Australian Fires
Joined: Sep 2002
Aviation Qualifications: CPL
Posts: 4,721
Likes: 636
From: Great South East, tired and retired
That Mil is similar to an A109, in that its weight never changes with fuel burn - it just gets deposited as soot further down the aircraft.
And no, the aviators had nothing to do with the camera design or anything else on the Channel 9 birds. The ground engineers did it all with lashings of cast iron and steel, no light materials or aviation-type electronics. That's why the pilot is smiling.
And no, the aviators had nothing to do with the camera design or anything else on the Channel 9 birds. The ground engineers did it all with lashings of cast iron and steel, no light materials or aviation-type electronics. That's why the pilot is smiling.
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 900
Likes: 26
From: The Wild West... and Oz
Some pics from recent weeks...
Helitak 335 landing at Ovens Airbase
Heading home after a day dropping water in the Chesthunt area, N. Victoria
B3 with new Aussie built Helitak 1000 litre belly tank
Fire south of Mansfield, Victoria
Helitak 335 landing at Ovens Airbase
Heading home after a day dropping water in the Chesthunt area, N. Victoria
B3 with new Aussie built Helitak 1000 litre belly tank
Fire south of Mansfield, Victoria
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 12
Likes: 0
From: Australia
Jason S. email [email protected]
Got one myself, brilliant piece of gear, great drop pattern and pump fills up Squirrel in about 20secs
Easy put on and off (15 mins) variable fill and drop
Got one myself, brilliant piece of gear, great drop pattern and pump fills up Squirrel in about 20secs
Easy put on and off (15 mins) variable fill and drop
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 900
Likes: 26
From: The Wild West... and Oz
A few more from recent times...
Now thats a bucket... Well known pilot and local idendity from Albury (and part-time Warbird flyer
) JM from Forest-Air, inspects Coulson's "Big" Bambi-bucket on there S-61
Coulson's S-61 lifts off from Wangaratta airport heading south to the King Valley
Now thats a bucket... Well known pilot and local idendity from Albury (and part-time Warbird flyer
) JM from Forest-Air, inspects Coulson's "Big" Bambi-bucket on there S-61Coulson's S-61 lifts off from Wangaratta airport heading south to the King Valley
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 36
Likes: 0
From: Melbourne
Hi there,
Great photo's as usual and interesting closeups of the equipment on the ground.
Dumb question, but how are the aircraft shipped down from North America and Canada? are they flown or transported by other methods?
All the best and good luck to all those involved in the fire fighting efforts, I flew over the area in December and the scene from a commercial jet is vivid enough at night, I can't imagine 200 ft above it at any time of the day...
Great photo's as usual and interesting closeups of the equipment on the ground.
Dumb question, but how are the aircraft shipped down from North America and Canada? are they flown or transported by other methods?
All the best and good luck to all those involved in the fire fighting efforts, I flew over the area in December and the scene from a commercial jet is vivid enough at night, I can't imagine 200 ft above it at any time of the day...
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 900
Likes: 26
From: The Wild West... and Oz
For those interested in the Oz built Firetak belly tank on the Squirrel, a little video of a test flight done after maintenance on the tank. Tank was only half full on each drop.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGBWG5ET3V8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGBWG5ET3V8
Joined: Aug 1999
Aviation Qualifications: ATP+Mil
Posts: 4,411
Likes: 83
From: Gold Coast, Australia
Some photos from the Bega fires:
The helipad, 11 helitacks and 3 firebirds: long walk for the last to arrive!
Tim Turner contemplating: beer, wash tailboom. No contest, really
Dave from Wildcat, trying to hit the earth with the Bambi
Another Wildcat 212, outbound for the fireground
Dave, again
Fairly typical NSW water hole: no good not having at least a 100' line!
The helipad
The helipad, 11 helitacks and 3 firebirds: long walk for the last to arrive!
Tim Turner contemplating: beer, wash tailboom. No contest, really
Dave from Wildcat, trying to hit the earth with the Bambi
Another Wildcat 212, outbound for the fireground
Dave, again
Fairly typical NSW water hole: no good not having at least a 100' line!
The helipad
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 358
Likes: 0
From: On the move...
Thoughts on Co-Pilots...
Gents, in the latest Heli-News, Rose Mc (President of HAA) is quoted as saying that she would like to see co-pilots involved in the air at the fire ground as a way of giving lower hour pilots experience and/or hours.
Your thoughts, not of Rose, but the ideas associated with co-eys at/on the fire ground, good bad or otherwise...
Your thoughts, not of Rose, but the ideas associated with co-eys at/on the fire ground, good bad or otherwise...
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 75
Likes: 0
From: Australia
Mount Kuring-gai Fire
Quite a rather large fire burning in the Mount Kuring-gai Hornsby area.
Following aircraft working on this fire is as follows
Helitak 227 BK117 BKE
Helitak 402 B214 N49732
Helitak 720 CH-54 N720HT
Helitak 274 B212 C-FCAN
Helitak 746 S-64 N194AC
Firebird 277 206L SHK
Firebird 767 206L WLI
Firebird 242 AS350 UTM
Fireair 1 BK117 PHZ
Following aircraft working on this fire is as follows
Helitak 227 BK117 BKE
Helitak 402 B214 N49732
Helitak 720 CH-54 N720HT
Helitak 274 B212 C-FCAN
Helitak 746 S-64 N194AC
Firebird 277 206L SHK
Firebird 767 206L WLI
Firebird 242 AS350 UTM
Fireair 1 BK117 PHZ
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 900
Likes: 26
From: The Wild West... and Oz
Walsh's airstrip, Mansfield Victoria
A couple of pics from the weekend..
One of CHC's 212's loads US fire-fighters to be dropped off in the hills near Mansfield
Helitak 332 departs Walsh's airstrip. Coulsons S-61 on standby in the background
One of CHC's 212's loads US fire-fighters to be dropped off in the hills near Mansfield
Helitak 332 departs Walsh's airstrip. Coulsons S-61 on standby in the background
