Helicopters reloading with retardant at the Monument Fire, 2021. Image from Philip Blagg’s video, below.Philip Blagg recorded this video of two Type 1 helicopters operated by Columbia Helicopters as they refilled their buckets with retardant at a mobile fire retardant base on the Monument Fire in Northwest California. The exact date is uncertain, but probably early in September, 2021.
Edited to remove the word “Chinook.”
17 Comments
Not Chinooks. These a/c are Boeing Vertol 107s. In the military they were variously known as Sea Knight or Labrador. Similar twin rotor configuration as a Chinook but not nearly as big. Easily identified by the much smaller rear sponsons and single nose gear.
Right. Fixed it.
CH-46’s I believe
BV107s not CH47s
Those are not Chinooks, those are Vertol 107’s or CH-46s.
Sooo… How many additional water bombers does California need to keep up with the statewide fire demand?
That’s a neat video. It’s a pretty stiff little breeze those guys are dealing with.
I surely do admire the work those pilots do.
What are they? Anyway they are TYPE I copters. With retardant about 800 gallons.
Bucketeers!
CH 47 Chinook/234 – Two wheels up front
CH 46 Sea Knight/BV 107 -One nose wheel
The Navy/Marines retired the the 46 a while back while the 47 lives on in new models and upgrades.
Using helicopters to apply retardant is one of the most effective, tactically efficient methods available. There are logistics to overcome, but can be well worth the hassle and cost.
I worked a fire some years back on the south flank 0f mt. Adams. Fire had gotten established on a 1000 acre rock field, and we just kept losing ground every day with water drops. Air ops wanted to know of I would use retardant if he brought in a portable plant….hell yes…..
Took 1 full(and expensive) day to get mud on everything that was giving us trouble…..problem solved. Kept it checked up after that with the occasional drop or 2..
Small bucket (relatively) on a massive, expensive aircraft…..might be time for Columbia to get belly tanks sorted similar to the CH-47’s……
1200 Gallons for these Vertols. Being they dip closer to the fire, they drop magnitudes more in gallonage over fixed wing aircraft. For comparison a CALFIRE S-2T also carries 1200 gallons
More like 750, the hook weight spec is 15k but those aircraft are 2 tons heavier than a short 61 that can load 1000 gal.
I will take a self loading bucket on a long line over a belly tank on 80% of the drops.
Tanked drops get disbursed and have a wide footprint.
Control the speed and drop height with a bucket and you can get some pretty impressive penetration with that water/retardant column, often with pinpoint accuracy.
A shout out to all you longline pilots that do amazing work…it was always a pleasure watching you work !!
Just my impression after a fair amount of time directing and observing.
I recorded this on August 30 in Hayfork, CA
It is always great to watch those highly skilled 107 pilots working with such precision in windy conditions. They work many heavy lift jobs year around such as logging and equipment placement.
Thank you for the video.
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/42060/the-state-department-has-abandoned-its-ch-46-helicopters-in-afghanistan#:~:text=%22The%20Department%20left%20seven%20CH-46%20helicopters%20behind%20in,eventual%20destruction%20due%20to%20age%20and%20supportability%20issues.%22
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