Group #1 - Copter 18 sequence
Copter 18 on the Hydrant
Waiting for the tank to fill
Loaded and departing
Departure Continued
En-Route
The Drop
The Return
Downwind
Base leg
Turning Final
Final Approach
Short Final
Perform steps one through twelve, then repeat. Total turn around time was approximately five minutes, no more than six.
MEANWHILE:
Fixed wing operations were being conducted at the same time.
An S2T Tracker from Cal-Fire prepares to drop
Laying "Pink Line" between the flames and the houses
Another S2 makes a drop
Above it all:
"Air Attack", an OV-10 from Cal-Fire circles a couple thousand
feet higher than everyone else and makes sure no one runs into
each other.Actually, Air Attack coordinates the entire air game,
working with the Incident Commander to ensure the drops are
made where they will do the most good. These guys are pros.
I was lucky and was in a place where I could shoot these aircraft at work. As these were taken early in the season, they may be a busy group of people this year. If so, you will have to suffer through a lot of airplane pictures this summer!
Thanks for reading,
Schmoe
Dear Captain Schmoe,
ReplyDeleteIncredible! So air traffic control and fire control at once from the "Air Attack." Do they have to communicate with any local ATC at airports?
That truly is a lot of work by all involved. The helicopter going up for six minutes plus loading--how long does the loading usually take?
Also, what is in the 'pink line'? And what makes the pink line pink? I assume it is a second compound . . .
Very cool, Thank You!
I love this country--who knew all the great things we are able to do?
You guys are shaking, rattling, rock and roll,
I mean wow!
Ann T.
Great photo of the S2 dropping the "pink line"!
ReplyDeleteSimilar question as Ann T.'s above: do Air Attack actually control the airspace around and above the fire, or do they "simply" coordinate the ballet of fire-fighting aircraft within someone else's airspace?
I'm glad you enjoyed the photos, I was happy I ended up where I could get them without being in the way.
ReplyDeleteIn response to your questions, Air Attack will initially advise the local ATC controller that they will be working at a certain spot. If it is a remote area not near any airports or other controlled airspace, this might not happen.
Once it is determined that air ops will be ongoing for an extended period of time, Air Attack will request a Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) from the FAA. This will close the airspace over the incident.
A typical TFR will be something like "airspace within a 5 mile radius of N 36 deg 41 min 26 sec and W 118 deg 23 min 10 sec from the surface to 3000 ft AGL is restricted to all aircraft except to firefighting and emergency aircraft assigned to the incident. TFR in effect until further notice."
That pretty much keeps everyone away. That's why the news helicopters have those amazing cameras, they can stay well out of any TFR and still get great shots.
Most pilots in fire prone areas know that aircraft will likely be working larger fires and generally stay away.
Pink line is the nickname that has been given a retardant line. There is hose line where a hose is stretched along the flank of the fire, extinguishing it as it is laid; Hand line, which is the removal of fuel between the fire and unburned fuel; Dozer line, where bulldozers are used to remove fuel and pink line which is dropped from aircraft (usually fixed wing)
A fire is considered contained when there is line all the way around it. Pink line is usually not considered secure enough to be part of the containment line.
Fire retardant is generally used to suppress the fire enough so that hand lines or hose lines can be placed to control the fire. Often (as in this case) a pink line will dropped to help protect homes from flames that are burning against the wind or backing down a hill.
Retardant is a slurry mix of phosphates and fertilizer type materials that hold moisture really well. It is dyed pink/orange so that it can been easily seen from the air. It is around 85% water and 15% retardant.
As far as turn-around time, that includes filling the tank. I checked the time stamp from the first pic until the last, it was well under six minutes. It's nice to have an LZ and a water source so close to the fire.
I hope this answers your questions and didn't put you to sleep.
Thanks for commenting.
Great shots Captain!
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to " suffering " through more airplane stuff, along with your regular stuff.
Dear Captain Schmoe,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tutorial! I do appreciate it!
No snoring here,
Ann T.
Hey Cap, you do seem to have a passion for the flying part, are you a pilot?
ReplyDeleteYeah, I used to fly. Back in the early 90s I got my private pilot license and amassed a whopping 200 hours. I started having kids and running a business and the time/money paradox became an issue. When I had the time, that meant I wasn't working and had no extra money. When I had money, it meant that I was working a lot and had no time.
ReplyDeleteFlying is one of those things you have to keep up on.
Thanks for the comments.
Capt Schmoe:
ReplyDeleteCool schmotographs. Here in metro KC, we get the occasional brush fire, but brush buggies, tankers and pumpers are usually sufficient to put it out. We don't get the air show.
I'll be looking forward to more!
Be safe out there--noted that all of Arizona and much of non-coastal southern California is under a fire watch or a high wind warning or both today...
The Observer
OK. That chopper is hott. Its pretty if you know what I mean. Must be the paint scheme.
ReplyDeleteI used to love our Sheriff Dept's Dolphine. It was soooo cool when it landed. They have that special whine that is unmistakable. I believe the coast guard use them as well. I loved being on calls where I got to load patients on it. And it could take up to 4 of them!!
Thanks for the pics Capt!! And no, not boring at all!!