Helicopter entering the convention hall at HAI Heli-Expo in Dallas, March 4, 2022. Eurocopter EC 225 LP, N561AC. HAI photo.Today we are continuing an occasional weekend feature called Fire Traffic Area. This post serves as the beginning of an open thread where readers can leave comments about issues not yet covered — or maybe they have been covered. This is literally an off-topic thread. What do you think needs to be pointed out, asked, or discussed within the fire aviation community? You have the floor.
The usual rules about commenting apply. And remember, no personal attacks or politics, please.
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For those of you enthralled with aerial firefighting, particularly prop propulsion, here’s a link to an excellent advanced layperson’s introduction to CalFire’s S2T. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gELVzAvZBqY
Could you please state all the rules for flying drones at the start of fires and how it affects the ability of the fire departments to have timely water drops. Too many people still think it is okay to fly a drone into a fire area especially at the start before aircraft arrive. If I can have an official post I can show them it is a terrible idea. Thank You
Here’s how I judge Do’s & Dont’s. If in any shape or form it’s Questionable… don’t do it. Yea unless your name was Evil Knievel.
Cara,
Federal wildfire suppression agencies as well as State agencies with aerial suppression resources have a operating policy of shutting down the aerial suppression effort if a drone has been seen on a wildfire to prevent a collision in the airspace and protect the lives of the firefighting pilots. This can be returning to the airport or entering a holding pattern a safe distance from the incident. This can make a difference in successfully knocking the fire down or losing it. Worse is damage to personal property while the operation is shut down due to some fool that just wants to capture some video. As an Air Attack, I have had to coordinate a shutdown twice in my career and it is not only frustrating but often it is difficult to assure that the drone has been cleared unless they are caught.
Agencies are making sincere efforts to mitigate this through awareness campaigns however it is much more difficult to reach the population of drone “pilots” compared to licensed traditional pilots which was an issue years ago prior to and when the Fire Traffic Area became a reality.
Drone pilots stay away from wildfires unless authorized. You serve no useful purpose and you are in fact a nuisance.
I think it’s a great idea. This way, we can hear (read) what others in the field are thinking. Go for it.
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