Calfire Aircraft - Editor's Note: We would like to thank local middle school student Elijah Hunter for bringing this story to our attention via our tip email,
MENDOCINO Co., 6/28/20 - After a while, three Cal Fire helicopters landed on the newly constructed runway at the Ukiah Airport on Friday. A Grumman S-2 tracker, a Cal Fire firefighting helicopter, took off on the newly constructed 75-foot runway at the Ukiah Airport at 11:50 a.m., followed by a Cal Fire Observer aircraft, North America Rockwell OV-10 Bronco, at 11:24 am, and another Tracker at 1:30 pm.
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In previous years, a regular Cal Fire flight arrived in Ukiah on June 15, explained Ukiah Airport Manager Greg Owen. This year, they are scheduled to arrive on June 1st
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(As part of a new contract) but instead we held in Santa Rosa, when the paving of the runway was completed.
The last runway was paved in 1984, as explained in this book, and it is long overdue for a repeat. Owen explained: "Cracks, weeds, and rocks are already on it. "When I first rented it in 2008, this was one of the priorities."
However, the project will only be completed after twelve years of jumping through hoops and slogging through red tape. "The grant comes from the FAA [Federal Aviation Administration], so we have to do whatever they want," Owen said.
The airport had to complete the storm water drainage project in 2009, started the airport design plan in 2011, won the design award in 2016, and finally received the funding for the project in 2019.
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But when the award was given in November 2019, Granite Construction, the contractor, estimated that it would take several more months to complete in the winter.
Finally, the project started on May 4, 2020. It was an important work while the shelter was in place, it continued with a small hiccup, when the rain delayed the completion date by two weeks. Owen said the shelter in place really helped them, because the train wasn't that small anyway.
However, Owen is far from finished. "That's just the first phase." For the second phase, Owen wanted to narrow the runway and replace all the taxiway lights. He plans to apply for another FAA grant later this year. Copyright © 2023, Los Angeles Times | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | CA Receiving Notice | Do not sell or share my personal information
The fire started shortly after the sun had risen over a high road wall, which was far beyond the reach of firefighters.
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12:45 p.m. April 8, 2019 This story refers to the OV-10 Bronco helicopter as "bigger" than the S2-T tank. The OV-10 Bronco has a lower gross weight than the S2-T.
As powerful winds sent embers soaring into the Sierra Nevada foothills, and burned to the towns of Magalia, Concow and Paradise, fire crews frantically radioed for the planes.
But it will take about two hours for the first water-dropping aircraft to arrive, and about six hours for the first airships to be released to fight the fire, because of the dangerous storm.
Now, in the wake of the camp fire, which killed 85 people and caused up to $13 billion in damage, some say that Cal Fire's use of air conditioners is "wrong and inefficient."
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They emphasize that fixed airships are very vulnerable to blinding smoke and strong winds in high fire conditions.
Often fueled by high winds and humidity, the Camp Fire spread through the city of Paradise, California, on November 8.
For residents living in wildfire country, the sight of airplanes dropping bright pink clouds of fire and helicopters dropping water on the fire can bring hope and peace — regardless of their need to fight a fire. Similarly, the absence of an airplane in a forest fire will easily arouse opposition and public anger.
But the unexpected death and destruction that wildfires have brought to California over the past two years has highlighted the sharp limitations of aviation when fighting wildfire behavior.
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"There" why don't airships fly? Why don't you have 747s? 'As airplanes are a kind of miracle, "Dennis Brown, chief of aviation at the California Department of Fire and Fire Protection. "Whenever they' said. it is not necessary and sometimes they are useless. It is a risk rather than an opportunity. "
Officials said the department's air force can use brakes to slow the spread of a fire, or use water drops to put out spot lights and clear escape routes. However, firefighting planes are said to be no match for the wildfires that have killed more than 130 people and displaced 20,000 since October. 2017.
The inadequacies of the air-powered fighter jets were evident at the beginning of the camp.
Although the official cause of the fire remains under investigation, the fire started near the Pacific gas and electric transmission tower, and the utility announced that "it is possible that your facility will be determined to be the source of the fire."
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The fire started at 6:29 am. November 8 at a high point in a large river near the town of Pulga below the mountain. The staff said. Across the canyon floor, Cal Fire firefighter Matt McKenzie said he was desperate to stop the wildfire. The nearest access road is too high for your department's equipment, and it is possible that the fire could pass any ground crews who may be on foot.
At 6:45 a.m., McKenzie made a request to Cal Fire to receive a fleet of helicopters and boats earlier than scheduled. Cal Fire told drivers to be ready to fly at 8 a.m., due to red flag conditions.
Cal Fire Capt. Matt McKenzie was one of the first to report the fire at the Campground, which burned in an area inaccessible to firefighters on the ground.
Pilot Dave Kelly heard radio reports of fire and decided to leave for work early. He was alone in the S2-T tank when he lifted off at 7:44 am. This Wednesday morning. A larger OV-10 Bronco air attack plane that circled at high altitude, in order to control and coordinate the other light aircraft, was two minutes behind him.
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Kelly was the first pilot to fly over the Camp Fire as the smoke destroyed the sun and the wind carried pieces of vegetation and burning debris to the nearby towns of Paradise, Magalia and Concow, sparking new fires.
"It's just ... getting the crap knocked out of you, basically," Kelly said of flying in the middle of gusts of wind.
He first flew northeast to the source of the fire — at the mouth of a river canyon where he determined winds were blowing at nearly 60 mph — and knew that any fire retardant falling off his side did not. useful.
"It will probably still be in the air," said Kelly, who has been piloting tanks since the 2003 Southern California wildfires.
Shasta Trinity National Forest
He put his plane to the right and made a loop. He then went to the west side of the fire but found it too chaotic to release the obstacle. After that, he turned to the left and met him until he went to the east, to the other side of the fire.
Beneath his front, barely visible in the smoke, lay rows of unburnt buildings where he could release the sickly pink, his chemical compound making whatever he wore harder to burn.
When ships release fire extinguishers, the goal is to be as slow and small as possible, Kelly said. To do this, pilots will drag the plane's flaps all the way down - creating more space on the wings to increase air flow and give the pilot greater control - while turning on the throttle to drag lowering the tank to a family. draw as it flows through the air close to the target.
So Kelly put the flaps all the way down, step on the accelerator and try your way to paradise.
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Winds swirling over the Sierra Nevada mountains and up canyon walls are lifting Kelly's 30,000 pound vehicle when it should have dropped like a rock. Constantly blowing in the wind, Kelly had to give up the job. If he tries to approach in the opposite direction, the wind swirling over the mountains can push his plane to the ground without giving him time to react.
Kelly returned to the air base at 8:29 am, without releasing any hold on the fire. The air raid controller circling above announced that all fixed aircraft were grounded until further notice due to the conditions. Only the helicopters, which can operate in high winds, managed to operate during the fire and drop water on the transport routes to help the residents to escape.
"The hardest part is not being able to do your job," Kelly said. "Sitting on the floor, everyone on the radio crying. I'm listening to the people in the shelter and I know that people are going through such a traumatic event and you're just sitting there, helpless help."
Fires like the one that destroyed Paradise in November and Santa Rosa in 2017 don't stop growing until the wind.
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