As Canada braces for what’s expected to be an incredibly active wildfire season, Abbotsford, B.C., company Conair is hustling to train aerial firefighters. The National’s Ian Hanomansing spends a day in the cockpit learning what it takes to fight fires from the sky. Take a look at the video featuring Conair at CBC Canada ..read more

Two aerial firefighting jets, including one based in Missoula, have been grounded because of corrosion apparently caused by a new fire retardant the U.S. Forest Service approved for use beginning last year. Two large air tankers — mid-size passenger jets converted to carry 3,000 gallons of retardant each — used a magnesium chloride fire retardant product while fighting wildfires last year. Both are grounded pending a joint investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board, National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Forest Service. Read more on this story from The Missou ..read more

NASA and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have established a research transition team to guide the development of wildland fire technology. Wildland fires are occurring more frequently and at a larger scale than in past decades, according to the U.S. Forest Service. Emergency responders will need a broader set of technologies to prevent, monitor, and fight these growing fires more effectively. Under this Wildland Fire Airspace Operations research transition team, NASA and the FAA will develop concepts and test new technologies to improve airspace integration. Current aerial firefight ..read more

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — News5 got an up close look at how the Air Force Reserve helps fight wildfires. Friday, we were shown how equipment is installed into their tankers for water and retardant drops. The 302nd operations group travels around the nation to help fight wildfires from the skies. They are preparing for the summer fire season by taking part in a week long training in California. Read more on this story at KOAA.com ..read more

On April 19th, 2024, the Spanish government announced that the European nation would add seven DHC-515 aircraft to their amphibious water bombing fleet. The purchase comes as part of a $375 million Euro upgrade of the country’s firefighting capabilities. The purchase comes as part of the larger RescEU arrangement between European countries around the Mediterranean area to provide mutual aid throughout the region that has allocated over 600 million Euro to the project to procure more than 20 aircraft spread throughout the region that includes France, Croatia, Italy, Portugal, and Spain. Spain ..read more

Photos by Steve Nelson, AerialFire photographer On Wednesday, April 17, 2024, the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control (DFPC) presented Colorado’s 2024 Wildfire Preparedness Plan to Governor Jared Polis during an event at Rocky Mountain Metro Airport in Broomfield, Colorado. Governor Jared Polis and other government officials at yesterday’s DFPC presentation. Photo by Steve Nelson The event showcased several aircraft the DFPC plans to deploy this year, including SEATs, the department’s PC-12, and their newest asset, a Sikorsky S-70M Firehawk, one of two aircraft ordered by the ..read more

After a year of delays, Colorado’s Department of Fire Prevention and Control’s (DFPC) new Firehawk will make its first official flight, albeit a short one, from Denver’s Centennial Airport to Rocky Mountain Metro Airport for a press event with Governor Jared Polis Wednesday. Completed by United Rotorcraft, the new S-70i Firehawk has been tied up in numerous delays for over a year from its original delivery date after the order was made in 2021 to purchase the aircraft for $24 million from United Rotorcraft. The helicopter will be one of two ordered by the State of Colorado, adding two helicop ..read more

COLONIE — New York Army National Guard crews piloted a Black Hawk helicopter along the Mohawk River on Monday to practice filling the aerial water buckets to douse wildfires. The noon to 4 p.m. exercise was based at Colonie Town Park on North Schermerhorn Road. Helicopter crews skimmed the river’s surface to fill Bambi Buckets with 660 gallons of water — with a weight of nearly 2.8 tons — and then dropped the payload back into the river. Read more on this story at the Times Union ..read more

BOWLING GREEN, KY – (April 15, 2024): Recoil Aerospace is proud to announce the successful certification of its T1000-E Aerial Fire Suppression System (AFSS) by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for installation on Airbus Super Puma series helicopters. This achievement marks a significant milestone in aerial firefighting technology, positioning Recoil as a leader in innovative solutions for combating wildfires. “We are confident that the T1000-E will set a new standard in aerial firefighting,” said Joseph Rice, President of Recoil Aerospace. “With its innovative fe ..read more

Entrol, the manufacturer of EASA and FAA certified FNPT, FTD and AATD flight simulators, will open its own maintenance center in the Americas in September 2024. The company has made a strong commitment to this continent, where it plans to install about four flight simulators between this year and the next one. The company is currently constituting Entrol America, a fully owned subsidiary, under which it will open its own facilities in Monterrey, Mexico, and from where the firm will be offering services to its customers in the continent. “Entrol America is expected to be established during the ..read more