's family, friends, colleagues, and all who loved him.

Aero Union

There were a couple of stories yesterday on the Reporter News website about the grounding of the Aero Union P-3 fleet, the first one may be found here. In a second article early yesterday evening (4/19/11), they report on discussions between Aero Union and Texas Governor Perry's Office to "try to resolve the issue on the (Texas) State level." To the best of my knowledge, the three P-3s were still on the ground in Abilene.

Updated on August 3, 2015: The US Forest Service terminated its contract with Aero-Union for their Lockheed P-3's, going out of business a month later. (see my articles of July 30, 2011, August 17, 2011, and January 18, 2012). 

Texas wildfires

Edited on October 24, 2017 to strike out or removed outdated links and video embed code

Where to begin on the wildfires in Texas? I expect that most of you have heard about the wildfires that have been burning in Texas for the last couple of weeks from various media.  I am not even going to try to summarize all the fires that have burned hundreds of thousands of acres in Texas largely, but not exclusively, in rural areas of the State.  Nonetheless, evacuations have been or may still be in place in different locations and residences have been destroyed by the fires. There is a nice article and video from CNN where you may learn more about this wildfire, go here to see the CNN report and video.

According to Lubbock Online (4/18/11 @ 12:11 AM):

• Governor Rick Perry is asking the federal government for help.
• Two C-130s equipped with Modular Airborne Fire Fighting Systems (MAFFS) dropped retardant one of the Texas wildfires.
• Two helos with buckets worked the fire in southwestern Austin.

Death of a firefighter

It is with great sadness that I write about the death of volunteer firefighter, Greg Simmons, this past Friday. I offer my condolences to Greg's family, friends, colleagues and all who loved him. Bill Gabbert of Wildfire Today writes about Greg here and here.

Air Support

When I went and read the TX Forest Service situation report update written on April 18, 2011 at 11:46 local time (this link is outdated but I am not removing the link so you know where I got the information from), they reported on two C-130 MAFFs that had dropped retardant in a fire burning in the Del Rio area (also reported by Lubbock Online above). In that same "situation report", the TX forest service reports that a tanker base is in the process of being set up in the Midland area to support a DC-10 tanker, and that the Dyess Air Force Base is being set up to support four MAFFS. These resources are in addition to the two helos mentioned earlier and other air resources deployed to the fire. Wildfire Today is also reporting about the mobilization of more air tankers to Texas (and other updates) here.

Where to go for information

As I write this, the Inci Web incident information system has several pages devoted to Texas wildfires. The Texas Forest Service has a current report in pdf format that has been updated at least once a day during this current wildfire siege. An html version of the latest situation report from the Texas Forest Service may be found here. Another good source of information is the morning report (pdf format) put out by the Southern Area Coordinating Center with a summary of current fires burning in TX and other states in the SACC region.

Aero Union P-3s grounded

Over the course of time that I have been writing about aerial wildland firefighting I have gained a growing appreciation for just how complicated the business of aerial wildland firefighting is. I have learned that what the tanker and helo pilots, and ground crews do is complicated.

There is more. I have an awareness -- often only a vague awareness -- that there is much that goes on in the business of aerial wildland firefighting that I do not know about, things that have to be in place in order to keep the tankers and helos flying. About all I can say about such matters is that the tanker and helo business is complicated.

I was again reminded of such complexities when I first heard that Aero Union's P-3 tankers were grounded late in the day last Wednesday, April 13, see this Lubbock Online report dated April 14.

As reported by wildfire today on April 15 who, in an update, referenced this 4/16/11 article from Lubbock Online, the P-3s remain grounded. According to the April 16 article from Lubbock Online, Aero Union officials are meeting with representatives from the US Forest Service and the Federal Aviation Administration this Tuesday in LA to discuss the matter of the P-3s.

To the best of my knowledge, the 11 P-2V air tankers (9 from Neptune and 2 from Minden) are not affected by whatever lead to the grounding of the P-3s. Some are already on contract and available for aerial firefighting, and others will be going on contract in the coming weeks.

As the 2011 wildfire season gets started in the southwest and the west, and is already well underway in Texas, let us hope and pray for a speedy resolution so that the P-3s can be back in the air again soon.

Updated on August 3, 2015: The article here reports on what was a temporary grounding, and the P-3's were flying again about three days later. The US Forest Service terminated its contract with Aero-Union for their Lockheed P-3's, going out of business a month later. (see my articles of July 30, 2011, August 17, 2011, and January 18, 2012). 

RIP Dave Kelly Sr. (1927-2011)

I want to take this opportunity to express my condolences to the family, friends, colleagues of Dave Kelly, Sr. (1927-2011) -- air tanker pilot -- who passed away on April 4 after an illness. I did not have the pleasure of knowing Dave. However, over the last two plus years that I have been writing about aerial wildland firefighting, I ran into his name in my wonderings on the internet.

What I learned was that he was a veteran tanker pilot well respected by his fellow tanker pilots. Dave was great friend and mentor to many inside and outside the tanker business who will miss him. He soloed at the age of eighteen, obtaining first his private pilots certificate and later his commercial rating. He was also a flight instructor and an aviation mechanic. Before he started flying air tankers in 1967 he worked as a crop duster for many years. He grew to be an old pilot before passing on at the age of 83. Take a couple of moments to read Dave's obit here.

I am sorry that I did not know Dave, the loss is mine.

Dave, I know that you are flying in favorable tailwinds with all of your old buddies.

B-17 - post WW II uses

Some USAAF B-17's were not used as bombers, rather the B-17H, later known as the SB-17G, were modified for use in search and rescue operations. A lifeboat was carried on the belly of the plane that was dropped by a parachute to downed airmen. Armament was deleted after the end of WW II only to be added back during the Korean War. For more information, see this fact sheet from the National Museum of US Air Force on the Boeing B-17H. On December 29, 2021 I noted that the link about the Boeing B-17 H that I referenced here is no longer working and I am so far not able to find another link for you. I live this dead link here as a reference for where I found this information in 2011.

After WW II ended, most surviving USAAF B-17s were flown back to the U.S., stored in aviation boneyards and were eventually scrapped. But some were not. For example, the US Air Force used some B-17s as drones and control drones in nuclear testing and other forms of weapons testing, reconnaissance, transport, engine test beds, and trainers. For more information see this page from the National Museum of US Air Force on Boeing B-17G Variants.

Added on September 4, 2017, the link that I accessed in April 2011 for Boeing B-17-G variants on the National Museum of US Air Force website is no longer available. Some post-war history of the B-17 is available on Wikipedia' article on the B-17.

The last B-17 to retire from service in the US Airforce was Piccadilly Lilly II, she retired in 1959 and is reported to be in the process of being restored to flying condition.

A few B-17s (known as PB-1W) saw service in the U.S. Navy, mostly for anti-submarine surveillance. Modifications included the addition of a radar and extra fuel tanks (Jablonski 1965 38-9). Go here for more information. As I understand it, these Naval PB-1W's saw service through the middle of the 1950s.

The U.S. sold some B-17s to other countries after the end of WW II.

Some B-17s that saw post WW II military service were later used as firebombers, I'll get to firebombers in a later series of articles. A couple of B-17s including one or two that were used as firebombers were used in movies or television. Wikipedia has a list of surviving B-17s, both those currently in the U.S. as well as those that are in other countries, this list may be found here. In addition, the main Wikipedia article on the B-17 includes sections on post WW II uses as well as foreign operators of the B-17.

I will be writing a shorter series of articles on the B-17s service as a firebomber. I need a little more time (perhaps a week o two) as I am still gathering some information.

A look inside a B-17 bomber

I've still got a little more work to do on other uses of the B-17 and her post WW II history. I thought that you might enjoy taking a look inside two restored B-17 bombers, the Commemorative Air Force's B-17 known as the Sentimental Journey and the Collings Foundation's B-17 that I knew as the Nine O Nine.

Edited on September 4, 2017 to revise some links.



Direct link to video


Direct link to video

B-17 in WW II - many did not come home

For all those who never made it home. From any war. Both videos contain some poignant and graphic footage, (stills in video 1 and video footage in the second video) of fatally wounded B-17s on their way down.


Direct link to video


Direct link to video

B-17 in WW II - maintenance

Just as important as the pilots and the rest of the crew were the maintenance crews on the ground who often worked by night to get the B-17 under their care ready for the next bombing run. Theirs was a labor love. There were times when parts were in short supply, especially early in the War. This necessitated the need to cannibalize B-17s that were no longer airworthy for parts.

Even B-17's that were temporarily out of service waiting for parts to arrive were at risk of being cannibalized. Early in the war in the pacific theater, a B-17 was out of service for one month waiting for a new engine. It was at least a month before a replacement engine arrived. During this time, parts were taken off this plane and used to keep other B-17's flying. The situation got so bad that the crew chief in charge of this particular B-17 had permission to guard the plane with a gun. The new engine eventually arrived (Freeman 1977 65-6).

Roger Freeman has a chapter where George Cuda, a flight chief with the 600th Bomb Squadron. He oversaw the maintenance operations of the B-17s in his squadron. Cuda describes the special relationship that a mechanic had with his B-17"

"Crew chiefs became very attached to their B-17s and there was quite a competition as to who would knock up the most missions without an abort for mechanical reasons. Some wouldn't take any leave because they didn't trust others looking after their plane The boys took it pretty hard if the lost a B-17 they had nurse for a good number of missions. When you almost lived night and day with your plane it was more than just a machine to you. I remember one of my crew chiefs, Joe Goeller, had a Fort that went 5 missions before being lost after a raid on Merseburg. He nearly cried when that B-17 crashed. Freeman 1977 163)"

Next up:

April 8: Some don't make it back
April 11: other military service and post WW II

Reference:

Roger A. Freeman. 1977. B-17 Fortress at War. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons

B-17 in WW II - Memphis Belle

Direct link to video from the Library of Congress

Perhaps one of the best known of the Fortresses was the Memphis Belle. Her crew was the first to complete 25 missions during WW II. Some of you may have seen the movie of the same name based in part on the story of the Memphis Belle. I understand that aspects of the movie were fictionalized, see this wikipedia article For example, the names of the crew were changed in the movie. The pilot of the Memphis Belle in WW II was Robert Morgan.

There is a decent article on Memphis Belle B-17 on wikipedia including a list of the 25 missions flown by the Morgan crew. The Museum of the US Air Force has an exhibit (opened in 2018) devoted to the Memphis Belle, go here for more information about the exhibit on the Memphis Belle with more links. 

Here is a 2018 video from the EAA of the unveiling of the Memphis Belle exhibit.

Direct link to video on YouTube

I am doing some rearranging of this first group of articles on the B-17, I'll be back in a couple of days with my next article and a revised list of these first set of articles focusing on the WW II service of the B-17.

edited on December 29, 2021: many of the links in my original 2011 article and later changes are invalid. The videos and links that I provide here were valid at the time I updated this article.