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A great example of the utility of helicopters is their use in firefighting support. There is more to it than meets the eye though.
[Warning: This is a longer episode, approx 85mins, so you might want to download the file and play locally]
Using underslung buckets or bellytanks helicopters are able to provide water right where it is needed to aid in the fire management of bush and wilderness fires. The ability to use natural water sources close to the area of operations, even if that is a small waterhole or a backyard pool, results in quick turnarounds.
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Helicopters are able to move equipment and people around the fire area quickly and to areas with no other infrastructure. Its this ability to work so closely with ground firefighters that makes them so effective.
[Tweet “Firefighter first, pilot 2nd. The flying has to be second nature. Head is outside 90% of the time.”]
A big part of managing a large fire is the removal of combustible fuel in the path of the fire or around areas that need to be protected such as buildings. Ground techniques such as fire breaks and back burning can be complemented by helicopter carried heli-torches and other incendiaries.
On the flying side it requires a bunch of skill and experience. To deliver as much water as possible the aircraft are operating at high all up weights, often in mountainous terrain, poor visibility and hot conditions. Significant co-ordination is needed between other aircraft, ground personnel and the ability to maintain situational awareness of how things are developing. Being able to talk and listen on several radios at once is a bonus.
In this episode veteran helicopter firefighter Gordy Cox takes us inside the world of aerial firefighting to get an understanding of what is involved.
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In this week’s episode:
01:50 Gordy Cox, Director of Operations Redding Air Service
02:11 Based in Salt Lake City, Utah
02:50 Parents in the RAF, Born in Ghana
03:30 1982 RAF in backseat of Nimrods chasing Russian submarines
04:10 Helicopter Adventures for helicopter training and then CFI
05:15 First forestry work dropping hay bales in Robinson R22
06:10 Bunch of hours in Hawaii
07:05 Chief Pilot at Redding Air Services
07:45 Flying in bare feet Hawaii – control touch
09:15 History of helicopter use on fires
10:30 Smoke jumpers
13:30 Standard exclusive use contract daily routine – ‘fire station standby’
17:20 Smoke report actions on and initial attack
20:01 Tools of the trade
22:24 Finding a water source, portable tanks and ‘pumpkins’
25:00 Handling a spot fire
28:20 Campaign fires and helibases
30:30 AirAttack and HelCo, locating dip sites, gates, burnouts
35:50 Helibase accommodation arrangements
38:02 Operations and aviation briefings at the start of the day
39:55 Wrapping building with silver foil, resupply and flying in sprinklers
41:10 Aerial fire starting – plastic sphere device (PSD) and heli-torch
46:10 Fire bucket characteristics and operation, typical bucket weight/machine combos
50:34 Drop methods for different fuel types
52:10 Belly Tanks
54:10 Retardants, gels and foams
59:30 Flying conditions near fires
1:04:30 Getting a start with flying on fires
1:07:45 Aerial highrise fire fighting
1:08:55 Night vision devices and fire fighting at night
1:10:07 Drone use on fires and future applications
1:14:11 Traveling gnomes Timothy and Tabitha in Gordy’s photos
1:18:00 Chris Hadfield’s approach to life
1:19:03 ‘Gordy’ on PPRuNe, Redding Air Service, happy to answer any questions
1:23:06 Sponsors trainmorepilots.com – marketing tip, using the tool snip.ly
Links from this week’s episode:
Gordy is Director of Operations at Redding Air Service
The King Fire in 2014 was one mentioned in the interview.
Chicken Wings Comics Forum
Twitter account for the Gnomes
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Gordy’s two gnomes Timothy and Tabitha on an adventure to the Pacific for a satellite launch
We got to fly the other day… @Sea_Launch @Eutelsat_SA pic.twitter.com/Nm0fnFRbUk
— Timothy & Tabitha (@Timothy_Tabitha) May 24, 2014
Video footage of the Twin Falls Helitack crews 2013 fire season. Credits: David Frey
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Heli-torch operations for backburning – like napalm!
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[Tweet “Its almost impossible to put a fire out, what we do is manage it.”]
[Tweet “You get to know everyone on the crew. It really is like a family. Work hard, play hard.”]
Have a question for Gordy or tips on firefighting with helicopters? Was this episode too long, should it have been two parts? Let us know in the comments.