A pilot on the Horse Gulch Fire in Montana died Wednesday when  her single-engine airtanker (SEAT) crashed into Hauser Lake. Lewis and Clark Co. Sheriff/Coroner Leo Dutton says the 45-year-old pilot was the only person onboard. Sheriff Dutton has not released the identity of the pilot pending notification of her family, who do not all … The post SEAT crashes in Montana reservoir appeared first on Fire Aviation ..read more

Aero Union’s Past Demonstrated Ability We received this lovely little piece of historical documentation of the tanker operations — for 37 years — of Aero Union’s fleet, including its P-3 Orions flying out of Chico in northern California. The much-missed red/white P-3 ships were the last of a long line of Aero Union’s many airtankers, … The post Aero Union 1960 – 1997 appeared first on Fire Aviation ..read more

The post ON THIS DAY: McGrath BLM DC-3 in 2021 appeared first on Fire Aviation ..read more

The CBC reported that a fire pilot with no passengers went down Friday in a Bell B212 near Fort Good Hope, Northwest Territories. Fire information officer Mike Westwick said the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the Transportation Board of Canada (TSB) are responding to the incident. The Canadian Press reported Tuesday evening that Great … The post Fire helicopter down in Northwest Territories appeared first on Fire Aviation ..read more

The NTSB and other federal officials are looking into a plane crash that occurred Friday near Capitan, New Mexico.  KRQE-TV said the Coastal Airstrike team confirmed the pilot was Ronald “Van” Patton, who was not involved in firefighting on the South Fork Fire or the Salt Fire near Ruidoso but was on a ferry flight … The post SEAT pilot down in New Mexico appeared first on Fire Aviation ..read more

Both of these spectacular shots were named “photo of the week” by the editor of Vertical Magazine. The only information or credits available is the caption here below each photo. If you know the location or the name of the fire or the pilot, please use the “Contact Us” link at the top of the … The post Photo of the week: twice! appeared first on Fire Aviation ..read more

 ~ By Chuck Sheley, retired smokejumper (Cave Junction 1959) and current NSA Smokejumper Magazine editor As part of our family drove along the Lahaina Bypass Road on July 5, 2023, I mentioned to my son that I had never seen things so dry in the 20+ years that we have been going to Maui. The … The post LAHAINA FIRE: The failure of fire, law enforcement, and other agencies at the 2023 Maui fires appeared first on Fire Aviation ..read more

Australia is expanding its aerial firefighting fleet to include multi-use aircraft to respond not just to fires but also to natural disasters such as floods and major storms. abc.net.au reported that longer and overlapping fire seasons are increasing  pressure on the country’s firefighting fleet. The new federal budget includes an extra $35 million to source … The post Australia’s firefighting fleet expanding appeared first on Fire Aviation ..read more

In northern California tomorrow, PG&E and Cal Fire / Butte County Fire will request from the county Board of Supervisors authorization for the use of a contract firefighting helicopter. PG&E has an existing contract with PJ Helicopters out of Red Bluff, which would provide the aircraft to PG&E and the county. KRCR-TV spoke with Cal … The post Butte County Fire partners with PG&E on firefighting helicopter appeared first on Fire Aviation ..read more

Marc Anderson’s got a priceless collection of aviator photos on his facebook page, quite a few of which are Jerry Ogawa photos, including a few below. THANKS Marc and Jerry both! The post Flash from the past appeared first on Fire Aviation ..read more