AERIALFIRE THE
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SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2021
AERIAL FIREFIGHTING EUROPE 2021 SHOW ISSUE
CAL FIRE CHANGING THE GAME WITH THE S-70i
DART AEROSPACE INNOVATING FOR A SAFER TOMORROW
HOW TO MITIGATE AMERICA’S WILDFIRE THREAT
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IN THIS ISSUE:
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P.O. Box 850 • Perry, GA 31069 USA 475 Myrtle Field Rd. • Perry, GA 31069 USA PHONE: 478-987-2250 FAX: 478-352-0025 info@marsaylmedia.com • aerialfiremag.com AerialFire is published by
COVER STORY:
PUBLISHER: Graham Lavender - graham@marsaylmedia.com
CAL FIRE CHANGING THE GAME WITH THE S-70I
EDITOR: Ryan Mason - ryan@marsaylmedia.com ACCOUNTING/ADMINISTRATION: Casey Armstrong - casey@marsaylmedia.com DISPLAY ADVERTISING: Ernie Eggler - ernie@marsaylmedia.com Melanie Woodley - melanie@marsaylmedia.com PRODUCTION: Deborah Freeman - deborah@marsaylmedia.com CIRCULATION: Mary Jane Virden - maryjane@marsaylmedia.com
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DART AEROSPACE INNOVATING FOR A SAFER TOMORROW
34 44
MITIGATING AMERICA’S WILDFIRE THREAT
AUSSIE AIR TANKER JOINS THE U.S FIREFIGHTING EFFORT
IN EVERY ISSUE THE DROP - EDITORIAL
6
AERIALFIRE PICS
8
AERIALFIRE NEWS
On The Cover: One of CAL FIRE’s S-70i FireHawks conducts a training drop at Folsom Lake. Photo by Ryan Mason
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aerialfiremag.com | AF 5 www.taeaerospace.com
THE DROP
Ryan Mason ryan@aerialfiremag.com
Slow Down and Pay Attention If you are like me, rushing is a part of everyday life. A side effect of that is forgetting things because you rush around trying to get things done within a specific timeframe. Every morning, I get two kids ready for school from the time they wakeup to out the door within an hour. Juggling two kids, a puppy getting under your feet, school lunches and snack preparation in that hour, it’s chaotic. This morning’s edition of organized chaos saw me executing things with military precision to the point that for the first time this week, both kids were ready ahead of time, which left me wondering what I had forgotten because life rarely goes that smooth. Getting in the car for the school run I realized that I had forgotten a vital lifeline, my all-important phone. Cue sending my son inside at a full sprint because now - we were officially running late. Welcome to the first week back at school after summer folks, situation; normal. Now put that same scenario into aviation. My flight instructor was relentless about checklists. To the point, the aircraft I trained in had laminated checklists and an attached whiteboard marker with checkmark boxes so that you could physically check off items as verified on preflight and startup checklists. In addition to this, nothing was checked off the list until it was verbalized; you physically touched the item on the list and verified its correct status. Verbalizing again with a confirmation of the condition.
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At the time, I thought it was a little over the top and that my 10,000+ hour instructor was just a little eccentric. However, looking back today, I know what he was doing. He instilled in me a systematic approach to starting the aircraft, taking the time to check and verify everything was as it should be, preventing me from making potentially fatal mistakes later on down the line. Much like my firearms instructor at the academy yelling at me to count my rounds, these are all excellent teaching methods to instill a best practice approach to doing things without thinking about them because they have become a habit. Again, looking back to my example above from this morning, I have flown with literally hundreds of pilots over the last decade as an aviation journalist, and one thing sticks out time and time again. It’s the lack of people using a physical checklist and confirming every step they take. It doesn’t happen every time, but the example of people doing things with a checklist versus not, with the exception of the military branches I have worked with, is a massive slant towards those who don’t and rely on muscle memory. I get it. If you fly the same aircraft day in and day out, your muscle memory is set to that aircraft, and you know the preflight and startup sequence like the back of your hand. And then there is the school of thought known as “the flow”, where you methodically do each and every item the same way every time. This works, yes, when everything else is working perfectly.
Let me now throw a hypothetical curveball at you. Your agency or company just purchased an AS-350B3e (now called the H125), the newest “A-star” on the market from Airbus, for you to sling buckets. But you have been flying the AS-350B3 before this for several years. It’s essentially the same aircraft, right? Well, technically, yes. With one big difference, the H125 has dual hydraulics, and the B3 does not. Now the difference between the H125 and the AS-350B3e is that the early models of the B3e. At the same time, both have dual hydraulics; Airbus neglected to add a secondary hydraulic caution light on the caution warning panel in the early B3e initially, which is the one your company just bought (this problem has since been rectified by Airbus in the H125 and offered as a free fix for older B3e’s). However, it hasn’t been back to Airbus to have the additional indicator light put in. Now there is a large fire burning just a few miles from your base, and there is an immediate risk to a nearby town. You hustle as fast as you can, getting on your flight suit, helmet, gloves, and maps to tell you where you are going. You switch on power and plug in your helmet to comms to get an early understanding of the fire you are about to fight. You rush through your startup from memory and pull pitch rising to 100, 200 feet and go to apply pedal input…..nothing, where are the hydraulics? Now you are out of control, and you pulled too much pitch on takeoff in your rush, so now you’re spinning out of control. We all know how this hypothetical story ends. If you don’t, look up the crash of the Colorado Flight for Life AS-350 in Frisco, Colorado. The moral of my story is this. Be methodical and deliberate, slow down and make sure you get it right and don’t miss a small step that could mean the difference between fighting a fire or your family getting a knock at the door no one ever wants. Fly safe,
aerialfiremag.com | AF 7
An Erickson Aero Tanker MD-87 lays a line of retardant in California. Photo by Marty Wolin.
A USFS Beechcraft B-200 arrives back at Rocky Mountain Metro Airport in Colorado. Photo by Steve Nelson. AF 8 | aerialfiremag.com
AERIAL FIRE PICS Scooper 18 departs Lake Piana degli Albanesi, in Palermo, Italy. Photo Eliana Pensato.
aerialfiremag.com | AF 9
A Columbia Helicopters CH-47 drops into a dip site while fighting the Dixie fire in California. Photo by Michael Piper.
Head on with Tanker 73, a CalFire S-2, during the Apple fire. Photo by Mike Murawski.
AERIAL FIRE PICS
A Black Hawk dips a Bambi Bucket fighting the Telegraph Fire in Arizona. Photo by Luke Vold.
A Helicopter Transport Services S-64 Skycrane pulls into a dip site in California. Photo by Cole Euken. aerialfiremag.com | AF 11
CAL FIRE CHANGING THE GAME WITH THE S-70i
When the average person thinks about aerial firefighting, images that come to mind are often of helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft dropping water and retardant lines around or directly on fires. Synonymous with those mental images is the familiar sight of some of the most commonly referenced aircraft, the red and white striped aircraft fleet of CAL FIRE, what is recognized as the world’s largest aerial firefighting fleet. Before their rebranding as CAL FIRE, the state’s aviation fleet was not always as extensive. The California Department of Forestry, the name of the agency before being CAL FIRE, has slowly built up its firefighting fleet deployed around the state of California over the years. The state of California is arguably one of the world’s most wildfire-prone areas, with over thirty-three million acres of state and federal forests throughout the state that spans over 163,000 square miles. ➤
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CAL FIRE’s fleet of aircraft consisting of Fire Hawks, S-2s, OV-10s, Hueys and C-130s is the largest fleet of firefighting aircraft in the world.
Story and Photos by Ryan Mason
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Fixed Wing The CAL FIRE fixed-wing fleet consists of 23 S-2 tankers capable of 1200 gallon water and retardant drops, 16 OV10 Bronco air attack aircraft, and soon seven Lockheed HC-130H aircraft that will be fitted with Coulson Aviation RADS tanks. These new CAL FIRE aircraft were secured through the National Defense Authorization Act. The aircraft were recently procured from the Coast Guard after the U.S. Forest Service, who initially acquired the aircraft from the Coast Guard, decided to eliminate their program in 2018. Each has now been painted in their CAL FIRE liveries and delivered to the agency’s base at McClellan Air Attack base, where they await their tank fit-out and depot level maintenance is completed. Training on the HC-130H has already begun on select aircraft in the fleet to reduce training time once the fleet becomes fully operational in the near future. ➤
Left: Two of CAL FIRE’s fleet of OV-10 Broncos sit awaiting a mission at McClellan Air Attack Base. Left Inset: The agency is in the process of bringing their C-130 VLAT fleet online with the installation of Coulson Aviation designed RADS tanks. Right: Two S-2 Tankers spool up at Redding Air Attack Base before heading out to fight the early stages of the Dixie Fire.
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The addition of the seven RADS tank-equipped HC-130H aircraft will see CAL FIRE move into providing VLAT service with the tanks capable of dropping 4000 gallons of either retardant or water on fires in the future.
Helicopters CAL FIRE’s rotary fleet is also under a major overhaul as the agency’s 12 UH-1H Super Huey ++ aircraft that have served the agency for decades begin the process of being phased out, replaced by the versatile Sikorsky S-70i FireHawk, which the agency started receiving after their completion by United Rotorcraft in 2019. CAL FIRE’s Huey fleet has served admirably for a long time, until the helicopter’s capability and volume were called into question after releasing a 274-page report from the Blue Ribbon Commission after the devastation of the 2003 fires that ripped through California. The report noted several deficiencies in how the state mitigated fire risk and dealt with fires once they began, from preparation and preAF 16 | aerialfiremag.com
fire mitigation to the current capabilities of the then California Department of Forestry aerial firefighting fleet. Recommendations were made for the agency to source more capable aircraft that would increase the ability of the state to fight fires, like those in 2003, more effectively. As with many significant aircraft acquisitions, the process of obtaining a new and effective solution for CAL FIRE’s aging fleet of Huey’s was a long one. Suffering several setbacks, the process included the scrapping of the initial bid process in 2015 and a contract challenge after the contract was awarded to United Rotorcraft in 2017 by losing bidder Philadelphia-based Leonardo Helicopters, who had submitted a bid based on the AW189 platform. The contract awarded to United Rotorcraft was for the supply and outfit of 12 new Sikorsky S-70i Firehawks over five years to CAL FIRE at the cost of $240 million. Although the process of acquiring the aircraft is over five years, United Rotorcraft appears to be well ahead of
delivery estimates, with the 7th aircraft of 12 delivered shortly after AerialFire visited CAL FIRE’s base at McClellan AAB in June.
tanks system. The 1000 gallon tank offers a 66% increase in water capacity compared to the previous 360 gallon capacity of the agency’s Huey fleet.
Fit-Out
According to CAL FIRE’s Helicopter Program Manager and Chief Helicopter Pilot, Ben Berman, the initial results of switching to the S-70i have been all positive. One of the most significant and immediate benefits gained as they transition from the Huey fleet is the new aircraft having more than double the max gross weight capability. Due to weight and balance issues, the agency’s Huey fleet often had limitations on what they could and could not do. Those issues have since become obsolete thanks to the increase ➤
As part of the contract awarded to United Rotorcraft, the Colorado-based company received the Sikorsky S-70i, the internationally marketed version of the Military UH-60M Black hawk in “green” condition. As each aircraft arrived, build-out began for the entire aircraft, which included a custom multi-mission interior, NVG capable cockpit, the addition of a Kawak 1000- gallon tank and high landing gear modification necessary to accommodate the new
Training pilots to fly the much larger S-70i has not come without challenges for CAL FIRE, who have had to train dozens of pilots, some with no experience in an aircraft as big as the Fire Hawk.
Left: At McClellan, training continues on a daily basis as pilots transition from the UH-1H planform to the more agile S-70i. Right Above: CAL FIRE’s McClellan base maintains two S-70i aircraft for training purposes. Right Below: CAL FIRE’s new fleet of S-70i aircraft were well thought out from the start and were fitted with every option needed by air crews by Colorado based United Rotorcraft who secured the contract to supply and outfit the CAL FIRE fleet.
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from 10,200lbs in the Huey to 23,500lbs (external) in max gross weight. “With the S-70i, we have triple hydraulic system redundancy and dual-engine capability in addition to a full glass cockpit. So, the aircraft has many redundant features that the Huey did not. We are fortunate to have the S-70i, which was born from the same sort of situation that we had with the Blue Ribbon Commission. The UH-60 has a long history of being a tried and true aircraft, which was also developed through a similar kind of Blue Ribbon Commission Army study after Vietnam,” said Berman.
Training Training pilots to fly the much larger S-70i has not come without challenges for CAL FIRE, who
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have had to train dozens of pilots, some with no experience in an aircraft as big as the Fire Hawk. In addition to the steep learning curve, the logistics of training so many pilots from initial flight training to full deployment as certified pilots has presented unique challenges for the training team. Once complete with training, pilots are released, capable of flying single pilot operations flying firefighting or rescue operations. To achieve this monumental task, Berman and his team of four training pilots based at McClellan have undertaken the task of writing a training syllabus for the new aircraft and executing all of the agency’s primary flight training. Initially, this training was conducted through United Rotorcraft and Sikorsky as part of the contract award until Berman, who has been
with the agency a year, was recruited after a long and successful career in the United States Coast Guard. Berman has thousands of flight hours flying the MH-60 variant of the Black Hawk, the MH-65, and the C-130 for the Coast Guard. Left: Pilots transitioning from the UH-1H will spend three weeks in initial training that involves classroom instruction, simulator training and operational training in the Fire Hawk. Right: Crews train not only to fly the aircraft, but to work as a team when conducting fire or rescue missions.
Berman and his team now conduct a threeweek initial training on the aircraft that involves intensive classroom training, simulator training, and initial flight training out of the CAL FIRE Aviation Training Center located at the CAL FIRE base at McClellan. To facilitate an influx of trainee pilots and while looking forward to furthering training objectives CAL FIRE leased additional training space, taking over the lease of the McClellan Convention center that will now function as the training headquarters for all CAL FIRE flight training. The total move-in will be completed in the coming months. CAL FIRE has already begun using the space after the installation of a full-function AATD S-70i Simulator along with a fully functional training space for initial classroom instruction.
Roll Out With seven of the twelve aircraft already delivered, the agency has begun to deploy their aircraft into the field with aircraft already stationed at CAL FIRE bases at Vina, Hemet/ Ryan, Boggs Mountain, Columbia, and two aircraft that function as primary training aircraft based at McClellan. Each aircraft that is now crewed at each location can be deployed with a crew of three rescue and fire-certified crew members, consisting of one pilot, a front seat captain and a rear seated operations supervisor. The final bases will receive their allotted aircraft as each of the remaining five aircraft are delivered to fulfill the contract.
The Future Even though seven aircraft are now operational in the field, Berman stresses that their work regarding training is not done by far as it pertains to the S-70i rollout. Crews will be required to attend the new CAL FIRE Aviation Training Center for ongoing training at the end of the fire season that covers all aspects of CAL FIRE operations, from rescue work to firefighting. ➤ aerialfiremag.com | AF 19
In addition, Berman and his team are developing a night vision goggle training syllabus to enable the new S-70i to operate with firefighting and rescue capabilities at night. The agency chose white phosphor NVG units from Aviation Specialties Unlimited in addition to an NVGcapable lighting system that was included as part of the fit-out of the new S-70i. CAL FIRE aims to roll out training as soon as it is feasible, making each Fire Hawk base a truly 24-hour single-pilot rescue and firefighting operation at each agency’s bases spread out around the state. “We’re in the middle of creating the curriculum for NVG use. It’s a crawl, walk, run type of approach, though. The Hawks are so new for everybody here. We have to get the training right and let the pilots get their confidence in the Hawk first. At this stage, we require each base to
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have one year of Hawk experience under their belt before we even introduce an NVG program. So we’re looking at probably late this fall before we roll out the first NVG program.” In addition to Berman and his cadre of instructor pilots at the CAL FIRE Aviation Training Center, some additional instructors train the Tactical Air Operations group members. “That unit is a very specialized unit where they are the aviation experts that aren’t necessarily pilots; they focus on the tactical aspects of our operation, they are the air attack and air tactical group supervisors, they’re the ones that are prior fire captains and prior helitack personnel or air rescue crew members. It’s a considerable team effort, and this aircraft requires a lot of CRM. And because of that, there is no room for that line of demarcation between the pilot and the crew, it’s
a very tight-knit group when we go up, and we fly. So, we train them to all be part of the whole flight operation,” said Berman.
training for maintainers, which the company is currently undertaking with additional support from United Rotorcraft.
Maintenance
When looking at the cockpit of the S-70i and everything that has been added as standard to each aircraft, it is evident that a great deal of thought went into designing the perfect multi-mission aircraft interior that would serve the agency’s needs for many years to come. From the custom-designed rear cabin that can quickly be reconfigured between aerial firefighting, rescue, or troop transport to the NVG capable cockpit, the CAL FIRE S-70i is a gamechanger for the agency and a massive step up from the UH-1H workhorse.
The cadre of thirty pilots is backed up at CAL FIRE with double that number in other aircrew members that function in various roles of front seat captains, rescue crew members, crew chiefs and ops supervisors. However, a skilled crew is only as good as its aircraft. To service the new aircraft, maintainers from DynCorp were also trained on the new airframe, requiring significantly different maintenance procedures. DynCorp is responsible for providing pilots for CAL FIRE’s fixed-wing fleet in addition to providing all maintenance services for both the fixed and rotary sides of the CAL FIRE aviation program, which on the rotary side required significant investment for additional
Design for Deployment
From Berman’s perspective, the reason that the aircraft is so well designed is not only due to input from their team ➤
Center: CAL FIRE S-70i helicopters are fitted with a snorkel system that attaches to a 1000 gallon capacity Kawak tank system used for aerial firefighting. aerialfiremag.com | AF 21
Below: Pilots are trained to dip from a variety of water sources during training that include open water such as seen in this image taken at Fulsom Lake, California.
when the helicopter was being planned, but from input from key stakeholders, from the radio manufacturers to the avionics companies, but especially from United Rotorcraft that completed the aircraft. While Berman stated that initially, there were some slowdowns as the company got used to their new normal and ramped up production of the S-70i to accommodate, the company has gone above and beyond at every turn to make deliveries and adjustments seamless as well as being available for anything the agency needs that may not have been thought of when planning the scope of the initial contract. “This aircraft is a heavily laden avionics aircraft, so there are some teething problems that go with it, but the avionics are top-notch in the aircraft. Because that’s always been a single point of failure in other areas with the military version, we have some very talented electricians and avionics techs on deck that know their stuff,” said Berman.
In addition to the avionics suite, dual-band UHF, and VHF radios, each helicopter is equipped with wireless ICS enabling crew members to depart the aircraft while maintaining communications. Also included in the S-70i is an iPad that functions include fire mapping and charts as needed. QR code reading is also an essential part of iPad usage in the helicopters, with daily fire maps and destinations for each unit dispatched by the information contained in the QR code. As with any major aircraft acquisition, there are training, operational, and sustainment challenges, however the Cal Fire team, United Rotorcraft, and stakeholders have done an excellent job thus far. They are well on track to provide a massive functionality increase for the helicopter program and the people of California in the future.
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Photos provided by DART Aerospace.
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DART AEROSPACE
Innovating for a Safer Tomorrow
The Bell Medium helicopter range has been a very popular user of DART Aerospace tanks for aerial firefighting for decades. aerialfiremag.com | AF 25
In the aerospace world, industry juggernaut companies often start with humble beginnings; DART and Simplex Aerospace are two of those companies. With parallel origins, DART Aerospace began operations in Canada in 1975 as a design certification house. Portland based Simplex was founded in 1946 to address the need for a specific pump that did not exist in the industry. The companies were able to fill a need that became a gamechanger in the aviation world—beginning the story of what is now one of the largest manufacturers of add-on equipment for the rotorcraft world. Simplex’s original pump, initially designed as a lightweight pump for the shipping industry, now is a testament to the DART company mission and sits in their boardroom. Serving as a reminder of the company’s humble beginnings and their mantra of using invention to fuel innovation that pushes the envelope in aviation to address needs in the aviation industry.
Early Days The 1960s saw the founder of Simplex asked by a friend to retrofit the initial pump design into something that would work for the agricultural aviation market, fitting it to a helicopter. This system became the first viable helicopter spray system for the agricultural industry used for chemical spray application. This move would propel what would become DART Aerospace into the rotary market as they continued to innovate and improve on the initial design of their helicopter spray system, setting the bar from which all others would be benchmarked. The company’s initial development of an agricultural spray system was quickly noticed, soon providing a dual purpose in the aerial firefighting market as a drop system. The team soon realized that by removing the booms off an agricultural spray system and adding two doors that would allow for rapid dropping of water, the company then created one of the first helicopter aerial fire attack tanks.
the company now holds a significant foothold as a key player. The company initially focused on design approval work, later moving into the manufacturing world in the early 1990s. Gaining STC’s for high skid landing gear, the company moved into the manufacture of specialty equipment and began providing aircraft servicing in the late 1990s.
Over the next several years, the company then moved on to producing equipment for the utility market, where
The following 20 years would see the company continue to expand operations through multiple business
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A Columbia Helicopters CH-47 departs a dip site during firefighting operations on the Dixie Fire in Northern California. Photo by Zack Smith.
acquisitions and continued growth in Canada, the United States and worldwide. These efforts culminated in a rebranding effort in 2013 that would see the company acquire its key suppliers and move away from a distribution model to being more vertically integrated. The changes signaled the beginning of an allencompassing brand known today throughout the world as a powerhouse designer and equipment manufacturer of over 5,000 different products and STC’s numbering 1,100 and growing.
Aerial Firefighting In addition to creating a firefighting bucket system, the company’s aerial firefighting equipment catalog has continued to expand over the years. The first tank systems were fitted to smaller aircraft such as the Bell 47 and Hiller models. However, development, design and the industry’s appetite for firefighting products from DART never dissipated, so the company continued to develop tank systems for dozens of other helicopter models that included Bell 206’s and the Airbus AS350 line, moving later to ➤ aerialfiremag.com | AF 27
Bell mediums with tanks for the 212 and 412, UH-1/Bell 205 among many others. The company now provides tanks for all models from all major western OEMs in addition to Russian, Chinese, and Korean airframes.
New Technology Below: DART Aerospace is in the final stages of approval for their SkyCannon product to be fitted to the UH-60 helicopter. The system is already certified for use on the Chinese AC313 and Airbus EC-225.
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The need for constant development in the industry continues to fuel new and innovative requirements and products. DART Aerospace is one of few in the world that now offer a firefighting system explicitly designed for helicopters to use in fighting highrise fires. The new SkyCannon system was designed for high-density housing and business complexes as standard in many Asian cities limited by geographic landmass. Cites like Hong Kong, Singapore, and many others now build upwards, creating firefighting challenges for many other cities mimicking Singapore and Hong Kong, where millions live in apartment buildings that sometimes rise to over one hundred stories, making traditional firefighting problematic.
DART’s Sky Cannon, unlike traditional gravityfed drop systems, utilizes an onboard pump to deliver a high volume, low pressure flow to the cannon that allows for water to penetrate structures like traditional firefighting equipment can, but delivered by helicopter. The system is also capable of being filled from any water source using a traditional snorkel system. The sky cannon system is already certified on the Chinese AC313 and Airbus EC225 helicopter. The Sky Cannon system is now in final testing and certification for an STC that will see it used on the Sikorsky Blackhawk or Firehawk helicopter. As DART Aerospace continued to grow in the 2000s, acquisitions, product support and development in aerial firefighting for helicopter operations became vital for the company’s continued growth. “At a certain point, we started being a little bit more deliberate about the stuff we designed. Our shop in Hawkesbury, Ontario, was
designing and manufacturing landing gear cargo baskets and field maintenance aids. Our high skid landing gear we created had some added toughness, gaining popularity as it was a bit more suited to the rough and tumble utility life of not always landing on a prepared surface. Hence, a lot of our customers ended up trending towards that for the utility market. The utility market always has a strong influence on the firefighting side of the house, so we always had these products that were kind of tangentially firefighting products like a basket that you would use to put your firefighting tools or your bucket in, along with our bearpaws that you would use so you could land in the field when you’re fighting fires,” said Wesley Reid, Lead Product Manager. In the mid 2010s, the move to vertically integrate led to the pursuit of product leadership. The integrating of the products and practices of successful helicopter flotation, cargo hook and tooling manufacturers gave a more complete picture of the industry’s expectations.
“Our firefighting tank on the Bell medium line is a very, very popular product. Roughly 50% of the time, when Simplex would sell their Bell medium tank, DART would sell the customer an extended high landing gear for the same aircraft. So when we compare our Rolodexes, there was a lot of overlap, a lot of the same names, so the relationship made perfect sense”.
DART Aerospace continued to refine and streamline its manufacturing centers, acquiring one of the key players in the aerial firefighting and spraying equipment ➤
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market in 2019, purchasing Simplex Aerospace and buying their most significant competitor in helicopter cargo baskets in Western Canada.
Above: DART Aerospace internal and external tanks are made for dozens of helicopter models and used
The Simplex brand and catalog have now become part of the DART family and will continue to manufacture tanks, now under the DART name. With this acquisition, in addition to their already robust product catalog, DART is becoming one of the largest equipment suppliers in the helicopter market in aerial firefighting.
worldwide.
DART has undergone a handful of ownership changes in its decades of operation, including being owned by Calgary-based Eagle Copters, makers of the well-known Bell 407HP and 212 Eagle Single, both used extensively in aerial firefighting. The company is now held by a private equity firm well-geared in aerospace, one that is focused on seeing DART grow into the industry powerhouse it is today.
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Looking to the Future As with any large aviation company, DART is never content to stay with the status quo. “We’re developing new products, and we continue to push to gain more market share of the products we have, but there’s also growth by acquisition side of that strategy. So, we had been in talks before DART changed ownership with Simplex. We’ve always had a friendly relationship with Simplex, so once there was that change in our ownership, the climate was right for us to bring it to the next level and make the acquisition and start integrating our operations and taking advantage of the synergies of our products,” said Reid. “Our firefighting tank on the Bell medium line is a very, very popular product. Roughly 50% of the time, when Simplex would sell their Bell medium tank, DART would sell the customer an extended high landing gear for the same aircraft. So when we compare our Rolodexes, ➤
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there was a lot of overlap, a lot of the same names, so the relationship made perfect sense,” he added.
Duplicity Below: DART products are used in many countries outside the United States and Canada, includuding Korea, China, Australia, and Russia.
Combining two companies with similar products means a lot of duplicities; however, as with many of the company’s other acquisitions, DART has needed to combine certain business units to achieve the best product approach. Certain acquisitions like Simplex will maintain its business premises in Portland, Oregon, simply changing to the DART name going forward.
Customer Base The main thing customers will notice is the website is now sending them to the DART site where they can place their orders online for spares. As the Simplex brand transitions,
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customers can still expect the same level of service and great products in the aerial firefighting world as the two companies combine to provide new product lines and the next generation of aerial firefighting equipment.
The Future As more and more companies look for the next thing in aerial firefighting technology, DART is already at the forefront of technology for the industry with products like the SkyCannon and several other products that are still in the design phase that the company is not yet ready to talk about. With a long list of achievements that continues to grow seemingly monthly, the future looks bright for DART and the industry that will benefit from the company’s goals and commitment to expansion and ongoing development.
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MITIGATING
AMERICA’S WILDFIRE THREAT
Cover Image: Coulson Aviation’s 737 Fireliner drops a line of retardant during the Devore Fire near the Cajon Pass in California. Photo by Mary Wolin AF 34 | aerialfiremag.com
Guest Editorial by Dan Reese
A Call for Pragmatism and Data Driven Reforms aerialfiremag.com | AF 35
Having spent much of my adult life in California fighting some of the most catastrophic fires in America’s history, about this time every year, as the wildfire threat kicks into high gear, I face the same question from federal, state, and local officials. “What can be done in the near future, knowing that fires will inevitably ignite, to mitigate the threat?” The devastating 2020 wildfires and the current repeat occurring in 2021 in the U.S and abroad have again elevated this to a top-of-mind subject throughout the fire-plagued western states. My answer to this question ten months or ten years from now will remain unchanged and unequivocal. First, set aside the root causes – global warming and irresponsible land management practices. That’s right, if we’re talking near future, set aside the actual root causes. Because until real progress is made on both issues, they are nothing more than highly politicized distractions that will not be “fixed” in a few years. And the distraction serves to bury real-world, practical, and affordable mitigation solutions for the near term. Of course, policymakers worldwide must remain focused on aggressively seeking solutions to these core causes of the growing wildfire AF 36 | aerialfiremag.com
threat. This is the only long-term hope for mitigating the threat. But, like all wildland firefighters, I leave these important topics to the scientific community and policymakers to solve. I suppose if I had one message for the Biden administration as it is staring down its first wildfire season. In that case, it is to compartmentalize and establish a balanced commitment to both long and short-term wildfire solutions. Climate change and land management reform must be attacked on an equal footing with how we attack massive wildfires today. Today, the wildfire threat has escalated to the extent that new labels such as “Giga-Fire,” categorized as fires that destroy more than 100,000 acres, have been coined to define the new normal. That of massive, fast-burning fires that pose a real and quantifiable threat to America’s economic security. Can the threat of Giga-Fires be outright, fully mitigated through some silver bullet fire suppression solution? Certainly not. It’s too hot, too dry; there’s too much fuel on the ground, and when the winds kick up out west. These massive fires will develop. Can we dramatically reduce the number of massive fires? Absolutely,
Left: Three of the newly painted 10 Tanker Air
yes. And the starting point for doing so is a pragmatic, honest assessment of how America manages today’s wildfires at both the federal and state levels.
Carrier fleet have been based out of McClellan Air Attack Base in California fighting various fires in the area. Photo by James Dunn. Below: A CAL FIRE S-2 fights the El Dorado Fire in San Bernardino National Forest near
That assessment must start with the fact that over 70,000 wildland fires ignite each year and the simple logic that he who owns the land owns responsibility for both wildfire risk mitigation before the fires start and suppression after they start. However, that sound logic runs headlong into several challenges. First, there are many proprietors among the 640 million acres of land owned by the U.S. government. It’s an alphabet soup of acronyms – BLM, DOI, NPS, USFS, etc.
Yucaipa, CA. Photo by Steve Whitby.
Mapping federal land ownership by proprietor creates a complex tapestry of fed-owned lands adjacent to and intersecting with non-federal lands. Yet, wildfires don’t respect borders or property lines; they leap from one hillside
to another based on wind, fuel (dead trees, etc.), and other factors. The fire igniting in the morning on lands controlled by the National Park Service can and will find its way by midday to the Department of Interior, state, or privatelyowned land. Relative to near-term wildfire risk management and responsibility for suppressing fires on federal lands, no one federal entity is in charge. A proper risk assessment must also recognize the reality of state, local, and private land adjacency to federal lands, which brings into play countless non-federal fire suppression players. It is our federalist model of shared federal/state collaboration on full display, and the model is failing dramatically in terms of mitigating the wildfire threat amidst these jurisdictional realities. Without one lead federal agency in charge of taking on these challenges and working hand in hand with the states to re-boot the current model and tear down the ➤
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predominant silo mentality (“not my land, not my problem”), there is little hope for reform. Several solid interagency entities in place, the National Interagency Fire Center and the National Wildfire Coordinating group drive collaboration. But their missions are by no means to drive policy reform; they implement, not create policy. The country is left with a situation in which every landowner is in charge; thus, nobody is in control. When nobody is in charge at the federal level, reform is impossible. Whether a “wildfire czar” is appointed for the near term or the new administration establishes some other empowered, leading entity, the goal of lessening the near-term threat will continue to flounder in the current state. Maintaining the status quo relative to federal and state wildfire suppression strategies assures several specific outcomes – year after year, more economic and natural resource damage, and more loss of life. Among many communities in the western states, there is a misperception that the country does have one lead federal agency responsible for wildfire suppression – the U.S. Forest Service. And that the USFS is essentially the 911 call center when fires break out in our treasured forests. Further, the agency maintains a vast army of forestry aides/technicians (firefighters) ready to deploy on the ground and a massive fleet of aircraft that will quickly swoop in to help contain the fires from above. One need only glance at the USFS’s stated mission to understand how this myth has no basis in reality. USFS exists to “sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the Nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations.” Nowhere is the word “wildfire” found in the USFS mission statement or vision. Yet, over the years, this agency has AF 38 | aerialfiremag.com
been increasingly tasked as the closest thing to being the lead wildfire manager at the federal level. While more than half of USFS’s annual budget is now dedicated to fire suppression, this approximately $1 billion spent on suppression is a paltry sum when considered in the context of the annual economic damage driven by fires. By no means do I suggest this is a federal problem alone. According to U.S. government data, of the approximately 70,000 wildfires that ignite each year in the U.S., about
Left: The Orange County Fire Authority in California flies a Bell 412 to fight fires and conduct rescue operations in Southern California. Photo by Ryan Winner. Below: The Kaman K-Max is a single pilot aircraft used in firefighting operations due to its unique rotor system providing a large lifting capacity for bucket work. Photo by
half start on federal lands and the other half on state, local, and privately-owned lands. Despite this nearly even share of wildfires’ fed/ state geographic ownership, it is impossible to envision a successful state-led reform initiative. This is a national crisis. While the citizens of Pennsylvania aren’t threatened every year by massive Giga-Fires, they certainly are helping foot the bill and reap the consequences of impact to the environment. This point is precisely reinforced by how, in October 2020, Australia was able to deliver a set of sweeping reforms to their national and territorial wildfire risk reduction model. This landmark set of reforms within the “Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements Report” would never have been possible without leadership at the national level.
Michael Piper.
The assessment of the current state of the threat must next consider what we do know and what we don’t know relative to the wildfires. There is no shortage of data to define how dire and costly the wildfire threat is today. We know that the costs – direct, indirect, and long-term
induced costs – lead to a nearly quarter trilliondollar annual, negative impact on America’s GDP. That’s $250,000,000,000. We know the core causes, and we know our children’s children will be grappling with them years from now. We know how many fires are igniting every year. We know they’re burning millions of acres owned by various entities. We know the fires are burning hotter, faster, and longer. We understand that the total spent by all federal agencies combined in suppressing wildfires each year is approximately $2 billion. Again, a relatively paltry sum when compared to the annual economic impact. We lack critical information and data on the most vital topic related to near-term wildfire risk mitigation and reform dialogue – to what extent are we containing and controlling fires before they become massive events. Mega and GigaFires are impossible for man to “extinguish,” only rain and other factors can achieve this objective. A plan to reform wildfire policies and budgets to support near-term success must be grounded in one basic principle that any ➤
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Below: 10 Tanker Air Carrier has grown from one of the only VLAT programs in the United States to a large company operating multiple VLAT aircraft worldwide for aerial firefighting. Photo by Mike Murawski.
experienced wildland firefighter will confirm. Our only hope is to attack fires immediately as they’re identified and sustain that attack before they grow. It’s called “rapid initial attack” and “extended attack” in wildland firefighter vernacular. There are only a few questions that must be asked if the nation is to make meaningful reforms. To what extent are the country’s wildfires being attacked quickly, on the ground and from the air, in the initial hours after igniting? For example, of the 20 most damaging fires in the past few years, how many were attacked aggressively in the initial 1-6 hours? And, if this readily available data proves we are not attacking fires quickly, what is the reason? Lack of clear firefighting policy, lack of resources, or both? These are already hotly debated topics among my fellow
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wildland firefighters. Year after year, our postmortems at the end of wildfires season always come back to these questions and the frustration they elicit among wildland firefighters due to resource scarcity. Policymakers have an opportunity to immediately achieve major success on the road to reform wildfire risk reduction. By simply demanding data-based answers to these questions, a clear signal will be sent to the wildland firefighting community that change is on the horizon, that our elected officials recognize the problem. The data is available. The analysis needed will cost nothing essentially. And, the resounding applause from the firefighting community will be unmistakable, simply by officials in Washington and the state capitals asking these questions and demanding answers.
This vital initial analysis will naturally lead to a discussion of the range of resources needed. The firefighter on the ground and the tools they use are the lynchpins; they are singularly responsible for extinguishing fires. But when a fire suddenly explodes into a more significant incident threatening to escalate to mega or Giga status given the weather and other conditions, the firefighter on the ground relies on the only support available – aircraft. We do have some, albeit limited, data regarding aerial firefighting effectiveness, but America is woefully handicapped by a lack of comprehensive data related to aerial firefighting. From a study released in early 2020, we know that rapid initial attack of fires by LATs and VLATs has the dramatic, positive effect of reducing the duration of time that fires burn. It is, in many cases, the difference between fires that last half a day versus multiple days or weeks. Duration, along with intensity and other factors such as whether fire burns into or near developed areas such as housing tracts, directly correlates to the ultimate cost.
“According to U.S. government data, of the approximately 70,000 wildfires that ignite each year in the U.S., about half start on federal lands and the other half on state, local, and privately-owned lands.”
We know roughly how many firefighting aircraft America has at its disposal. USFS, for example, has 18 fixed-wing aircraft guaranteed to be available under what are called exclusive use contracts with private industry. And USFS has approximately 100 helicopters available through similar contracts. And we do know from a USFS report released in early 2020 that, in the case of large air tankers, hundreds of requests by fire incident commanders for air tankers are unable to be filled, or “UTF” using the fire aviation term. ➤
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Below: Coulson Aviation’s Tanker 133 in its old paint job dropping a load of retardant in California. Photo by Jeremy Ulloa.
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One state alone, California, owns or contracts for more fixed-wing aircraft than the entire USFS fleet. In 2020, approximately 40 fixed-wing aircraft were deployed by California to attack the historic wildfire threat. Yet, more typical of the state situation, Colorado had only five fixed-wing aircraft flying missions in 2020. This is all to make one critical point – even limited available data points unmistakably to obvious, head-scratching disconnects between the scale of threat and scale of assets available to deploy rapidly to attack fires. A more comprehensive and, again essentially nocost, data effort would yield answers vital to informing reform efforts, including: What is an adequate, cost/benefit balanced aerial firefighting fleet size and makeup for both the federal government and fire-prone states? “Today, the wildfire threat has escalated to the extent that new labels such as “GigaFire,” categorized as fires that destroy more than 100,000 acres, have been coined to define the new normal. That of massive, fast-burning fires that pose a real and quantifiable threat to America’s economic security.” “Today, the wildfire threat has escalated to the extent that new labels such as “GigaFire,” categorized as fires that destroy more than 100,000 acres, have been coined to define the new normal. That of massive, fast-burning fires that pose a real and quantifiable threat to America’s economic security.” How do we develop that cost/ benefit metric? Indeed in an age of supercomputers, advanced data analytics, and artificial intelligence, this analysis could be rapidly completed by many federal government experts. Providing a credible model for spending ‘x’ to save ‘y’ in terms of the ultimate cost to taxpayers.
For example, if America’s aerial firefighting fleet doubled in size tomorrow, what would the upfront cost be, and what does the data tell us about the potential savings? Full transparency, I admit that some of these questions are posed rhetorically. America does not have near the aerial fleet necessary to meet the threat. Any experienced wildland firefighter would confirm that today’s aerial fleet investment is a classic case of penny-wise, poundfoolish policies and budgets. Nevertheless, the pursuit of information and hard data is the only means by which this reality can be overturned, leading to wildfire risk reduction. My final message for the Biden administration is to urge the adoption of a data-obsessed mentality regarding wildfire policies. I firmly believe that the individuals who take this challenge on at the federal level, who champion engagement with the western states in particular and adopt a data-driven reform model, will be heralded as a visionary, effective leader focused on what is an annual American crisis. Dan Reese a career firefighting veteran with 32 years of service, 25 of those with CAL FIRE where he retired as a deputy chief and chief of the department’s Tactical Air Operations Division. Reese is regarded as an authority on the use of air tankers in aerial firefighting operations as the architect of CAL FIRE’s first VLAT program deployment. Reese also served as the CEO of Global Super Tanker Services LLC. Who operated the only Boeing 747 VLAT aircraft. Dan currently serves as president of the International Wildfire Consulting Group and an editorial writer for AerialFire Magazine.
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Australia’s 737 Fireliner ‘Marie Bashir’ Joins U.S. Firefighting Effort Australia’s only state-owned Boeing 737 airtanker, the Marie Bashir from the New South Wales Rural Fire Service arrived at NIFC headquarters in Boise, Idaho on July 28th. The firefighting aircraft is being made available to fight fires in the U.S. through an agreement between the USDA Forest Service and Australia and has already been seen in service on several fires across western states. The 737 Fireliner is considered a Large Airtanker (LAT) with a capacity of 4,000 gallons that are discharged from two internal tanks. The aircraft is operated and maintained by Coulson Aviation. The aircraft is named “Marie Bashir” after Dame Marie Bashir, the former Governor of New South Wales.
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“We greatly appreciate having this airtanker from the New South Wales Rural Fire Service assisting us,” said Kim Christensen, deputy assistant director for operations for the USDA Forest Service. “We’re proud of the long history of cooperation we have with Australia and other countries.”
Left Below: The Marie Bashir recieved routine maintenance at San Bernardino before heading to Idaho. Photo by Kaileen Hannigan.
The National Multi-Agency Coordinating Group, comprised of representatives from wildland fire agencies, requests and orders international firefighting resources through the National Interagency Coordination Center. Both are located at NIFC.
Right Below: Tanker 210 is stationed at NIFC in Boise, Idaho and dispatched to fires in the west. Photo by Mickey Kopanski.
The international assistance is reciprocal and includes a recent deployment of U.S. wildland firefighters to Australia. From December of
Above: The Marie Bashir during maintenance at SBD airport. Photo by
2019 through the spring (fall in Australia) of 2020, several hundred federal wildland firefighters and fire managers from the U.S. assisted with wildfires in Australia during a very difficult fire season.
Ryan Mason.
The airtanker joins firefighting efforts in the U.S. at a time of significant fire activity across several regions of the country.
The National Wildfire Preparedness Level was raised to 5, the highest level, on July 14, to reflect the high level of sustained wildfire activity in the U.S. Wildfires have burned more than 3.4 million acres so far this year and more than 21,500 firefighters and support personnel are currently mobilized to large fires across the U.S.
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Bridger Adds Fourth Scooper to Fleet Above: Bridger’s addition of a fourth tanker adds new
Bridger Aerospace took delivery of scooper 284, the fourth CL-415 EAF from Viking Aircraft in the second week of July. The new scooper will have little rest time as it heads out almost immediately to join the companies rapidly growing fleet that are already deployed around the United States on firegrounds.
So far, well over a million gallons of water have been dropped on fires, with three other Scoopers. When 284 joins the fight shortly, it will add even more waterbombing power to protect life, property, and habitat.” Said K Mita, Public Relations and Marketing Director for Bridger Aerospace.
“The delivery of unit 284 marks a significant milestone for us and the CL-415EAF program. This is the fourth Super Scooper delivered in just a little over two years. We are delighted that the conversion was managed and executed to ensure that we could add another critical aerial firefighting asset to a very challenging fire season. Thank you to the dedication and conversion service by Cascade Aerospace and Viking Air Limited, who oversaw this project.
Bridger’s scooper fleet of scoopers 281, 282, 283, and now 284 is backed up by several DeHavilland Twin Otters, Several turbine bird dog aircraft, and an increasing fleet of UAV aircraft used on firegrounds to map fire progress. Bridger has been rapidly expanding over the last two years since the company’s founding in 2014 by CEO Tim Sheehy from a single CL415 EAF to a total of twenty aircraft and a staff numbering over 100.
capabilities to the rapidly growing Montana based company. Bridger Aerospace photo.
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Dauntless Air Works 2021 Wildfire Season with Expanded Fleet of 15 Fire Bosses Above: The Dauntless fleet of Fireboss aircraft continues to grow
With the largest and most technologically advanced Fire Boss fleet in the US, the aerial firefighting company will support wildfire operations for the Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Indian Affairs and several state fire agencies.
each year to respond to wildfire requests. Dauntless photo.
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As the 2021 wildfire season gets underway, aerial firefighting leader Dauntless Air announced on July 15th that it has added two new Fire Bosses to the nation’s largest and most technologically advanced Fire Boss fleet. In pursuit of its mission to protect people,
land, and property from the devastation of wildfires, Dauntless will put its fleet to work on exclusive use and call-when-needed contracts with the Bureau of Land Management (which shares resources with the US Forest Service), Bureau of Indian Affairs and state fire agencies in Minnesota, Idaho, Washington, Alaska, Colorado, and Oregon. “A growing number of fire agencies are turning to Fire Boss-driven Rapid Initial Attack to contain wildfires faster and avoid the devastation, fossil fuel emissions, health
Right: Dauntless operates 15 Fireboss aircraft that can be sent anywhere in the United States or abroad. Dauntless photo.
impacts, and costs associated with large, complex fires,” said Brett L’Esperance, CEO, Dauntless Air. “We are responding to this increasing demand by expanding our Fire Boss fleet to give fire agencies more access to critical water-scooping aircraft that can work alongside helicopters in the fight against wildfires.” Central to the Rapid Initial Attack model are amphibious resources—Fire Bosses and firefighting helicopters—that can work in close, coordinated fashion with ground resources, operate out of large or small air bases, and scoop water directly from natural sources nearby a fire. In Rapid Initial Attack, these pre-positioned aircraft can arrive on the scene within an hour of dispatch and bombard a fire with water by traveling back and forth between it and a nearby water source. Fire Bosses can scoop up to 800 gallons in approximately 20 seconds. Loads of water carried by Dauntless Fire Bosses can be enhanced using an in-flight gel mixing system, which helps to improve the water’s firesuppressive characteristics. The National Interagency Fire Center’s (NIFC) 2021 wildfire outlook predicts above-normal fire potential for many regions in the US, in particular the West which is in the midst of the region’s most expansive and intense drought of the century, according to the US Drought Monitor. Drought and extreme heat, driven by climate change, are increasing wildland fire danger for countless communities. This combined with decades of expanding
human development and underfunded forest management efforts has resulted in wildfires that are burning faster and hotter than they were decades ago. Already the 2021 season is outpacing national averages: more than 34,00 wildfires have ignited since January, which is nearly 4,000 fires more than the 10-year national average to date. The increased activity comes on the heels of a destructive 2020 season when nearly 60,000 wildfires burned more than 10.1 million acres—well above the five- and 10-year national averages. 33 percent of the burned acres were in California, which accounted for the largest number of structures lost in one state—11,473; nearly 7,000 of which were homes and businesses. Wildfires are a national security risk that endangers millions of lives and livelihoods every year “Wildfires are a national security risk that endangers millions of lives and livelihoods every year; they rip through our communities and their smoke has long-term negative health impacts on people living hundreds of miles away from the flames,” added L’Esperance. “We are incredibly proud to help the country combat these threats, especially as climate change exacerbates the length and intensity of each wildfire season. The more we expand our ability to keep unwanted fires small and contained, the more we can reduce overall suppression costs and divert the money saved to critical forest health management initiatives that reduce the wildfire risk in the first place.”
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Bioex Gains Certification for ECOPOL F Firefighting Foam
Bioex ECOPOL F firefighting foam adds another option for aerial firefighting product use in the EU.
Bioex announced July 9th that it had gained certification for its new ECOPOL F firefighting foam product a new firefighting foam dedicated for class A wildland fires in order to increase firefighter effectiveness and reduce firefighting costs. ECOPOL F is an ecological solution to suppress in-depth wildland fires thanks to its high wetting properties. ECOPOL F is touted as having some of the best wetting properties on the market. The use of ECOPOL F surfactants reduces water’s surface tension and allows it to penetrate and extinguish embers at depth and therefore be more effective and quicker than water alone. Thus, reducing efficiently the amount of water needed. When mixed with air, ECOPOL F solution creates a high-quality foam blanket that insulates fuel from air and cools the fuel. Its drain time provides longer surface wetting and prevents the fire from re-igniting. The adhesive nature of the foam makes it possible to adhere to vertical surfaces for an extended period. Exposure protection and mop-up/overhaul can be completed with ECOPOL F for additional and faster fire control and extinguishment. ECOPOL F provides optimum effectiveness for wildland fire suppression with salt water, fresh water, and brackish water at all levels of hardness. The foam concentrate is usable from 0.1% to 1%. ECOPOL F is USDA Forest Service QPL listed qualified for all application methods: ground engines, water-scoopers, air tankers (SEATS), fixed-tank helicopters, and helicopter buckets. The foam concentrate is also compatible with long-term fire retardant
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Fire departments and civil defense are confident using it against wildland fires. ECOPOL F is an ecological solution for forest fires (Class A) that does not contain fluorinated derivatives (PFAS chemicals including PFOS or PFOA) or PBTs (Persistent, Bioaccumulative and Toxic substances). The foam concentrate is 100% biodegradable. ECOPOL F achieves GreenScreen certification: the first eco-label for firefighting foams conducted by a third party. It evaluates safer PFAS-alternatives and assesses the chemical safety of the product. GreenScreen certified products, including ECOPOL F, are PFAS-free and without other environmental and human health pollutants. This foam concentrate does not have an impact on animals and vegetation. The use of ECOPOL F helps to avoid environmental and aquatic toxicity. ECOPOL F is also non-corrosive. Thanks to its laboratory and an expert team, BIOEX is proactive in the research and development of new formulations. With a new state-of-the-art production facility and a large storage capacity, BIOEX delivers worldwide in a short time to answer the needs of firefighters and safety professionals. Certified according to international standards. BIOEX firefighting foam concentrates are highly efficient on class A solid fires, on class B hydrocarbon, and polar solvent fires, as well as on toxic vapors. BIOEX foams guarantee rapid extinguishing times and a long burn-back resistance the company stated in a press release on the certification.
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American Aerospace Selects Blue Sky Network’s SkyLink Solution for Testing & Integration on the AiRanger™ Above: AATI’s AiRanger UAS is the latest
Blue Sky Network announced July 14th that the company that specializes in missioncritical fleet management, business continuity, and operational analytics solutions, that the company has been selected by American Aerospace (AATI), a data-driven infrastructure inspection company, to test and integrate Blue Sky Network’s SkyLink for use on AATI’s unmanned aircraft system (UAS), the AiRanger.
technology offering that delivers new technology to the marketplace. American Aerospace photo.
SkyLink by Blue Sky Network is a dual-mode system, leveraging the Iridium® Certus® service and local GSM/LTE networks for continuous, pole-to-pole coverage. The SkyLink is a smallform, low SWAP solution delivering end-to-end sensor reporting, two-way messaging, asset utilization, and IoT/M2M monitoring. The device displays versatility in both manned and unmanned airborne applications, including command and control (C2) and Iridium’s Global Line of SightSM for beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) performance. “We look forward to partnering with AATI to develop safer, faster, and more accurate airborne missions,” stated Jason Hicks, VP of Business Development at Blue Sky Network.
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“AATI’s AiRanger UAS is transforming the way infrastructure inspections and aerial surveillance are performed. With SkyLink’s C2 and BVLOS capabilities and the AiRanger’s impeccable design and embedded technology, the possibilities are endless.” “The use of Blue Sky Network’s SkyLink UAS SATCOM solution is a key enabler for scaling operations using BVLOS in the NAS,” stated Ali Etebari, VP of Engineering and GM at AAISR (a division of AATI). “AATI is eager to demonstrate this solution, providing untethered, long-range, long-endurance mission capabilities with remote pilot capabilities. A robust network for C2 is critical for safe operations and effective commercialization of the AiRanger solution for pipeline and infrastructure inspections as part of our Type Certification with the FAA.” Pre-orders for SkyLink began June 15, 2021, with hardware distribution planned for September 2021. All pre-orders are eligible for early access to the SkyLink Cloud Services portal, live testing data, and training materials.
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Columbia Helicopters Wins Turkish Firefighting Contract
Above: A Columbia
Columbia Helicopters last month signed a contract partnering with CMC Savunma Sanayi A.S. to provide two (2) Columbia 234 Multi-Mission Chinooks for firefighting and external load operations in Turkey. The contract encompasses the fire season and marks Columbia’s first operation in the country.
Helicopters Boeing Vertol 234 drops from a Bambi Bucket on recent fires. Columbia Helicopters photo.
CMC Savunma Sanayi A.S. is the original awardee of the contract with the Turkey General Directorate of Forestry and is subcontracting with Columbia to provide the aircraft, crew, and maintenance support. “This contract marks a significant milestone for Columbia Helicopters – our first time operating in Turkey and hopefully the beginning of a long-term partnership,” says Olivia Wolfgram-Rubio, business development and marketing manager at Columbia Helicopters. “The 234 Multi-Mission Chinook
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delivers significant support in protecting life and property. We know it will be extremely successful in helping battle wildfires and protecting Turkish citizens now, and we hope, well into the future.” While the 234 can operate with Columbia’s 2,800-gallon Fire Attack System (FAS) internal tank, the aircraft on this contract utilize the 2,600-gallon Bambi Bucket for precision water and retardant drops. Columbia’s 234 Multi-Mission Chinook helicopter is fully certified to civilian transport category standards, allowing it to transport internal cargo and passengers. Originally certified by Boeing, the aircraft certificate is now owned and supported by Columbia. Today, as the aircraft’s OEM, Columbia provides all sustainment, training, and MRO capabilities to support the aircraft around the globe.
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SKYDISPLAY by MYGOFLIGHT Receives FAA STC Certification for Head Up Display Above: MYGOFLIGHT’s SKYDISPLAY HUD offers
June 22, 2021, Aviation peripherals company MYGOFLIGHT announced June 22nd that the company had received FAA STC certification for its SKYDISPLAY HUD system. SKYDISPLAY aligns critical flight information with the pilot’s outside view and provides head-up guidance cues based on the information contained in the aircraft’s primary flight instruments.
greater safety for aerial firefighting pilots to work at night or in IIMC conditions caused by fires.MYGOFLIGHT photo.
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With the next generation of display technologies, a small footprint has been achieved allowing a HUD to fit into many cockpits that were before not an option, with a significantly lower weight, size, and cost. SKYDISPLAY raises the proficiency of all pilots in all conditions and phases of flight given the reduction in pilot workload and significant enhancement to situational awareness. Simply stated, HUDS make flying safer. Critical flight information from the aircraft’s digital flight deck is displayed head-up. Innovation and new technologies have allowed SKYDISPLAY to lower the cost of traditional HUDs by as much as 10x.
Pilot reports have been consistent, the SKYDISPLAY system is top-notch. “Every bit as useful as HUDs on Falcons or Gulfstreams,” Tom Horne, AOPA Turbine “A HUD for the rest of us,” Matt Thurber, Editor, AIN “Intuitive. Raises the proficiency of all pilots,” Ric Peri, Aircraft Electronics Association A new option for the SKYDISPLAY HUD system is the addition of an Enhanced Vision System (EVS) capability. HUD EVS systems allow pilots to make it easier to fly around weather, turn night into day, and aid in “seeing” through smoke and light fog all while keeping eyes outside. Special ops operators find the HUD EVS system invaluable such as in firefighting missions to identify and hit hot spots with much greater accuracy. This is also critical in pest control, search and rescue, and agricultural spraying operations when being able to fly safely low to the earth is required. “The aerial spotter could not find the hot spots. With SKYDISPLAY HUD EVS I was able to find and lead the team to
them. 11 targets, all direct hits,” Fire Boss pilot The HUD EVS system was developed with the assistance of Astronics, maker of the MAX-VIZ thermal imaging systems. The system was installed by Aero Brigham of Decatur, Texas, on AeroBrigham designed mounts for the HUD and EVS, into four Air Tractor AT802F Fire Boss aircraft owned and operated by a contract firefighting fleet. SKYDISPLAY HUD EVS Image of fire hot spots, plane ahead dropping water, all visible to the pilot in the HUD A screenshot of a computer Description automatically generated with low confidence With very strong interest, over 20 aircraft have committed to pre-certification positions to have SKYDISPLAY installed. These aircraft operate under Part 23 rules for piston, turbo-prop, and light jet aircraft and include Cirrus, Cessna, Beechcraft, Phenom, TBM, Piper, Air Tractor/Fire Boss, and more. The avionics integrated with these aircraft include flight decks from Aspen Avionics, Garmin, and Honeywell with other integrations planned in
the future. Development of the installation of the SKYDISPLAY HUD system was done with the support of Duncan Aviation of Denver, Colorado. The SKYDISPLAY HUD system has two major components, a HUD projector, and an AID (aircraft interface device) that is used to read the ARINC 429 and serial data busses on these aircraft. The SKYDISPLAY AID, available separately, is a Commercial Off the Shelf (COTS) rugged modular computer system with Mini PCIe Card slots to support add-on I/O module integration with little to no NRE. SKYDISPLAY HUD – Projection Unit & Aircraft Interface Device (AID) The SKYDISPLAY AID has been optimally designed for size, weight & power (SWaP) sensitive mobile, airborne, ground, manned/ unmanned vehicle applications. DO-160 certification validated environmental, power and EMI compliance. Available at a significantly lower cost unit then currently is available for computers meeting DO-160 requirements.
aerialfiremag.com | AF 57
EHang Completes NFFE Testing for Firefighting Unmanned Vehicle
Above: EHang has developed a firefighting UAV off its already produced passenger carrying unmanned vehicle. EHang photo.
EHang Holdings Limited, China’s leading unmanned technology platform company announced on July 16 that the company had successfully completed the technical examination of its EH216F AAV, the firefighting model, by the China National Fire-Fighting Equipment Quality Supervision Testing Center (“NFFE”). The NFFE is a national firefighting equipment quality examination agency under the Ministry of Emergency Management (“MEM”) of the People’s Republic of China. Its nationwide responsibilities include standards development, centralized management, and technical guidance for firefighting equipment products, including firefighting unmanned aerial vehicles (“UAVs”). The NFFE’s technical examination is widely used in the firefighting equipment markets and the MEM system and is considered the cornerstone of quality for firefighting products in China. EH216F’s successful completion of the technical examination certifies that it conforms to the firefighting UAV standards and requirements by the NFFE and we believe it will further enhance customer confidence
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and promote the recognition and adoption of EHang’s high-rise firefighting solutions in the commercial markets in China and further abroad. The NFFE conducted a comprehensive 10-month technical examination on EH216F and 52 different types of tests were completed in areas such as flight control functions, hovering and return accuracy, high/low altitude flights, electromagnetic compatibility, wind resistance, high/low-temperature adaptability, vibration/shock resistance, radiant heat resistance, and smoke performance. EH216F was officially launched in July 2020. With key advantages in autopilot, quick response, and cluster management, EH216F is designed to address pain points in urban high-rise firefighting and become a valuable complement to the existing firefighting system. This firefighting AAV model demonstrates the commercial capabilities of EHang’s AAV technology in practical scenarios such as aerial firefighting and emergency rescues.
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State Fire Agency Brings on Large Air Tanker to Support Colorado Fires
Above: Neptune Aviation aircraft have been a fixture over the years at Colorado’s Rocky Mountain Metro
The State of Colorado announced that it has selected Neptune Aviation for an exclusive use contract for a large firefighting air tanker. “Neptune Aviation is pleased to partner with Colorado’s Division of Fire Prevention & Control,” said Neptune Aviation President Jennifer Draughon. “The contract award validates the dedication of the entire Neptune team of pilots, mechanics, engineers and support staff.”
Airport, operating out of the airport’s Jeffco Tanker Base.Photo by Steve Nelson.
Colorado’s exclusive use contract is a one multi-year contract for a period not to exceed five years. The initial master contract will be for one year and may be renewed for four additional one-year periods. Vince Welbaum – DFPC Aviation Unit Chief made the following statement: “DFPC is excited to have Neptune as the contractor of choice to support the State with an airtanker. We anticipate a busy year in 2021 and are looking forward to providing this aerial attack
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resource to support wildfires for the residents and visitors of Colorado.” Neptune Aviation will utilize a British Aerospace BAe 146 aircraft capable of carrying 3000 gallons of fire retardant while cruising at over 400 knots at altitudes of up to 28,000 feet. “Neptune Aviation is familiar with the challenging firefighting environment in Colorado with more than 25 years of experience flying on fires in the state. The BAe-146’s outstanding maneuverability, operational safety, and excellent field performance make the aircraft a great addition to Colorado’s firefighting assets.” “From a firefighting readiness standpoint, having a large air tanker positioned in Colorado is a great resource for the state when dangerous wildfires threaten lives and property,” Draughon said. “An exclusive use contract guarantees that Colorado will have a Neptune large air tanker on site for what is predicted to be a very active wildfire season.”
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SBD Airport Providing Support to SoCal Aerial Firefighting
Above: San Bernardino Airpot has long been a hub for tanker operations in the Southern California
Since 1997, San Bernardino International Airport (SBD) has been home to the U.S. Forest Service Airtanker Base which serves as the backbone of aerial firefighting in Southern California. The Airport’s operational support is now more critical than ever. Wildfire activity has increased significantly in recent years and could continue to worsen, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE). Fighting these blazes takes a cooperative effort, and peak operations will bring an increase in specialized aircraft and firefighters from multiple agencies to SBD as they take to the skies, then return to refuel and reload.
area. Photo by Kaileen Hannigan.
CAL FIRE recently reported that California has experienced 700 more wildfires in 2021 and 103,000 more acres have burned compared to the same period last year. The agency added that hot, dry conditions could fuel continued increases in wildfire activity. “Fighting the intense fires of recent years requires aircraft capable of delivering massive loads of water and fire retardant,” says Mark Gibbs, the Airport’s Director of Aviation. “During
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times of heightened fire activity, you may see a wide range of aircraft at SBD, including Very Large Airtankers carrying up to 12,000 gallons and firefighting helicopters which deliver up to 2,500 gallons with precision.” In addition to supporting a high volume of aircraft battling multiple fires simultaneously, the San Bernardino Air Tanker Base recently hosted aerial wildland firefighting training. Participants in the certification training, which took place May 3–7, included the California Air National Guard’s 146th Airlift Wing, the Nevada Air National Guard’s 152nd Airlift Wing, the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and other firefighting agencies. The Airtanker Base encourages the public to come see the large, firefighting aircraft in action. A viewing area with bleachers is open each year during fire season, typically from May 29 to November 3. It is not unusual for several hundred people to gather outdoors at the facility to watch the airtankers as they load retardant and return to fight wildfires.
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Large Air Tanker to be Shared by Victoria and Queensland for Several Years In a press release issued on July 16th, 2021 from the state of Victoria, the southern Australian state announced that the Victorian and Queensland Governments have secured a deal to share a Large Air Tanker to support aerial firefighting capacity in both states during their respective bushfire seasons. Above: Conair’s Q400AT has been contracted for a second year for fire operations in Australia. This time
The Bombardier Dash-8 Q400AT aircraft will operate in Queensland from September to December to cover their bushfire season and will operate in Victoria for the height of summer from December to February.
50 knots faster, uses half the amount of fuel, improved low-speed handling for dropping retardant, and faster turnaround time from engine start to take-off. The Q400AT has a 10,000-liter tank for water or fire retardant and replaces the larger C130 previously used by Victoria. This particular Large Air Tanker also requires less room for take-off and landing, potentially opening several regional airports for operations that have not been able to be used previously.
serving two different states. Photo by Alexandre Dubath/ Conair.
Sharing aerial firefighting resources provides both states with better value for money while ensuring the aircraft is available to support firefighting efforts on the ground when and where it is needed most. The agreement covers the 2021 to 2024 bushfire seasons and the Large Air Tanker will remain in Victoria between bushfire seasons. The Q400AT has some significant advantages for use in aerial firefighting including that it is
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The Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements in 2020 recommended cost sharing for aviation resources. The 2021/22 Victorian Budget included record funding to expand Victoria’s firefighting capacity, strengthen communication systems during emergencies and deliver reforms recommended by the Inspector-General for Emergency Management.
SUPPRESSING WILDFIRES. SUPPORTING FIREFIGHTERS. For over 50 years Conair has partnered with governments on wildfire missions around the globe, operating the largest, privately owned, fixed-wing fleet in the world. The Future of Aerial Firefighting: The Dash 8-400 Airtanker Fast, fuel efficient and tactically flexible. A modern airtanker with a 10,000 litre/2,642 gallon capacity to drop suppressant over diverse geography. Setting the standard for Next Generation aircraft with OEM support to keep the firefighter flying for decades. CLICK TO WATCH THE DASH 8-400 AIRTANKER IN ACTION... Photo: Alexandre Dubath
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aerialfiremag.com | AF 65
Conair Announces Passing of Co-Founder, Chairman & CEO Barry Marsden A true visionary, Barry was a founding member of Conair in 1969, growing the company to over 350 employees and a fleet of 70 aircraft, the largest fixed-wing, privately owned aerial firefighting company in the world. Under his guidance, Conair expanded beyond the borders of British Columbia, Canada, offering aerial firefighting services globally, with operations in France, Australia and the USA. During the company’s 52-year history, Barry led the Conair group in developing hundreds of Supplemental Type Certificates, converting over 15 aircraft types into aerial firefighters and modifying over 175 individual aircraft. The most recent Next Generation aerial firefighter added to his legacy is the Dash 8-400AT, currently operating its first fire season in North America.
The Conair Group announced July 29th that Barry Marsden, one of the company’s founding members, Chairman and CEO, had passed away. Above: Conair cofounder and CEO, Barry Marsden was a key player in the founding of one of the largest and most diverse aerial firefighting companies in the world. Conair photo.
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In a statement released by the company, Conair stated that Barry had dedicated his life to protecting the world from wildfires, putting first and foremost the safety of the Conair team and partner firefighters. “Although he would never acknowledge it, his contribution to the global aerial firefighting industry resulted in countless lives and resources being saved over the past five decades.” shared Matt Bradley, President, and COO of Conair. “Barry was committed to continually improving aerial firefighting services around the globe, tirelessly striving to incorporate innovative engineering and technology to produce safer and more effective missions.”
Barry was an accomplished pilot and aerial firefighter, accumulating over 10,000 hours of flight time; a licensed aircraft maintenance engineer; a recipient of the Medaille De L’Aeronautique from France; an inducted member of Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame; and the recipient of the Order of British Columbia and the Order of Canada, in recognition of his contributions to the growth of Canada’s aviation industry. An exceptional executive, passionate aviator, and inspiring leader, Barry will be deeply missed. “Conair is truly a family, supporting each other, led by a great man. In everything we do moving forward, Barry will be with us. He loved every aspect of aerial firefighting and was devoted to the wellbeing of our team, our agency customers, and our fellow firefighters.” said Matt. “We extend our sincere condolences to Barry’s wife, children, and family. We share in their loss.”
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Firefighting Bell 212 and 205s Temporarily Grounded After Main Rotor Hub Strap Pin Issue Discovered Above: Multiple aircraft models were affected by the sudden grounding to ensure the fleet was safe after a fatal accident highlighted a
After the fatal crash of a Bell 212 near Evansburg, Alberta, Canada on June 28th, the US Forest Service, and similarly, many state agencies including CalFire, temporarily grounded all Bell 212 and 205 series helicopters from firefighting operations. Many 205’s are equipped with a 212 rotor hub that may, as suspected in the Canadian crash, suffer a catastrophic failure resulting in delamination of the main rotor blades causing them to disintegrate in flight.
potentially faulty part in a small number of aircraft. Photo by Ryan Mason
AF 68 | aerialfiremag.com
Bell Helicopter has been swift in identifying the issue and issuing an immediate service bulletin that details a small amount of main rotor hub strap pins that may have been manufactured incorrectly and not to manufacturers specifications causing pins with as little as 24 hours on them to deform and in at least one case, cause destruction of the main rotor after
continued use. Bell stated that at this time, P/N 204-012-104-005 are affected and strap pins with the prefix “FNFS” should be immediately removed from service. Bell noted in a circular released after the incident that inspection times to identify if the affected part range from one hour to identify, up to 20 hours for full replacement of the affected part. The fleet was allowed to return to service when it was identified that the issue only affected approximately 80 airframes in the entire fleet that were identified and taken out of service for repairs to be made to the affected part.
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More USAF Aircraft Added to Fight West Coast Fires
Two additional U.S. Air Force C-130 aircraft are scheduled to join the Department of Defense efforts for wildland fire fighting in western states today as requested by the USDA Forest Service, bringing the number to five C-130 military aircraft activated.
scheduled to join crews from the California Air National Guard’s 146th AW based out or Channel Islands Air Guard Station in Oxnard, and the Nevada Air National Guard’s 152nd AW from Reno, which has two aircraft in the mission.
“It is shaping up to be a very challenging fire season,” said Lt. Gen. Kirk Pierce, 1st Air Force (Air Forces Northern) commander. “The AFNORTH team is honored to support our Air Expeditionary Group comprised of Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve C-130 crews committed to fight the especially devastating fires out west.”
MAFFS, Modular Airborne Firefighting System, is essentially a storage tank loaded inside the C-130 so it can drop up to 3,000 gallons of fire retardant through the rear aircraft nozzle in less than 10 seconds across a quarter-mile line. The MAFFS’s belong to the Forest Service while the aircraft are Air Force owned.
Modular Airborne Firefighting System (MAFFS) C-130 air tankers from Colorado Air Force Reserves’ 302nd Airlift Wing at Peterson Air Force Base, and the Wyoming Air National Guard’s 153rd AW in Cheyenne, are AF 70 | aerialfiremag.com
Since activating June 26, the MAFFS mission has flown 225 sorties resulting in 199 drops dispensing over 5 million pounds of flame retardant. “We feel for those affected and have our top Airmen giving their best efforts
to help suppress the wildfires,” added Pierce. First Air Force (Air Forces Northern), as U.S. Northern Command’s Air Component Command, is the DoD’s operational lead for the aerial military efforts. USNORTHCOM’s priorities are homeland defense, mission assurance, force protection and Defense Support of Civil Authorities (DSCA), the latter of which includes wildland firefighting. NIFC is the nation’s support center for wildland fire fighting. Eight different agencies and organizations are part of NIFC including the Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Fish and WildlifeService, National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, National Weather Service, U.S. Fire Administration, and the National Association of State Foresters.
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Above: The MAFFS fleet of C-130 aircraft have been deployed for several months fighting fires in California and surrounding states. Photo supplied by U.S Air Force.
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Aviation Blade Services, Inc. Announces S-70 Main and Tail Rotor Blade Maintenance Partnership
Above: Aviation Blade Services gained another
Aviation Blade Services, Inc. announced on June 25th the commencement of a multi-year Inspection and Repair Training and Maintenance contract to support Main and Tail Rotor Blade repair for the Taiwanese fleet of S-70/UH-60 rotorcraft. The partnership with AMS Group and Air Asia Company Limited (“AACL”) is another significant milestone for Aviation Blade Services in supporting operators worldwide.
contract servicing aircraft blades for the UH-60 and S-70 range. Photo by Ryan Mason.
ABS General Manager John Brennan commented “We are excited to continue growing our footprint with foreign military operators of the Blackhawk and Seahawk by expanding our longstanding relationship with the AMS Group and AACL. The training and service partnership allows AACL to support fleet readiness incountry and reduce turnaround times (TAT) by leveraging ABS’s industry-leading technical capabilities.” AMS Group SVP, Business Development, Dr. Matthew Wentzel states “AMS Group is extremely excited to expand our partnership with ABS to enhance the AACL Vertical Flight
AF 72 | aerialfiremag.com
Center’s current in-country Depot Level S-70/ UH-60 Rotor Blade maintenance capabilities. AMS and ABS are collectively committed to provide AACL with ongoing training, engineering consultation, and maintenance support to sustain the ROCN and ROCA S-70/UH-60 fleets mission readiness requirements.” AACL VP, Tsai, Sung-Lin stated “The AMS and ABS partnership has demonstrated dedicated customer support, competitive cost/TAT options, technical capability and a reputation for quality support and services. These were all key factors in our decision to enter into a long-term technical partnership.” Aviation Blade Services, Inc. looks to continue to grow its influence within the UH-60/S-70 rotor blade maintenance marketplace with continued investment in engineering and capacity. The establishment of partnerships with AMS, as well as direct government contracts is proving to be a successful growth path.
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U.S. Army Responds to Largest Fire in Hawaiian History Multiple elements from across U.S. ArmyHawaii, including Hawaii’s Army National Guard joined a combined effort led by Hawaii County Fire Department, pulling together to battle the 40,000 acre Waimea wildfire, considered the largest in Hawaii Island history from July 30 to August 4.
Above: The U.S. Army played a key role in fighting one of the largest wildfires
Twenty-five active-duty soldiers comprised of pilots, crew chiefs, and flight engineers logged over 70 flight hours; 11 Hawaii Army National Guard soldiers supporting refueling and transportation operations; and seven Army wildland firefighters from Oahu and dozens of staff that helped cook, feed and support the frontline workers.
in Hawaiian history. Photo by Capt. Ryan DeBooy, U.S. Army.
All the elements worked in support of the lead agency, but at the helm of the Army team was Steven Coloma, fire captain of PTA Fire and Emergency Services. “The fire was moving at 20-25 mph; the fire traveled a mile and a half in 20 minutes to jump into our property. With the pasture field grass that we have out here, that’s how fast it can move,” said Coloma. “The fire was eating up ground, all we can do was carrel it and defend it from jumping on county land—basically keep it on Army land,” said Army fire captain Steven Coloma.
AF 74 | aerialfiremag.com
“What made it more complex is that we really had multiple incidents at one time. The fire started as a [single] fire, and because of the wind it split off into two separate areas,” said Coloma, who has been with PTA Fire and Emergency Services for 24 years. He went on to say that during his tenure, the wildfire was unlike anything he has ever encountered. The fire started Friday, July 30, and by Saturday, July 31, aerial firefighting assets were requested from the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade located on Wheeler Army Airfield. “We immediately deployed five aircraft, split from Saturday and Sunday, three UH-60s, one HH60 and one CH-47, out to the Hawaii Island to begin fighting,” said U.S. Army Major Lee Jones, battalion operations officer for 3rd Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment. During the firefighting operation, 268 aerial water buckets were dropped on the fire, totaling more than 169,000 gallons of water. “Success was a collective effort—from the aircrews to the aviation mission command node and from the PTA fire chief to the fire crews that were on the ground—obviously wildland fires are very unpredictable, so the hard facts of what was going on just weren’t there all the time just because of that unpredictability of the fire,” said Jones.
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aerialfiremag.com | AF 75
Air Tractor “Dusty Crophopper” Takes its Place Beside Aviation Legends ®
Above: “Dusty Crophopper” AT-301 will soon hang in the Smithsonian in
On Aug. 3, the National Agricultural Aviation Association will present to the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum the full-sized, fully flight-capable replica of Dusty Crophopper, star of Disney’s popular 3D computer-animated comedy films, Planes, and Planes: Fire and Rescue.
in Leesburg, Virginia culminates with Dusty taking off from the airfield there and flying to its new residence at the Udvar-Hazy Center of the National Air and Space Museum. Dusty will join NASA space shuttle Discovery, Bell X-1, Spirit of St. Louis, 1903 Wright Flyer, and other icons of aviation history in the museum’s collection.
Dorothy Cochrane, curator of the Air and Space Museum’s General Aviation / Aeronautics Department, will be present to accept Dusty on behalf of the museum, recognizing his symbolic representation of the significance of aerial application to American agriculture. The event
Air Tractor President Jim Hirsch says the event and the airplane’s new home at the National Air & Space Museum is an opportunity to “let people learn how agricultural aircraft play a big role in helping feed the world and communicate how we do our job in a professional and ➤
Washington D.C. Photo by Air Tractor.
AF 76 | aerialfiremag.com
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responsible way to protect our environment.” He adds, “We are excited that an Air Tractor will represent the modern aerial application industry to the thousands of visitors at the Udvar-Hazy Center each year.” The real-life Dusty Crophopper airplane began its life as an Air Tractor AT--301 owned by Texas aerial applicator Rusty Lindeman. With much help from Air Tractor, Disney producers and Ultra Productions, Lindeman transformed the airplane into the movie’s lead character, Dusty Crophopper. “In just six weeks, we rebuilt everything: the fuselage, the wings and the tail. We replaced the radial piston engine with a Pratt & Whitney PT6A-20 turbine engine, and we had a propeller rebuilt,” recalls Rusty Lindeman. Says Hirsch, “This was both an exciting and challenging special project. The compressed timetable for transforming one Air Tractor model into another — and obtaining the FAA certifications and approvals — meant many long days for our project team. But this was simply an event we could not pass up.”
Lindeman said the likeness to the movie Dusty Crophopper is very accurate, as they worked closely with the filmmakers, and Klay Hall, the movie director. Disney Studios provided pictures from the movie for reference, which were converted into paint scheme plans. The airplane’s exact colors were specified by Disney to match the on-screen character. Dusty has a white, blue, and orange paint scheme, the number 7 on the back half of the fuselage, and a big D on the tail. A cockpit windshield shade adds Dusty’s big blue eyes. In the summer of 2013, the Air Tractor Dusty Crophopper airplane, piloted by Rusty Lindeman, zoomed to life as the hero of the hit movie Planes, flying aerial demonstrations for thousands of spectators at air shows across the United States and Canada. Thanks to Rusty and Lea Lindeman’s generous donation of the Dusty AT-400A airplane, it begins its next life. It will entertain and educate aviation enthusiasts about agricultural aviation’s important role in modern agriculture: helping farmers grow food and fiber products for the world.
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AF 78 | aerialfiremag.com
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Colorado Division of Fire Prevention & Control Signs for S-70i Fire Hawk With United Rotorcraft The Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control (DFPC) announced August 16th, 2021 the signing of a contract with United Rotorcraft, a division of Air Methods Corporation, to complete and deliver a Sikorsky S70i FIREHAWK® helicopter.
United Rotorcraft has dominated the production completion of the S-70i Fire Hawk.
Configured by United Rotorcraft with a 1,000-gallon water tank attached to the belly of the aircraft, an extended landing gear to accommodate the tank, a retractable snorkel that can refill the tank in less than one minute, and a rescue hoist, S70i FIREHAWK® helicopters are designed to stop fires in their tracks before they have the chance to grow. These helicopters will allow fire crews to aggressively attack and suppress wildfires, transport up to 12 fully equipped ground firefighters to the fire line, and rescue firefighters and civilians when in need. “Following one of the worst fire seasons our state has seen, coupled with the trend of increasing wildfire occurrence and impacts, it is critical to increasing the state’s capacity to respond to these incidents,” said DFPC Director Mike Morgan. Larry Alexandre, President of United Rotorcraft, adds, “We are incredibly proud to be the exclusive completion center for the FIREHAWK® helicopter, and even more proud to deliver one to our home state. Firefighting and life-saving missions hold a special place within the heart and values of our company. We appreciate the trust that the people of Colorado
AF 80 | aerialfiremag.com
have put in us, and plan to deliver a product unlike any other.” Senate Bill 21-113, signed by Governor Polis on March 21, 2021, authorized the purchase of the S-70i™ helicopter, capable of performing both firefighting and non-fire missions. Not only will the FIREHAWK® be an additional resource for aggressive and early initial attack on a wildfire, but it can also be used for longerduration wildfires in the state. “A State-owned aircraft will increase DFPC’s capacity to respond to wildfires on a year-round basis,” said Vince Welbaum, DFPC Aviation Unit Chief. With its multi-mission capabilities, this helicopter is able to be used across a plethora of missions within Colorado. It can be used from rockslide and avalanche prevention to wildlife counts and livestock preservation. The FIREHAWK® ® can continue to save lives through search and rescue and medical evacuation mission The aircraft is projected to be delivered to Centennial, Colorado, and United Rotorcraft in early 2022, at which point it will begin its transformation into an elite multi-mission, firefighting machine that will serve the residents of Colorado for many years into the future. DFPC anticipates the State will take delivery of the FIREHAWK® Helicopter sometime in the later part of 2022.
Helitow Cart Introduces Bell 505 Ground Handling Solution
Above: Helitow Cart has produced a tow vehicle specifically for the Bell 505 product that is now used for aerial firefighting. Helitow Cart photo.
Helitow Cart announced August 19th, 2021 that the company recently designed a ground handling solution ideal for the Bell 505. The V910 Heli-Carrier has a narrow body allowing it to easily slide under the aircraft and lift it completely, eliminating the need for ground handling wheels. Its extendable arms make it extremely easy to position under the aircraft and the Heli-Carrier systems use the counterweight balance to lift the helicopter, making it an effortless and safe one-person operation. The V910 is the perfect solution for private owners and light commercial operators moving aircraft on hard surfaces. “Over the years Heli-Lynx Helicopters has used various brands & models of helicopter
movers, the ease of use of the V910 has been a no-brainer for our operations. The increased ground clearance and great performance in winter operations made it an easy decision for us. We also recommend Helitow Cart products to our clients as the ease of operation, quality and efficiency is very good. We do appreciate the great support we receive from Helitow Cart with every order we place”, explains Bentley Thistlewaite of Heli-Lynx Helicopters. Helitow Cart offers a wide range of ground handling solutions for the Bell 505 and other aircraft. If you move your aircraft on grass, gravel, dirt, asphalt, snow or ice, Helitow Cart has the perfect equipment to make moving your helicopter easy and safe. aerialfiremag.com | AF 81
Viking and PAL Aerospace Sign DHC-6 Twin Otter Aerial Firefighting System Contract Above: Viking Aircraft has proposed making an aerial firefighting version of the DHC-6 Twin Otter
Viking Air Limited and PAL Aerospace Canada announced August 3, 2021 the establishment of a contract to support the Twin Otter Fire Attack System. The agreement’s scope includes the design, manufacturing, installation, and certification of the Aerial Firefighting System for the Twin Otter DHC-6 300 and 400 aircraft. It is anticipated that the Aerial Firefighting System will be certified in 2022 and an international customer will receive the first converted aircraft.
that would carry up to 700 gallons of water or retardant. Viking Aircraft photo.
This undertaking is a progressive effort between Viking and PAL Aerospace to build additional capabilities for the already versatile DHC-6 Twin Otter Series 300 and 400 aircraft. The Aerial Firefighting System will allow the Twin Otter to transition effortlessly between global firefighting missions and its more traditional mission profiles, including transporting passengers and cargo. The airtanker-configured Twin Otter aircraft will help mitigate and fight wildfires with the ability to drop up to 700 US gallons of water or retardant in challenging environments.
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Phillip Garbutt, PAL Aerospace Senior Vice President of Global Support said, “PAL Aerospace is proud to partner with Viking on this exciting project that supports innovation, economic growth, and supply chains in Canada. As an established DHC-6 Twin Otter Operator, we know firsthand the capability and versatility of the aircraft and consider it a privilege to bring our comprehensive design, engineering and modification capabilities to bear in developing this new capability.” “We are happy to work with PAL Aerospace to provide our operators the ability to utilize our DHC-6 Twin Otter for specialized aerial firefighting missions,” said Benjamin Carson, Director of Customer Support Operations, Viking. “As the OEM, we work to continuously enhance the aircraft we support, providing our customers with ongoing fleet sustainment activities and upgrades.”
aerialfiremag.com | AF 83
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