Aerial Fire Summer 2018

agairupdate.com JUNE 2018

CHANGE IN THE AIR: Rethinking old strategies to win a new wildfire war

Tri-Rotor pilots save tractor driver Dauntless Air transitions new pilots to the Fire Boss Georgia Forestry Commission buys two Thrush Switchbacks

keep turning… in this issue Summer 2018

A special section devoted to aerial firefighting and forestry

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Change in the Air: Rethinking old strategies to win a new wildfire war Dauntless Air transitions new pilots to the Fire Boss Georgia Forestry Commission adds two Thrush 510G Switchbacks to fire fighting fleet Wipaire, Inc. welcomes Andrew San Giacomo Tri-Rotor pilots save tractor driver

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On the cover: Dauntless Air Fire Boss scoops from a lake in Spokane, Washington On this page: Dauntless Air Fire Boss completes a drop at 2018 training event.

See story on page 6F. Photos: Ike Isaacson, Isaacson Aerial Photography &

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Marc Mullis marc@agairupdate.com

from the SEAT

Active season; reduced contracts Most areas of the country have experienced a spring that has been much colder and wetter than normal. April snow was common with many locations breaking records for both low temperatures and heavy precipitation. This has not been the case in the Southern Plains and desert Southwest where severe drought set up over the winter months and combined with higher than normal temperatures led to elevated fire conditions since the beginning of the year. Several states in this region have had aerial assets in place since January. As summer approaches, conditions are only aggravated with West Texas and Southeast New Mexico not receiving any precipitation since last October. Oklahoma, the Texas Panhandle Kansas, and Eastern Colorado have received enough precipitation to initiate a green-up therefore lowering fire danger.

Sometimes one has to wonder about decisions made by fire managers. I was recently on an assignment with four other Single Engine Air Tankers (SEATs). We were working a fire about eighty miles from where we were based and management decided to move the reload base to a small airport closer to the fire. Each aircraft has a loading trailer assigned to it and we were only using two of them to load the five SEATs. The logical thing to do was to leave the two trailers at the original base and use two more at the new

base, but management insisted on moving everything. Well, you guessed it, a couple of days after the move a new fire broke out close to the first base and we were once again faced with long ferries.

Again, there will be no Exclusive Use SEAT contracts this year. The Department Of Interior (DOI) tried to pull a fast one and solicit bids on a contract that already existed. It did not take long for the General Accounting Office (GAO) to squelch that idea. Like last year, all SEATs will operate under the On Call Contract.

The United States Forest Service (USFS) has reduced the number of Exclusive Use Contracts for both the Heavy Air Tanker and the Type One Helicopter fleets. I can only speculate the reason for reductions is there are many more aircraft of both types available than were just a couple of years ago.

saw nothing but problems with this program from the inception. It would have placed the government in direct competition with private contractors and as public aircraft they would have not been required to comply with rigorous inspections and flight crew requirements, as do their counterparts in the private sector. I am confident that if they had proceeded there would have been numerous lawsuits filed.

As things are about to get busy, I hope everyone remembers the training we received during the off-season months. Be safe, prosperous and I hope to see you in the mountains one day.

Marc

It is forecast to be a very active fire season for the 2018. All Western States that experienced excess precipitation over the winter will have a heavy fuel build up which will lead to wildland fires that are more difficult to control.

The USFS has dropped its plan to operate its own fleet of Lockheed C-130 Air Tankers. I

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CHANGE IN THE AIR:

Rethinking old strategies to win a new wildfire war

by Brett L’Esperance, CEO, Dauntless Air

Today, U.S. wildfires burn on average more than three times the number of acres per fire than just a few decades ago. The increasing size and intensity has caused suppression and recovery costs to dramatically increase, culminating last year when the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) spent more money battling wildfires than it ever has – $2.4 billion. That’s a shocking amount of money. But even more shocking is the fact that in the coming years the wildfire threat is forecasted to only grow.

Climate scientists with the U.S. and Canadian Forest Services and University of Idaho estimate that by mid-century western parts of the U.S. could see up to a six-fold increase in the number of weeks during which weather conditions are favorable for very large fires (>5,000 hectares). This type of development isn’t new; already, wildfire seasons are 78 days longer than they were four decades ago.

Dauntless Air 2018 company photo.

Photo: Ike Isaacson Isaacson Aerial Photography

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The complexity and cost involved in battling larger wildfires is further compounded by the growing numbers of Americans establishing homes and businesses in the wildland-urban interface (WUI). Increasing development in the WUI requires more firefighting assets to protect widely dispersed people and property, which in turn drives up suppression costs.

In 10 of the last 13 years, wildfire suppression costs have greatly exceeded the overall USFS fire management budget. Each time this happens, the agency takes funding from forest health programs to pay its suppression bill—a budgetary practice called fire borrowing. Years of unintended fire borrowing has resulted in unhealthy landscapes flush with overgrown thickets that act as quick burning fuel for wildfires. As fires burn larger and suppression costs increase, we risk a parallel jump in the rate of fire borrowing, limiting funding for fuel removal tactics like prescribed burns and

forest thinning, therefore perpetuating the decline of our national wildlands.

Breaking or slowing this cycle will require more than a temporary budget fix like the 2018 legislation passed by the U.S. House of Representatives. To truly rein in costs and protect forest health, we need more costeffective wildfire response strategies that reliably contain small fires in the WUI before they escape and become larger, costlier disasters. By doing this, we put an end to fire borrowing and better safeguard funding for fuel removal tactics that reduce the threat of large fires not just for a single season but well into the future.

Each time a small wildfire is suppressed during initial response, agencies prevent greater devastation and millions more in associated costs. In fact, a USDA Audit Report found that when success rate of USFS

Dauntless Air Fire Bosses fly as a coordinated group during 2018 spring training.

Photo: Ike Isaacson Isaacson Aerial Photography

initial response dropped by 1.5% in 2007, it represented ~150 more fires that escaped containment and cost $300 million to $450 million to suppress. By avoiding decreases like this and improving initial response, USFS could generate hundreds of millions of dollars in savings (and given that this Audit Report took place more than 10 years ago, these potential savings would be even higher today).

However, the reality is that many aerial firefighting models are not optimized for initial response. Instead, firefighting aircraft are more often deployed when a fire has already escaped containment and grown into a larger, more expensive disaster. When this happens, typically large and very large air tankers (LATs and VLATs) conduct an indirect attack, dropping numerous loads of retardant around a fire to box in the threat. Turnaround time between drops often exceeds one to two hours due to procedures required for loading high volumes of retardants. Turnaround time may also be impacted by basing requirements, as large aircraft must operate out of large airports as opposed to smaller, regional bases typically closer to the WUI. As with all aircraft, turnaround time contributes to the overall length of a wildfire mission, which in turn increases aircraft operating costs.

When a small fire does break initial containment, LATs/VLATs play a critical suppression role, but at a high cost.

Significant acquisition, retrofitting and ongoing maintenance costs naturally limit the number of LATs/VLATs that are available for fire suppression. With at best a small number of large aircraft operating from limited bases, LATs/VLATs cannot be as widely distributed across a fire-prone region as smaller aircraft. Given the broadening geographic areas requiring potential fire suppression, and the limited number of LATs/ VLATs, there is simply too much ground to cover to ensure rapid initial response. This structural challenge plus high costs makes LATs/VLATs primarily suited for indirect attack on large fires.

While indirect attack will continue to play an important role in fighting big blazes, agencies must bolster rapid and direct initial air attack capability to quickly respond to and contain fire starts in the WUI when they are still small.

Otherwise, small wildfires will increasingly become large disasters that require many millions of dollars to suppress.

To transform aerial firefighting for today’s environment, numerous forward-attack

aircraft, like the Air Tractor AT-802F Fire Boss, are needed for their ability to be widely based across a fire-prone region, putting them closer to potential fire starts in the WUI. This proximity, plus their swift takeoff capability, allows Fire Bosses to quickly arrive at a scene where they nimbly maneuver a fire’s frontline, dropping continuous loads of water, foam, gel or retardant. These aircraft can rapidly reload in between drops, returning to small, regional airports or scooping directly from a nearby water source. Given that at least two-thirds of historical fires in the U.S. have been within ten miles of a scooper-accessible water source, there is undeniable value in using a network of Fire Bosses to improve the effectiveness of initial response, resulting in shorter, less costly aerial suppression missions. By using this strategy, we can better avoid large, multi-million-dollar wildfires, reduce the need for fire borrowing and return critical funds to forest health management programs that can help reduce the threat of megafire for years to come.

Given these challenges, we recently made a series of advances to better prepare our company to make a lasting difference. We rebranded from Aero Spray to Dauntless Air to reflect our focus on aerial firefighting and

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our resolute commitment to protect people, land and property from the devastation of wildfires. As the owner of the country’s largest and most advanced Fire Boss fleet, we brought on new aircraft and ground support vehicles and reinforced our foundation as a growing business by deploying new administrative and technology support systems that will drive next-level efficiency and excellence.

The sum of these changes moves us closer to achieving our vision of winning the war against wildfires. At Dauntless, we believe this vision is obtainable, but only if our country is willing to rethink traditional approaches and embrace modern aerial firefighting strategies that focus on rapidly and reliably knocking down small fires in the WUI during initial response.

ABOUT

Dauntless Air is an aerial firefighting company deeply dedicated to protecting people, land and property from the devastation of wildfires. Learn more about us and download our vision paper “Transforming Aerial Firefighting for a Changing Environment” at www.dauntlessair.com.

Dauntless Air Fire Boss conducts practice drop in Spokane, Washington.

Photo: Ike Isaacson Isaacson Aerial Photography

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formerly Aero Spray

Dauntless Air is an aerial firefighting company that exists to protect people, land and property. We fly to win the war against wildfires.

To learn more, visit our website at

dauntlessair.com and download our new vision paper, Transforming Aerial Firefighting for a Changing Environment, or reach out to us at

320-297-9088 to find out how you can strengthen your initial response and direct air attack capabilities.

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Dauntless Air transitions new pilots to the Fire Boss

by Bill Lavender

Dauntless Air and Fire Boss LLC, an affiliated company of Wipaire Inc., all based in Minnesota, have teamed up to provide training for Dauntless Air’s Fire Boss pilots this spring. Fire Boss LLC takes single or dual-seat Air Tractor AT-802Fs and converts them into a Fire Boss by adding Wipline 10000A scooping floats, fire gates and other specialized equipment to make it a cost-efficient direct attack single engine aerial firefighter. Wipaire’s Dale Fehrenbach, Director of Sales and Flight Operations was on hand during the training for factory support of the Fire Boss with Wipline 10000 floats. The training was based at Wipaire’s Leesburg, Florida service center hangar and the surrounding area. The Leesburg area is ideal for float plane operations with numerous large lakes in the vicinity.

Dauntless Air conducts Fire Boss initial training for its new Fire Boss pilots that meets the requirements of the Department of Interior’s Office of Aviation Services (OAS) for float pilot carding to fight wildfires managed by the federal government. The OAS was established by the Secretary of the Interior on July 1, 1973 to “Raise the safety standards, increase the efficiency and promote the economical operation of aircraft activities in the Department of the Interior. OAS’s vision

is to attain and sustain zero aircraft accidents across the Department of Interior.”

For 2018, the Dauntless Air training course has had seven pilots carded by the OAS after completing an approximate 10-flight hour course that can vary depending on the pilot. Pilots that are carded by the OAS must have a minimum of 1,500 hours total time of which 200 hours must be considered low level and of those hours, at least 100 hours of ag time with 50 hours of aircraft on floats time. Low level flight time is time spent working an aircraft below 500 feet. Causal flights do not count towards the required time. Dauntless Air Fire Boss pilots during a typical fire season can log from 150 to 250 hours, depending on the number and intensity of fires.

Dauntless Air’s Director of Operations and Chief Pilot Jesse Weaver assisted Dauntless Air’s Director of Training Steve Bailey during the training with flight and ground instruction for both experienced “wheeled” AT-802 pilots’ and brand new to the industry pilots for the transition into the Fire Boss to fly for Dauntless Air. The seven recently carded Dauntless Air Fire Boss pilots each received approximately 10 hours of flight time, as well as structured

The last two Fire Boss transition pilots for Dauntless Air before the start of the 2018 fire season: (L-R) Kevin Maheu and John Thomas. ground training. For carding, the pilots must be able to demonstrate to the OAS inspector the ability to make the following three types of drops: Full Salvos, Split and Emergency dumps. Scooping techniques are also evaluated during the fill for each drop.

According to OAS Fleet Operations Inspector Bill James, based in Atlanta, “I’m looking for smoothness when scooping and dropping the load without the aircraft oscillating, or porpoising, during the maneuver.” OAS carding is required to fly on federal fires.

While training in the Leesburg area, the new Dauntless Air Fire Boss pilots are under the direct supervision and instruction of Steve Bailey. Steve comes to Dauntless Air with a military background training T-38 Talon pilots. He has been flying a Fire Boss for four years.

(L-R) William “Bill” James, Jesse Weaver, Steve Bailey, Kevin Maheu, John Thomas and Dale Fehrenbach pose in front of a Dauntless Air Fire Boss on the Wipaire ramp at the Leesburg, Florida airport (KLEE).

Wipaire maintains a service center for the Fire Boss, Viking and Cessna Caravan aircraft outfitted with Wipaire floats. &

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Jesse Weaver has a solid background in aerial firefighting. He started out with Jim Pierce while based in Arizona, and he flew his first AT-802 SEAT in 2004. Jesse started flying the Fire Boss while working with John Schwenk of Aero Spray based in Minnesota in 2007. 2018 will be his 15th season fighting fires and his 12th in a Fire Boss.

With the combination of Jesse’s more than a decade of real time Fire Boss flying and

the structured instruction that Steve offers, the new Fire Boss pilots are exposed to two different training methods that help them grasp the basics of float plane firefighting.

As fire pressure increases, the fire season for Dauntless Air moves from Minnesota to Alaska and then into the Pacific Northwest.

Starting the first of April through mid-tolate October, Dauntless Air has its aircraft on Exclusive Use and On Call contracts throughout these fire regions.

The seven new Fire Boss pilots will join other Dauntless Air Fire Boss pilots and crews in Deer Park, Washington. Here, pilots and crew chiefs will train together in preparation for the fire season. Experienced Fire Boss pilots will go through refresher training to insure safety. The new Fire Boss pilots will start their season in Minnesota almost immediately.

They will be paired with experienced Fire Boss pilots as they build time and experience.

“I like to take new Fire Boss pilots to Alaska with me,” says Jesse. “After they have gotten a better feel for the aircraft flying in Minnesota, I’m comfortable letting

Jesse Weaver gives final instructions to pilot John Thomas who is about to depart for the Tavares Seaplane Base and Marina (FA1) on Florida’s Lake Dora for his Department of Interior’s Office of Aviation Services’ checkride that will make him a “carded” firefighting pilot for the Fire Boss. John already had flight experience in the military, as well as aerial firefighting and row crop spraying in the AT-802 for approximately eight years. them fly with me there. Alaska has a very diverse environment for flying the Fire Boss, from lakes in between mountains, sloughs and shallow ponds, long distance mission planning, to high density altitude calculations, to a mixed bag of weather. I feel a new Fire Boss pilot has just about seen it all after a season in Alaska.”

It is evident Dauntless Air values a strong training regime for its pilots. The AT-802 Air Tractor mounted on a set of Wipline floats can be an intimidating machine, not one that just any pilot can fly. This is particularly true when performing maneuvers required of an amphibious firefighting aircraft like the Fire Boss.

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Georgia Forestry Commission adds two Thrush 510G Switchbacks to fire fighting fleet

by Bill Lavender

Recently, the Georgia Forestry Commission advanced its aerial firefighting program with the purchase of two new 510G Switchback Thrushes. The aircraft were introduced to Georgia Forestry Commission’s Air Operations Supervisor, Clay Chatham, during a Thrush Summer Tour in 2015 by the late Frankie Williams of Souther Field Aviation in Americus, Georgia.

With a background in aviation as a pilot, Chatham flew patrol for the Georgia Forestry Commission for six years before becoming the Air Operations Supervisor. “The Commission selected the Switchback primarily for its local support infrastructure. It was impressed with the longevity of the maintenance cycles.

Frankie sat down with me to go over the pros and cons of the aircraft. He was certainly a big part in our decision to go with the Georgia-based company Thrush Aircraft. We were going to need the close-by maintenance support that Souther Field could provide if needed and also, we were going to need the extensive training program offered in Albany [Georgia] by Thrush Aircraft,” explained Chatham.

The Georgia Forestry Commission’s Air Operations use an aggressive approach by outfitting the Switchbacks with the latest

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Thrush Aircraft Flight Instructor Bob DeRossierr seated in rear cockpit of the Georgia Forestry Commission’s new Switchback Thrush at the Thrush Aircraft factory in Albany, Georgia with Georgia Forestry Commission’s Air Operations Supervisor, Clay Chatham. technology. Each aircraft is well-equipped with a Garmin G5 electronic flight instrument and Max-Viz Enhanced Vision Systems (EVS) that use infrared cameras. This aid allows the pilot to see better in smoky conditions, including light fog and smog. The fire’s signature of infrared rays are displayed on the DynaNav GPS screen in the cockpit.

Other equipment includes FM and VHF avionics, dual cockpit with full dual controls and a Transland/DynaNav controller for the unique Switchback fire gate. One of the advantages of the Switchback is its ability to convert in a matter of hours from a firefighting configuration to ag spraying. Although the Commission will not use the aircraft for

spraying, it is outfitted as such to improve resale value. The DynaNav controller has the capability to make successive drops between aircraft by transmitting data inflight.

The two Switchbacks were bought with a OneGeorgia grant (an economic development, growth and expansion effort) that includes aircraft and training, both transition and Single Engine Air Tanker (SEAT) operations.

Thrush Aircraft is providing the training through its educational programs).

Georgia Forestry Commission Switchback pilots’ training starts with the aircraft’s airframe familiarization and turbine transition to proficiency, typically taking about four weeks with 5-6 hours in the Thrush simulator, 12 hours of classroom time and 5-7 hours of flight time in the Switchback.

The SEAT training program is 40 hours minimum and mirrored after the federal SEAT training program. Eventually, says Chatham, the Commission’s SEAT program will qualify for federal carding. This will allow the aircraft to participate in federal fires on Georgia land. An example of this is the

(L-R) Flight Instructor Bob DeRossierr, Director of Training Robert Garrett, Test Pilot/Flight Instructor Terry Humphrey and Test Pilot/Flight Instructor Matt Wilson in front of the Thrush 510 Simulator used for training at Thrush Aircraft in Albany, Georgia. large fires in the 483,000-acre Okefenokee Swamp in years past.

Including two Switchbacks, Air Operations utilizes 20 aircraft and up to 35 pilots, many working part-time during the fire season.

These are 16 Cessna C-182s, one Super Decathlon, two Thrush Switchbacks and one Bell 407. The Super Decathlon is used for patrol, currency and tailwheel training. The Bell 407 is outfitted with a Bambi bucket and is hangared at the main base in Macon.

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With this many aircraft in the fleet, the Commission follows a general aircraft replacement policy for aircraft with more than 10,000 hours and/or 30 years old.

The Georgia Forestry Commission Air Operations Program operates from seven hangars strategically positioned throughout the state with one based in Macon, Georgia (KMAC) for its base of operations. Other

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locations include airports at Fulton County, Athens, Eastman, Waycross, Camilla and Statesboro. Although fires are fought throughout the state, the most numerous are in the northwestern area with its forests and southeastern area with its pine plantations.

“The safety of the missions shall be the first consideration and final criteria for any flight operations. We also will provide each crew member shall be provided the opportunity for eight hours of uninterrupted rest in any 24-hour period.”

Initially, Air Operations’ Switchbacks will depend on local fire departments for ground support. Eventually, Air Operations will have designated support equipment. Depending on the need, both water and fire suppressor/retardant will be used to extinguish fires. Retardant/ suppressor products will be applied through the 20-gallon hopper rinse tank of the Switchbacks or through a ground based mixing system for products that won’t work with the aircraft’s rinse tank.

The Georgia Forestry Commission’s Air Operations Switchback pilots will experience a high degree of training from Thrush Aircraft between now and when the fall fire season starts. This will include simulator time, practice drops and actual small fire suppression. Although a SEAT operation is new to the Commission, its pilots and Air Operations Supervisor are well-positioned to conduct a safe and successful program.

For all its efforts, Georgians will rest easier knowing aerial firefighting is readily available.

The Switchbacks will be based as needed from any one of the seven bases. This will allow the aircraft be on a fire anywhere in Georgia in less than an hour. Beginning in the fall of 2018, they aircraft will be in full operational mode, on-call seven days a week. Two pilots will be assigned, one for each aircraft. Eight pilots will be trained to fly the Switchbacks, with all coming from the patrol division with 9-12 years of flying experience with Air Operations.

The pilots will follow FAA Part 135 flight crew duty time requirements. Per Chatham, “Flight crew time should normally not exceed eight hours total flight time or five hours Night Vision Goggle (NVG) time in a helicopter or seven hours NVG time in a fixed wing airplane with operable autopilot in any 24-hour period. However, in a time of extreme operational circumstance, such as a natural disaster or emergency, a forestry pilot may exceed these 24-hour restrictions. The pilot’s will not exceed 10 flight hours or be in a flight duty status more than 16 hours in a 24-hour period without the prior approval.

“It will be the responsibility of the pilot-in-command to determine if he and his crew have reached an unsafe fatigue level even prior to attaining the maximum eight flight hours within a 24-hour period. With the exception of emergencies, no flights shall be scheduled for a period of 12 hours following a flight terminating after 24 hours.

call us for your next S.E.A.T. aircraft

Lane Aviation, Inc. “Specializing in Turbine and Piston Air Tractors”

888-995-5263 281-342-5451 TEL • 281-232-5401 FAX

glane@laneav.com • www.laneav.com Summer 2018

AFF-15

Wipaire, Inc. welcomes Andrew San Giacomo

Powered by a 1600 HP Pratt & Whitney Engine

Over 80 Operating Worldwide

Montenegro

Spain

Australia

Canada United States Macedonia Argentina

651.209.7191

www.firebossllc.com

1700 Henry Avenue — Fleming Field South, St. Paul, MN 55075

&

AFF-16

A E R I A L

F I R E F I G H T I N G ’ S

N E W S P A P E R

SOUTH SAINT PAUL, MN— Wipaire, Inc.® has welcomed Andrew San Giacomo as Director of Aircraft Services with oversight of Wipaire’s wide range of services.

Andrew will lead and manage teams in Minnesota specializing in aircraft maintenance, avionics repair and installation, paint refinishing, and custom interiors. His responsibilities will include ensuring Wipaire’s high standards for safety and quality are met, along with maintaining compliance with Federal Aviation Administration regulations and all other applicable regulatory agencies.

“Wipaire has a strong, nearly 60-year history of delivering quality, innovative products with a reputation for reliability,” Tim Hendrickson, Wipaire’s Chief Operating Officer, commented. “Our services are an integral component of this delivery process, and are key to continuing to deliver excellent experiences to our customers. Andrew’s strong background in leadership, customer service, and quality make him a great asset to us and our customers.”

“Building on Wipaire’s history of quality and innovation and further enhancing our customer experience is something I look forward to,” Andrew added. “I’m passionate about the aviation industry and am excited to work on developing our talented employee base while refining our processes and procedures to deliver a great experience in addition to a great product.”

Andrew previously held positions at companies such as Chart Industries, Cirrus Aircraft, and the QC Group, where he managed diverse teams and complex projects across multiple states and countries. He holds a bachelor of aerospace engineering and mechanics degree from the University of Minnesota.

About Wipaire, Inc.

For over 55 years, Wipaire has been engineering and manufacturing a full line of aircraft floats for all sizes of aircraft from the Piper Cub to the Viking Twin Otter, including most single engine Cessna aircraft.

In addition, Wipaire has engineered over 100 Supplemental Type Certificated modifications for improved performance, convenience, and reliability. As a leading aircraft service provider, Wipaire offers maintenance, avionics installation and repair, custom interior design and installation, and exterior paint refinishing across locations in South Saint Paul, Minnesota, and Leesburg, Florida. Wipaire is recognized for its quality products and engineering expertise worldwide.

2018 AERIAL FIREFIGHTING NORTH AMERICA | SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA

Summer 2018

AFF-17

Tri-Rotor pilots save tractor driver

by Andrew Reimer

April 18 there was a grass fire in the sandhills started by ATVs south of the Arkansas River, approximately 10 miles southwest of Lakin, Kansas. Larry Smith, Tri-Rotor Spray and Chemical, was driving on Highway 50 west of Lakin and saw the fire before anyone at the Tri-Rotor Lakin operation (approximately 10 miles southeast of the fire) was aware of it. The Tri-Rotor pilots were caught up on spraying and were working around the shop, getting ready for the season to get busy.

Larry notified the pilots of the fire and to start getting airplanes filled with water and fueled. Andrew Reimer piloted an AT-802, Scott Oliphant in another AT-802 and Eric German was in a 660 Thrush. The Thrush had previously been fire carded but has been used only for spraying the last 15 years; neither of the AT-802s were carded.

At the time of the fire, winds were north-tonorthwest at 30 to 40 mph. Tri-Rotor made contact with the local fire department, who said they could use all the help they could get. The three pilots took off with their first loads around 2 pm. Each airplane made 8-10 drops on and around the fire for a total of around 18,000 gallons of water.

Smoke plumes of sandhills fire. &

AFF-18

A E R I A L

F I R E F I G H T I N G ’ S

N E W S P A P E R

Larry and his son, Bryan Smith, were in their pickups at the fire directing the pilots on where the fire department and local farmers on tractors with discs wanted the water dropped. There were approximately five tractors with harrowing discs working to contain the fire. However, in the sandhills sand will easily give way causing the tractors to bury themselves up to their axles getting stuck, especially when working uphill.

Several tractors got stuck. When that happened, the Tri-Rotor pilots focused their drops on the fire line next to the stuck tractor. This gave the tractor driver time to unstick the tractor.

Later that evening once the fire had been extinguished, Larry got a call from the mother of one of the tractor drivers. She told him how grateful she was that we saved her son’s life. The son said when he got stuck the fire coming right at him. He didn’t know how he was going to get out of the fire, when all of a sudden one of Tri-Rotor’s airplanes came over the top of the hill and dumped water on and around him.

Tri-Rotor is headquartered near Ulysses, Kansas with locations in Lakin, Hugoton and

A Tri-Rotor Thrush 660 makes a water drop over smoking grasslands in the sandhills of Lakin, Kansas, possibly saving a tractor driver’s life.

Montezuma Kansas, Guymon and Texhoma Oklahoma, Yuma and Buckeye, Arizona and Brawley, California. The company operates two AT-802s, a 660 Thrush, AT-602, 510 Thrush, two AT-502s, two AT-402s, two Cessna C-188s, six Bell OH58s and two Bell 206 Jet Rangers. The company has been in business since 1980. Tri-Rotor considered its efforts in the sandhill fire a donated community service.

Frost Flying inc.

Your

STRIKEDealer!

Delivering Firefighting Aircraft Worldwide! compro AGRINAUTICS WeathAero

Jack Frost 3393 Hwy 121 West Marianna, AR 72360

corrosion X Breckenridge

870-295-6213

Parts 870-295-6218 Tel 870-295-6213 Fax 870-295-6674 frostparts@hotmail.com

Summer 2018

AFF-19