CFPA
AUGUST 2016 AUGUST NEWS
THE CALIFORNIA FIRE PILOTS ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER
CLOSE AIR SUPPORT DOZER, A BLADE TANK STORY PART 1 AWAY FROM THE ONCE UPON A TIME... FLAMES IN THE WEST CFPA NEWS
Caught on tape….Radio Traffic.... Caught on tape…Radio Traffic…… (ATC: Air Traffic Control)
Editor : Jerome Laval Tanker XY: Center, Tanker XY request descent… ([email protected]) ATC: You're going all the way to the ground, right? Tanker XY Pilot: Oh, I hope not!
Editorial Staff : Cyril Defever, (chuckles on the frequency..) Frédéric Marsaly, Franck Mée ATC: Huh… I meant low level! Tanker XY: Yes, we fly very low level! Designer : Philippe Laurent ------([email protected]) ATC: Tanker KZ, I need you to stay at or above 2000 feet! Tanker KZ: But Sir, I need to start my descent, I can't fight fires and
Contributors to this issue : drop Retardant from that altitude... ATC: (Hot potato?)… (Pause)… Contact HY Approach and check with Antoine Grondeau, Michael Archer, them! Steve Whitby, Wes Schultz, ------Ken Lancaster, Ryan Petersen, ATC: Tanker XX, Radar contact, what's your destination? Kit Robinson and Roger Cain. Tanker XX: A Fire South of… (%&@... blocked) ATC: Huh? Ok near which airport? Tanker XX: I believe the closest airport is YXZ If you wish to contribute to our ATC: Are you landing there? Newsletters with articles, stories, Tanker XX: No! The nearest Reload Base is ZKY! photos, videos, or just want to ATC: So you're landing there, at ZKY? suggest interesting links, please do. Send us your work in text Tanker XX: Probably… Don't know yet... I can be cancelled or diverted format (txt, doc, docx, rtf) and to another Fire or maybe I'll go there! Who knows? photos as jpeg files. (And please, ATC: (frustrated)… You guys... no PDF with your own layout!) ------ATGS*: Tanker VY: Clear to Drop. Photos: size 2400 px on the Tanker VY: (Dropping)... Clear and Empty! longest side, with your name on ATGS: Huh... Ok... Well... the photo (watermark) or in the Tanker VY: Is that where you wanted it? filename for credit. ATGS: Huh... One full drop early... How about you load and hold... Another voice chimes in: and HIDE! (Chuckles) And please, feel free ------to print the Newsletter and share it around! Airport Tower: AA XX, traffic 2 O’clock high, Dash 8! AA XX: AA XX looking! Airport Tower: Horizon HH, Traffic 10 O’Clock, OV-10 Bronco! Horizon HH: What's a Bronco? AA XX: (Assertive) What's a Dash 8? Horizon HH: Touché'
*ATGS : Air Tactical Group Supervisor
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CAL FIRE PROJECT X In Sacramento McClellan, in Dyncorp facilities, work is ongoing on future new Cal Fire tanker. (Photos by Wes Schultz)
3- CFPA NEWS - AUGUST 2016 NEWS ‘SULLY’ was thinking about writing a cold water of the Hudson River in review about "Sully", an excel- 280 seconds. This is January, Ilent movie directed by Clint snow is still on the ground. Cold Eastwood with Tom Hanks por- air freezes everyone in the traying Captain Chesley "Sully" streets of New York. Sullenberger: two sufficient rea- A defining moment for the pas- sons to go see the movie anyway. sengers who put their lives and We all remember the Miracle Ap- trust in aircrews every day, in proach of US Air Flight 1549, on every part of the world. A normal January 15th 2009, ditching in flight. Boarding, late passengers the Hudson. All 155 souls aboard happy they made it and are on survived that very "defining mo- board, fasten your seat belt, pre- ment" of their lives. The movie is pare for take off... well made with excellent actors A weird chock, turbulence? All and, really, you should go just to goes in the dark: "Head down, watch 280 seconds of flight be- stay down" is ordering the flight tween the bird strike and the im- crew. 280 seconds…"Brace for pact. Just watch how a Pilot in impact" says the Captain and Command realizes what's hap- and makes a decision! A life and then, your airplane is ditching in pening, checks all the options death decision – for himself and the river! "Evacuate... Evacuate!" 154 people depending on his ex- And you end up walking on a perience and judgment. The CRM sinking wing! Feet in the cold (Crew Resource Management) is water. What the hell’s just hap- impeccable; First Officer Skyles pened? Well, I'm alive! Everyone who took off from New York La seems to be OK, it's freaking Guardia and had the controls cold but we're OK and boats are until the Captain told him "I have coming this way. We made it! the aircraft". Then Jeff Skyles as- Never forget the Human Factor! sisted the best he could his Cap- Sully had 40 years of flying, tain in the most professional thousand hours in the air. Take- manner one can expect. A well offs, landings, and as a pilot, all experienced, trained and skilled sort of mechanical and weather crew working together. problems to solve. A defining moment for the Flight Attendants who performed their duty just like they do in training. Checking on passengers before and after the impact, repeating their orders to the passengers. This is not training, this is hap- Aaron Eckhart Hanks as Sully as Jeff Skiles (Warner Bros) pening. From a routine flight to (Warner Bros) Charlotte, North Carolina to super
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Jeppesen published this humoristic approach chart to honor flight 1549's skills and airmanship.
Clint and Sully (Warner Bros)
they were just doing their job, in- vestigating and coming up with a full factual report but you need bad guys in a movie... Sully gives them and for that mat- ter, all of us, a fan- Tom Hanks and Aaron Eckhart as Captain tastic lesson. Sully and Officer Skiles (Warner Bros) Never forget the Human Factor! That's what pilots do; solve prob- Aviation History is filled with Because, that's what Pilots do! lems, adapt and overcome. defining moments since the first Remember: Fly the airplane ! That's called Experience! All one when the one of the Wright Jerome Laval these flight hours, all that experi- Brothers got airborne. Some are Tanker 85 ence in a cockpit makes you well known and some are just Aware! Makes you understand, part of each pilot's personal Ps: "Sully" Cocktail: Grey Goose analyze, see and refine your de- flight experience and will never Vodka, Ice cubes and a Splash of cision makings process for the go public. water! Cheers! To Sully! best outcome. Aerial firefighting is filled with In the movie the bad guys are the these defining moments as we all Sully : Directed by Clint Eastwood FAA and NTSB; dark suits and know, very challenging flying, Written by Todd Komarnicki Based on Highest Duty by Chesley long faces questioning the Pilot every flight and every drop. Sullenberger and Jeffrey Zaslow (William Morrow, 2009) in Command's decision, doubt- These seconds, minutes and de- Starring : Tom Hanks (Chesley Sullen- ing his judgment and skills, rely- cisions are part of each pilot's berger) ; Aaron Eckhart (Jeffrey Skiles); Laura Linney (Lorraine Sullenberger) ing more on machines and Treasure Chest which makes them Running Time : 96 minutes simulators than the Pilot, the experienced, and able carry on, Budget $60 millions Released September 9, 2016 man. I believe that, in real life, take off and fly one more time...
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WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY California Wildfire News Compilation by Michael Archer
(1) Santa Maria Air Attack Base reported that (5) A photo spread and interviews provide a DC-10s did not end up having to be re-routed behind-the-scenes looks at CAL FIRE's Rohnerville Monday due to a power outage in the area that Air Attack Base's operations. affected the base. The Red Stuff and More: A Visit to Cal Fire’s Air DC-10 still flying out of Santa Maria air tanker Attack Base in Rohnerville base http://kymkemp.com/2016/08/26/the-red-stuff- http://www.ksby.com/story/32899933/ and-more-a-visit-to-cal-fires-air-attack-base-in- dc-10-still-flying-out-of-santa-maria-air-tanker-base rohnerville/
(2) The Chico Fire Investigation Team is trying to de- (6) A letter from an Apple Valley resident advo- termine whether an engine fire on an air-tanker at cated for a fleet of CL-415 and DC-10 air-tankers Chico Airport sparked a wildfire south of the airport. to deal with Southern California wildfires. Air tanker may have sparked small grass fire at Water-dropping Super Scoopers put fires out airport before they spread http://www.actionnewsnow.com/news/ http://www.dailybulletin.com/opinion/20160825/ air-tanker-may-have-sparked-small-grass-fire-at-airport/ water-dropping-super-scoopers-put-fires-out-be- fore-they-spread (3) Wildfire NOTD subscriber David Baskett, Santa Maria Airport Board Director (http://www.intl-emergencyservices.com), (7) A new Bell 214 helicopter operated under commented on the loss of a reverse thruster part contract with CAL FIRE by Red Bluff-based on a DC-10 taxiing at Santa Maria Air Attack Base. PJ Helicopters is now stationed in Auburn to Part off of DC-10 air tanker falls off plane while provide first-strike capability on wildland fires. taxiing on Santa Maria runway Fire Power: Auburn-Based Copter A Firefighting http://www.keyt.com/news/-part-off-of-dc10-air- Rock Star tanker-falls-off-plane-while-taxiing-on-santa- http://www.auburnjournal.com/article/8/25/16/fire maria-runway/41426960 -power-auburn-based-copter-firefighting-rock-star
(4) Air-tankers out of Columbia Air Attack Base dropped about 30,000 gallons of retardant on a To sign up for Wildfire NOTD, click here: 65-acre wildfire before sundown Monday in a http://archercopywriting.com/newsletter.html steep, rugged canyon of the Tuolumne River below Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in the Stanislaus National Forest. Forest fire breaks out in Rim Fire footprint http://www.uniondemocrat.com/home/4619580- 151/forest-fire-breaks-out-in-rim-fire-footprint
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AIR ATTACK AND CLOSE AIR SUPPORT Ken Lancaster, Columbia Air Attack Pilot
ing the A-10C then back to Korea Close Air Support, USAF way. (Photo : USAF) for two more years in the Hawg. During my time in Germany, I spent 6 months flying the A-10 in Afghanistan, and another couple months over Libya. I also did a one-year stint flying the King Air in Afghanistan at coincidently the same time as Rand Sterrett. To- ward the end of 2014, it appeared certain the A-10 would be immi- nently retired, so I jumped ship, and Instructed the next genera- tion of fighter pilots in the T-38 at Vance AFB in Enid, Oklahoma, for my last year in the service. Last fall, as I prepared to leave erome is trying a new tactic ber but when college time came, the service, I prepped for my Cal to solicit articles from the I enrolled in the professional fight Fire / DynCorp interview by read- Jmembership – target the program at ASU; because even ing everything I could about rookies who don’t know any bet- though I was single at the time, I fighting fire from the air. With ter than to say, “Sure Jerome, reasoned that an airline pilot dad each Interagency Publication I we’d love to write an article for and husband would be better read, it became more and more the CFPA News.” As the latest than a fighter pilot dad and hus- apparent that Air Attack is ex- victim of this new ploy, I’ll briefly band. Shortly into the program tremely similar to CAS. That sen- discuss my background then however, I met my wife Erin who timent has not changed now that dive into the similarities between wanted me to join the Air Force I’m on the inside doing the J-O-B. close air support (CAS) and Air At- so we could see the world. Since The CAS Bible, Joint Publication tack. Before I get to far along, I’d flying in the Air Force is what I 3-09.3, defines CAS as, “Air action like to say that it’s an honor for wanted to do in the first place, by fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft me to contribute to the CFPA joining ROTC was a no brainer. against hostile targets that are in News. I read every single edition After graduation, we moved to close proximity to friendly forces posted on the website as I con- Sheppard Air Force Base (AFB) in and that require detailed integra- templated leaving the Air Force Wichita Falls, Texas, for pilot train- tion of each air mission with the and pursuing a career fighting ing, then Davis Monthan AFB in fire and movement of those fire. Thanks to all those who Tucson for the A-10 Basic Course. forces.” Plainly stated, CAS re- have made this publication pos- After A-10 training, we began our quires aircraft to closely coordi- sible over the years. overseas assignments spending nate with ground personnel to I wanted to fly jets in the Air one year in Korea flying the A-10A achieve the desired effect and Force for as long as I can remem- then three years in Germany fly- enhance everyone’s safety.
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Here’s how a typical CAS mis- I’ll take a moment to describe deconfliction measures. Once sion flows. Note the similarities to exactly what goes on inside the happy they understand the AO what we do. Before take-off, the fighter and then the FAC(A)s update, remaining within the air- pilots receive mission “products“ cockpit during their vul’s. I’ll not space deconflicted for them, the from the mission planning cell go into the intraflight coordina- fighters proceed closer to the tar- (MPC) which include mission spe- tion between a flight lead and his get area to receive their first cific maps, imagery, frequencies, wingman only portraying the 9-line attack briefing which in- callsigns, the ground force com- fighters tasks from the flight cludes the target and friendly lo- manders (GFCs) intent and CAS leads point of view. To begin the cations among other information objectives. Intelligence also briefs vul, the fighters check in with the (see "Gameplan and CAS 9-Line the pilots. The for- mation then briefs A-10 Thunderbolt II in action. (Photo : USAF) up the flight based on the specifics of the day and heads out knowing full well that they will more than likely be di- verted to a "pop-up" troops in contact sit- uation where they won’t have any info except a freq, call- sign and location until arriving on scene. After take- off, they check in with the Control and Reporting Center (CRC) which tracks their position and provides threat FAC(A) or JTAC when well clear Briefing" sidebar). Once the updates. Approaching the target of the AO with their position 9-line is processed within the area, the formation checks in with (radial/DME off the provided flight, the JTAC or FAC-A con- the Air Support Operations Center lat/longs and altitude), capabili- ducts a target talk on to ensure (ASOC) which provides an Area of ties (mainly weapons loadouts) the fighters are tally the target. Operations (AO) update. The and playtime, the amount of time Once tally, the flight lead deter- flight finally checks in to work with they have before Bingoing out mines his attack tactic based on a Joint Terminal Attack Controller (see "Close Air Support Check-In many variables only a few of (JTAC) or Foreword Air Controller Briefing" sidebar). The JTAC or which include: weather, wind, Airborne (FAC(A)). After the end of FAC(A) then provides an AO up- sun angle, friendly positions, ter- their vulnerability period (vul) the date (see "Situation Update" rain and weapons effects. He fighters check out in reverse order sidebar). The fighters remain well conveys his attack tactic to his of how they entered and return to clear until they’ve processed the flight utilizing another standard- base to hot refuel before returning AO update to make sure they ized briefing format (*) and then to the fight. don’t trespass any threat areas or attacks ensuring he sees the tar-
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CAS Check-In Briefing get, has situational awareness (SA) on friendly positions and is cleared by the JTAC or FAC(A). After the attack, he re- ceives bomb damage assessment (BDA) from the JTAC or FAC(A). Once clear of the target area, the fighters receive an- other 9-line and repeat the process until the end of the vul.
The FAC-A’s roll is quite different from that of the fighters. While armed, his pri- mary duty it to facilitate fighter attacks. He accomplishes this through four pri- mary duties: brief, stack, mark and con- Situation Update trol. He prefers to arrive on scene first to get the latest situation update from the GFC or JTAC, get the lay of the land and forces, find the friendly and enemy posi- tions and begin generating 9-line attack briefings. When the fighters begin arriv- ing on scene he briefs them providing AO updates. To stack, or deconflict, he provides the altimeter and a piece of sky to operate in using either lateral, vertical or procedural/timing, or a combination of the previous deconfliction methods. Once the fighters are established within their deconfliction, he talks them on to tactical reference points (TRPs) i.e. promi- nent points in the AO and establishes la- bels for them to facilitate subsequent talk-ons. When the fighters are ready, he passes the 9-line attack briefing he can supplement by marking the target with smoke rockets, the gun or laser or In- frared pointers. During the attack, he po- sitions himself appropriately to validate attack geometry to ensure the fighters will attack the proper target and clears them to drop with a quick, “cleared hot.” After the attack, while the fighters are egressing back to the hold, the FAC(A) provides BDA and the next 9-line. The FAC(A)s job can be even busier than a fighters as he briefs, stacks, marks and
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Game Plan and 9-Line Briefing Cas & Air Attack Terms.
controls for multiple sets of fighter’s on various targets near simultaneously. Aren’t the similarities striking? I could point them out but this article is already too long. I have however provided a chart to reference delineating the CAS equiva- lent of firefight positions. I wrote this article for a few reasons. First, in an era where applicants with fire experience are harder to come by, to show that CAS pilots have similar experience. Second, to establish a baseline to work from in future CFPA article’s (yes, I’m a glutton for punishment) concerning CAS tactics, techniques, procedures and tech- nologies that could enhance the way fire- fighters conduct business. ¡Viva Columbia!
(*) Fighter to Fighter: F - Formation (to be flown once IP inbound) R - Roll (of each flight member: Shooter, Cover, Decoy) O - Ordnance T - Timing I - Ingress (direction) Close Air Support, Cal Fire way. E - Egress (direction) S- Sort (where each flight member will hit relative to (Photo : J. Laval) the preceding fighter)
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DOZER OPERATORS: A BLADE AWAY FROM THE FLAMES Jerome Laval, Tanker 85 (photos by Ryan Petersen) This article is dedicated to the memory of Dozer Operators Matt Will and Robert O. Reagan III
What a fantastic firefighting concept! From my Tanker cockpit, I’ve been watching these CalFire Dozer and other Agencies Dozer along with Private Dozer opera- tors for many seasons now and I have to admit that I’m impressed! One person operation; he/she drives the transport truck with the Dozer on the trailer, then finds a spot near the Fire, jumps in the Dozer and off the to the races. Up and down on the trails, moving dirt, creating a “Dozer line”, a Firebreak on the spot. Faster than one thinks, the Dozer outflanks 48 hours on then get 96 hours the Operators live within 30 min- the Fire, cutting fuel (grass, brush, off. The Department wants a utes of the station they can go trees). They’re usually right in the dozer to be on call at the station home at night. Then at night the heat of the battle, few yards away 24/7 during fire season. So we Operator is paged out when a from the flames. Very experi- have 3 main Operators. Right call is dispatched. At which point enced operators can make a dif- now the 3 operators cover each the Operator will respond back to ference and get around quickly. other if someone is off. We are the station to respond with the They see a lot of fires… Very effi- right in the middle of training 3 dozer. But, that all changes when cient and impressive. My hat to additional Operators. they go into a staffing pattern. you Dozer guys! Now Cal Fire Operators run a This means that the dozer Oper- And by the way, besides what different schedule. Most of Cal ator can be on a 24 hour shift. you may think or what appears Fire dozers have 2 Operators as- Departments in SoCal run sometimes, we never drop on signed to that Dozer within each several different schedules de- your Dozer on purpose. unit. The reason is Cal Fire dozers pending on the Department From Doug Dolezal, Engineer, and Operators can end up any- needs. Some Departments run a Fire Equipment Operator. Sacra- where in the state of California. four day 10 hour work week mento Metropolitan Fire, VP Cali- They can be on either an incident schedule. Then the Operators fornia Dozer Operators Group: or a move up to provide unit cov- are paged back to the station at “We have 3 shifts. A Shift, B erage. The two Operators split night for large incidents that re- Shift, and C Shift. We work a the coverage during the week quires dozer operations. Other 48/96 shift schedule: we work for depending on their schedule. If Departments run a three 10 hour
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new model CAT’s comes with ex- tended tracks, full forestry pro- tection package, winch, and night time lighting package. Cal fire has also upgraded their fleet of transports and trailers. The transports are built by Mack trucks. The lowboy trailers are built by Cozad trailers.” Testimony from Volunteer Fire Captain and Heavy Equipment Fire Operator (HEFO) Ryan Petersen: “So, you guys want to know what it is like to drive a dozer on a fire? I’d like to think we have a lot more in common than you work week with a 24 shift during The bulldozer fleet has also might think! I’ll start you off with the week. This is to make sure undergone changes throughout a little about myself. I’m a private that the Department has a dozer the state. To dozers being en- pilot (150 hrs). I’ve been part of staffed at a station 24/7. Other closed, air conditioned cabs to the Geyserville Fire Protection Departments have the Operators protect the operators from heat, District for the past 20 years and working a 24 hour shift work. dust and noise provide a better am currently a Captain. My his- That is why it is so hard to ex- environment from which to do tory in the fire service goes back plain dozer Operators schedule their firefighting work. CAL FIRE's a couple of generations. My because everyone runs their dozer/transport fleet has seen grandfather (my mom’s dad) was system a little differently. Be- major upgrades within the last 2 HEFO with the California Division cause, as you know, we are not years, going from Caterpillar D6C of Forestry. He’s also a pilot. My affect by sun light we can oper- dozers built in the 1960s to later Dad’s first fire was in 1972 when ate the dozer for 24 hours work models. Cal Fire has made a a CDF Ranger, Ed Poe, pulled into period. This is due to the night large purchase of new Caterpillar his ranch in Dry Creek Valley and time lighting packages we have D6N XL series high-track. The asked “Who’s dozer is that?” He on dozers. So if a dozer gets onto an extended incident the shift becomes a 24 hour work shift. That is why 2 Operators are needed during extended inci- dents. While one Operator is working his 24 hour shift the other Operator is off on rest. Operators can also be placed on 12 hour work period depending on the incidents needs. These work periods can go as long as 14 to 21 days depending on the incident.
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tractor and leave it where it but no amount of training, class- sat. The HFEO had driven it room work, or bookwork can into “too dangerous of a match the instinct and experi- situation”. He hadn’t even ence of just how it feels. I can re- gotten close to doing what late it to landing in a crosswind. he would do on an average The book says to just counter the fire. I had a similar issue wind effect by dipping your wing with my newest dozer this or crabbing. As if the wind will be year. I was going down a constant and you can just get it steep slope and the tractor and be good. Right. Not! But after wouldn’t go into reverse. hundreds of hours you do just When I got home I asked get it. I’m not there yet, at least my local mechanic what with the crosswind landings. might be the issue? “well” The other question I’ve been he said “you did overfill asked was what was your first spent that night watching the line the transmission, didn’t you?” real fire, you know what I mean, at the heel of the fire. As I grew No?! Well it seems the slope I the one that stands out. We get up I just took it for granted that was on was outside the operat- toned out all the time, canceled everyone was on the fire depart- ing parameters of the tractor, I a lot, and have those milk runs, ment and drove a dozer. In the needed to over fill the transmis- fires in a field, ridge top drops, early 90’s I took my first fire class sion by 3-4 gallons. We also get no big deal. The first one that at Cal Poly SLO. When they got to viewed as not a real firefighter as sticks in my memory was the 16 the class that covered heavy we sit in a closed cab/cabin with Complex LNU, Lake County, the equipment I was excited. The AC and never really do any real north end of Rumsey Canyon. For sum of the instructor’s lesson on work. How little they know. I also those of you who aren’t familiar, dozers was “stay back 100 feet at can imagine we operate our rock and brush, straight up and all times and those HFEO’s are equipment in much the same down. I luckily got paired with an just different. Keep your dis- way. There is the training we get, agency dozer out of Santa Clara tance”. What the Heck!! (I get it now) I would think the reaction most people have when they meet HFEOs or Tanker pilots is pretty similar. Another similarity, is the equipment we use was not intended for what we do with it. I was talking to an HFEO recently and he relayed a story of a class he attended. He and another op- erator were sent to a class put on by Caterpillar to learn and show- case the newest dozer models. Fifteen minutes into the first HFEO’s turn at the controls the Caterpillar rep stopped him mid- slope demanding he exit the
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want to. What?? “Are you going threw the throttle wide open and to walk back and drive my dozer reengaged the clutch, I heard a off this?” “No, you can go back “pop!”, and on down the hill I out the way we came.” Let me went slipping and sliding. A few think about this. As I look back to minutes later, I heard someone the ridge top I answer back “I’m ask “what happened to that little not sure I can climb back out of dozer, is he still with you guys?” this, so I’ll be right behind you.” (I was running an old D4D about As I headed down the ridge (if 2/3 the size and HP of the other that’s what it could be called), the dozers.) “Yep” I heard on the tractor was slipping and sliding. radio “he’s still with us”. Appar- I know I countered every force without thinking. Just the same as you step on the rudder or twist the yoke without thinking, just re- action. Half way down, the dozer County. I was up front and honest stopped. My blade had hit a rock. when I told him I had a signifi- I lifted the blade, thinking it cant amount of time on my would pop over. As the blade dozer, but never in country this stayed where it was, and my steep. He looked me up and back end lifted off the ground, I down with a stern face, then pushed the blade down, quickly smirked and said, “Don’t worry, I telling myself, no, do not do that. have that same dozer on my Next option. Backup! No such ranch, and I won’t put you on luck, the tracks just spun. As I anything it can’t handle.” Oh gathered my wits, darn near able crap, here we go. Three hours to stand up on the dash (at least later, there we are, 2500 feet it felt that way), I realized I had ently we were being watched above Calpay Valley (I checked been idling the whole time. As I from the valley floor by all the re- the sectional! Darn near under lief operators. After I pealed the the RUMSEY intersection) 5 of us, seat off my butt I found out they three agencies and two privates, had been watching through at the top! The first two agency binoculars and were just as on dozers head off into the abyss, edge as I was. Well maybe not slipping and sliding the whole quite as much. way, as the first private drops off So you still want to drive a the edge. Dozer 1642 relays the dozer on a fire. No problem, give plan, keep your blade straight, at me a call. All I ask is I get equal least half full of dirt, and don’t time in your plane.” leave the tracks the other dozers Thanks to all HEFO/Dozer have made. Got it! As he heads operators for their dedication, down, I do a gut check. I got this. skills and hard work. ¾ of the way down, Dozer 1642 Special Thanks to Doug Dolezal Calls back to let me know I don’t and Ryan Petersen. have to come down if I don’t
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HEADING WEST
Erskine Fire from the sky. (Photo : A. Grondeau/Heading West)
Tanker 910 from above. (Photo : Heading West) PHOTO REPORTS
SAN BRUNO BY ROGER CAIN
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FIRE BOMBERS DROP SYSTEMS, PART 1 Frédéric Marsaly - Translation : Franck Mée
irefighting. If we split this word, we find “fight”. And Findeed, it is a sort of war that is fought against fires: in- fantry and ground troops, para- troopers jumping in remote areas… And, of course, attack air- craft, named water bombers and sometimes made from ground attack planes, which are guided by observation planes to provide ground firemen with something similar to close air support. The weapon is of course water, either pure or mixed with addi- Conair converted French Turbo-Firecat are tanked with a 850 US Gal tank tives to turn it into foam or gel, or and a conventional 4 doors drop system. (F. Marsaly) special fire retardant products. The choice of the weapon has a semi-direct attack, starting to ahead or aside the fire to prevent critical impact on its efficiency, drop the product just in front of it from spreading. A good drop- but the way it comes to the the flames, produces less blast ping mechanism should be per- ground is just as important: direct but makes the vegetation slower fectly fit to at least one of these attack right on the flames has a to catch fire; and an indirect at- strategies, if not all three of them. blast effect that blows the fire; a tack means dropping retardant
Gravity tanks with simple doors
This is the most obvious sys- tem. The tanks include segments, each segment being held by a single door. The carrying vessel (or vector) can make as many drops as there are doors, or heav- ier single drop by releasing all doors at once. With a four-door system, we can make one full drop (1+2+3+4) Demonstration drop from a Croatian Air Force CL-415. Its 4 doors conventional drop system can deliver 1600 US Gal of water or foam. or four separate drops (1 - 2 - 3 - 4), (F. Marsaly) but also two half-loads (1+2 - 3+4 or, if the system allows it, 1+3 - 2+4
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Impressive Coulson's RADS-XXL is a 4500 US Gal constant flow system. (Autralia Country Fire Authority) to get a wider coverage). In the Gravity tanks with Retardant Aerial Delivery System) first case, the massive fall pro- constant flow doors when the system was sold for the duces a heavy blast, but in the sec- Lockheed C-130As operated by ond case, it makes a longer and Conceived and developed by TBM, Butler and T&G. This princi- thinner ground imprint, and other Aero Union in the late 80s for their ple then set a trend and was pro- combinations make for intermedi- own Lockheed SP-2H (called duced by several other operators. ate effects. Now, imagine the “Firestar”), constant flow tanks Its principle is similar to the complex possibilities using the 22 were later designated RADS (for traditional gravity tank, but a con- doors in the Martin Hawaii Mars! This simple conception is very reliable and very efficient for direct and semi-direct attack, to which it is perfectly suited, though it can also be used for in- direct attack with acceptable ef- ficiency. It is found on flying boats like Canadair CL-215s and CL-415s, Beriev Be-200s or of course Martin Mars. Many tankers also rely this mecha- nism, for example most Lock- heed P2V Neptunes, Grumman Trackers tanked by Conair and Douglas DC-7s still operating, Cal Fire's S-2T drop their load with a two and many helicopter kits oper- doors constant flow system. (Cal Fire) ate on the same principles.
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As former Aero Union's P-3 tankers, L-188 Electra from Air Spray fight fires with an underbelly constant flow 3000 US Gal RADS tank. (Monte Commeau)
stant flow tank segments are only meant to steady the load and prevent shifts in the aircraft's center of gravity. There are only two doors covering the whole tank and allowing partial opening, so as to regulate the liquid flow falling down. Instead of setting how many doors should open for the next drop, the pilot using a constant flow system sets two commands, the total amount of product to be dropped and the Impressive shot of a wanted concentration on the constant flow drop ground. Then, the integrated from an Erickson computer calculates how widely AirCrane. (Inciweb) and how long the doors should remain open.
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With their 11 800 US Gal capacity, 10 Tanker DC-10's tanks and retardant delivery systems are the most powerful constant flow systems in service. (10 Tanker Carrier)
According to experts, the con- planes from Coulson Flying stant flow doors are the most re- Tankers and the external ones liable and effective system found under the Bombardier currently in operation. It is sim- Q400 liner planes in service with ple, efficient and most of all ver- the French Sécurité Civile and the satile: selecting a high coverage Erickson Aircrane heavy helicop- level and a huge quantity of ters. Other aircraft use fixed con- product, it can make heavy and stant flow tanks, as Douglas decisive direct or semi-direct DC-10s from 10 Tanker, McDon- drops; but using a lower cover- nell-Douglas MD-87 from Erick- age level allows to create thin son Air Tankers, Lockheed and long retardant lines that act Electras from Air Spray, Convair like a firebreak. 580s and Avro RJ85s from Conair. Constant flow tanks are now It also fits lighter planes like the widely used with many different Grumman Trackers used by the installations: they can consist in Cal Fire; Air Tractor AT-802Fs and fixed on-board tanks or remov- Fire Bosses also used that kind of able devices, completely or par- mechanism, named Fire Retar- tially integrated in the fuselage or dant Dispersal System. It could just hung outside. Some equip- also be fitted to flying boats and, AT-802F and ment keep the original abilities of provided this project gets real, FireBoss delivery the aircraft, making them multi- constant flow tanks should equip systems are also purpose, as the removable inside the firefighting version of Japan- constant flow. tanks of the Lockheed Hercules made ShinMaywa US-2. (F. Marsaly) (both C-130 and L-100) cargo (To be continued)
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TRAGEDY AND CHANGE KIT ROBINSON
ern Turbo Tracker. Chico also had some surprises with Conair’s CV- 580’s tankers #444, #445, and #455 in the process of being converted into Tankers. In September of 2000, the “Storey Fire” in Northern California had me back at Chico and Chester, California photographing in sometimes very smoky condi- tions which grounded tankers at times. Chico had SP-2H #18, P-3’s #22 and #26, DC-6 #68 and DC-7 #62, while Chester had DC-4’s #160 and #161. Two days were TBM C-130 #63 Piloted by Arch Mckinley. Seneca fire July 2000 spent at each tanker base photo- graphing mostly landing and take-offs when the conditions al- ragedy and Change would ous a job these brave aviators lowed. clearly be the theme for conduct on a daily bases. In 2001 my local area would T the 2000-2010 decade of During the years 2000 and experience one of its most dan- Air Tanker operations. Over the 2001, I continued my pre-season gerous fires in the “Martis Fire” years most of my experiences visits to McClellan and Chico, Cali- which started on June 17 west of had been of a good nature, from fornia air bases to update informa- Truckee, California near the Mar- the excitement of photographing tion and photograph the continued tis Campground. Drought condi- Tankers on an active fire, or the upgrading of the CDF fleet from tions and strong winds pushed busy ramp action at an active the classic S-2A to the more mod- the fire rapidly into the Truckee Tanker base, or just talking with Tanker crews and base operators. Neptune Aviation P2V #05 departing There were also sad times as well Reno/Stead Rock Creek Fire with the loss of pilots that I had July 25th 2010. gotten to know over the years. Roger Stark, Bob Buck, Charles Sheridan, and Leonard Martin were all great men who gave their time to show me around their aircraft and share their knowledge with me. With the loss of each one of these great men, and other great men I never got to know, it put things back into perspective on how danger-
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River Canyon, in fact, just as I was Captain Steve Wass and H&P Tanker 130 Cannon fire June arriving on scene the fire had al- 16th 2002. Sadly this would be the last photo I ever took ready crowned over the ridge in of Tanker #130. She crashed less than 24 hours later. heavy timber and jumped over both eastbound and westbound lanes of Interstate 80 directly be- hind me. I had established my- self a good photo area just south of the freeway where I captured tankers trying to stop the fire on the north side of Interstate 80. They failed as the fire raged east. This was the only fire that I have photographed where three dif- ferent tanker bases were in- about photographing tankers, and takeoffs. Upon arriving at volved: S-2’s #83, #87, #88, #89, and it would be a year that would Minden, I was surprised to see #94, #95 operated out of Grass change the industry for ever. On Tanker #130 which was piloted by Valley, California; faster turbine June 15, the “Cannon Fire” broke Steve Wass who I had come to powered tankers #21, #26, #63, out near Little Cannon Creek know over the years. After chat- #64, and #67, operated out of south of Walker, California west of ting for a while I left as I had Minden/Tahoe, Nevada; and the Highway 395. The fire, reportedly to work that night, I told Steve old reliable radial engine tankers started by Marine exercises in the I would return on Monday #18, #151, #160, and #161, oper- area, rapidly spread north and (June 17). ated out of Reno/Stead Airport east. On June 16, I traveled down On Monday, while loading up north of Reno, which was closest to the fire area and pho- with supplies at the local grocery base to the fire. tographed for a few hours before store, I prepared to head out, but Tragically, the year 2002 would returning to the Minden/Tahoe my transmission went out in my change my thoughts and feelings Airport for photos of ramp action vehicle ending any hopes of catching action shots on the fire Best catch of 2008, that day. Sadly, that night while at Hawaii Mars Shasta Lake, work, I got the devastating news July 5th 2008. from a co-worker that a C-130 had gone down working the Can- non Fire. My heart sank as I knew it was Steve and his crew. Later that night I watched the video shot by local TV Channel 8 in Reno, of the horrific crash. It was the only time that I have ever watched the video. I was filled with sadness, sorrow, and later anger, and with the loss of PB4Y #123 on the “Big Elk Fire” a month later, I was done photo- graphing tankers.
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dove into the tight canyons and drainages with the smaller air- craft. In 2006 a large fire threatened my very home west of Reno. The “Verdi Fire” started on August 13 from an abandoned camp fire on the north side of the Truckee River. The fire burned rapidly to- wards the northeast in heavy sagebrush and cheat grass fuel, CDF S-2T #88, Verdi Fire, I had only to walk up to the end NV August 13th 2006. of my street and hike over a cou- ple of small hills to be on scene, Following the memorial for that I photographed on since the S-2’s Tankers #88, #89, P-3 #27, Steve Wass, Craig Labare and loss of Tanker #130, I was slowly and S.E.A.T’s #480, #482, #492, Michael Davis, I was approached returning back to the love of pho- worked the fire dropping retar- by a family friend of Steve’s who tographing air tankers. dant at times very close to struc- was doing a memorial T-shirt for From 2005-2006 my focus was tures. No structures were lost in Steve and Tanker #130, at first I again action shots on fires and the 6,700 acre fire. was hesitant, but later would pro- photographing the remaining Sadly disaster would play its vide the photo for the T-shirt, this large radial engine tankers (P2V’s, tragic hand again in 2008, and did make me feel that maybe my DC-7’s) The MudLake Fire, south this time right here at Reno/Stead photographing of Tankers was a of Minden, Nevada in 2005, gave Airport. Large fires were burning worthy calling and could be of me the opportunity to photo- in the region at the end of Au- help to the family somehow. graph S.E.A.T. Tankers on a fire for gust, and I was busy photograph- The losses of Tankers #123 the first time, I was not impressed ing tankers on the “Pickel and #130 would change the in- with the small converted crop Meadows Fire” near the Pickel dustry forever: by 2004 all of the dusters, but I was very impressed Meadows Marine Corps Base old classic Tankers DC-4’s, DC-6, by the skill of the pilots as they (California), as well as other fires and PB4Y’s, as well as most DC-7’s, were now history. On July 5, five P-3’s Tankers returned to service and a week later three of the Tankers, #21, #22, and #26, were working the “Waterfall Fire” Captain Jan Reifenberg and Aero-Union Tanker #21. burning west of Carson City, Ne- Waterfall Fire July 14th vada. The Fire threatened the 2004. I was waiting to take west side of the city and heavy this shot on the side of the hill when the P-3 flew not smoke prevented me from ob- 5 feet above my head. The taining drop shots, so I returned pilots were laughing about to Minden to photograph action it the whole time. They on the ramp with the smoke spotted me because of my bright white shirt and de- plume from the fire behind each cided to give me a scare. of my shots. This was my first fire
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in the Northern Nevada area. On September 1, P2V tanker #09 was departing Reno/Stead late in the evening for a new fire on the El- dorado Forest, shortly before or after liftoff, the left jet engine had a catastrophic failure causing a large fire on the left wing of the aircraft, sadly she would not make it back to the field. I was not at Stead at the time of the ac- cident and was again informed at my work of the accident. It was truly the worst day ever at Reno/Stead and again the shock of loss was again front and cen- Aero-Union DC-4 #14 ter. I did not know Greg Gon- in her new colors. Reno/Stead June 2003. sioroski, Gene Walhstrom or Zachary Vandergriend, but I did attend the memorial service at on July 25 and burned up in high P2V #55, which dropped right over the Reno/Stead Tanker base timber for most of the day and my location on Castantia Road, which unveiled a P2V prop with moving down towards Highway amazingly I did not get hit by re- inscriptions on each blade and a 395 later in the evening. Sadly tardant on any of their drops. memorial fountain that is at the homes were lost in this fire as air- The future was clearly going to base to this day. craft were grounded for some the jets, and a shutdown of Aero- The final two years of the time because of thunderstorm ac- Union would again leave the U.S. decade would take me to McClel- tivity. When the tankers were fly- in a dyer shortage of tankers. lan Field near Sacramento, Cali- ing I did get shots of P-3 #23 and “Enter the Canadians”. fornia, not only for the S-2 trackers but also to photograph the new VLAT Tanker Base at the north end of the field. On August 31, I was fortunate enough to get a tour and photograph 10 Tanker Air Carriers DC-10’s, Tankers #910, #911, and Evergreen’s 747 #979. Truly impressive aircraft but they will never replace the nostalgia of the old radial engine tankers in this photographer’s mind. Closing out the decade in 2010 I captured photos on only one large fire, the “Castantia Fire” S.E.A.T. N90802 burning south of Doyle, California. #444 Andrews Fire August 25th 2004. The fire was started by lightning
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CAL FIRE S-2T AND BRONCO IN ACTION BY STEVE WHITBY
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