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Chinook displays night-time skills for RFS

NSW RFS Chinook CH-47D. Photo: NSWRFS.

Australian firefighting moved a step closer to round the clock aerial operations with the NSW Rural Fire Service owned CH-47D Chinook helicopter successfully completing its first night-time waterbombing operations.

The aircraft was deployed last week to the Genowlan Road Fire at Glen Alice, burning north-west of Sydney, which burnt more than 230 hectares before being brought under control.

Over two days, the waterbombing helicopter delivered more than 529,000 litres of water including 194,800 litres across 27 drops during its night operations.

RFS Commissioner Trent Curtin said the milestone of the first operational nighttime deployment represents a significant advancement in the RFS’s aerial firefighting capability.

“Nighttime waterbombing operations allow us to take advantage of calmer, more favourable conditions when fire behaviour is typically at its lowest,” Commissioner Curtin said.

“Overnight weather patterns often see fire activity ease considerably, giving firefighters a critical window to strengthen containment lines and reduce the intensity of a fire before it potentially escalates again during the day.

“Carrying more than 10,000 litres of water or retardant, and with the ability to operate safely and effectively at night, the Chinook means we can better support ground crews, protect communities and make the most of every opportunity to suppress a fire.”

Night-time operations have been trialed and used sparingly operationally in several Australian states in recent years, mostly for data gathering but increasingly for suppression efforts.

The CH-47D Chinook is one of 13 RFS owned aircraft in New South Wales, supported by more than 200 aircraft through call-when-needed and contract arrangements.

Footage of the operation can be found here.

Coulson’s Quick Reaction Force

Recent firefighting efforts on the Vista Fire in southern California relied on a relative newcomer to the wildfire suppression toolbox, the Quick Reaction Force, or QRF.
Operated by Coulson Aviation, the QRF is a trio of Chinook CH-47 helicopters converted into state-of-the-art helitankers. They are strategically located in southern California and available for rapid response to the brushfires that occur throughout the region.

 

The force is supported by a fourth helicopter, a Sikorsky S-76, equipped with a suite of thermal and HD cameras as well as mapping software for accurate detection and reporting of a fire’s perimeter and hotspots.

Easily recognizable by their sheer size and dual main rotors, each helitanker is capable of carrying 3000 gallons of water or retardant. For comparison, the Sikorsky S70 Firehawks carry 1000 gallons. The QRF is also configured for night operations, and flight crews maintain additional qualifications and currencies for operating with night vision goggles.

Chinook helicopter rescues stranded CL-215

A small island on a lake in Canada’s Northwest Territories (NWT) has been named “Duck Island” after a Canadair CL-215 scooper was stranded there for a couple of months till it was  airlifted out by a CH-47 Chinook helicopter owned by Billings Flying Service.

Sometimes called “ducks” for their nimble maneuvering on water, the CL-215 scooper is a twin-engine, high-wing amphibious airtanker that is a staple of aerial firefighting operations. Canada endured a severe fire season this year, with more than 300 fires and over 4 million hectares burned — almost 10 million acres.

Vertical Magazine reported that a 1968 CL-215 belonging to NWT operator Buffalo Airways Ltd. was scooping water in late August from remote Mitchell Lake north of Yellowknife.

“We were at a low water cycle,” recalled Joe McBryan, founder of Buffalo Airways. “It was four feet lower than normal. We had scooped 78 loads off that lake, but this time the aircraft struck a rock reef.” The rock punctured the aircraft underbelly and caused a fast flow of water into the keel, rendering the plane inoperational. The pilots spotted a small island nearby and were able to taxi the CL-215 over and tie it to a small tree before they were rescued by helicopter.

“It was a little northern toothpick tree,” laughed Benjamin Tessier, a technician in aerospace engineering at Buffalo Airways. He was part of the crew who were sent in to prepare the scooper for an airlift, and McBryan then found the only helicopter that could possibly airlift the CL-215 scooper back to safety — a CH-47 Chinook.

Several support helicopters, including this Bell 212HP from Great Slave Helicopters, assisted in the project. Benjamin Tessier Photo
Additional support helicopters, including this Bell 212HP from Great Slave Helicopters, assisted in the project. Benjamin Tessier photo

Meanwhile, Tessier and five of his co-workers headed for the island. They had to somehow reduce the aircraft’s empty weight to a number between 18,000 and 18,500 lbs. — and get it out of the water.

The Buffalo crew had to use trees they cut down on the island to build a “pirate raft” that engines were craned onto, then they were lifted right off the raft by Bell 205s. Benjamin Tessier Photo
The Buffalo Airways rescue crew used trees they’d cut on the island to build a “pirate raft” that the engines were craned onto. They were lifted from the raft by Bell 205s. Benjamin Tessier photo

“We did everything in September to prepare for the takeoff,” Tessier told Vertical Magazine. “We took the engines and props apart and removed them, took all fluids out (oil, fuel, foam agent), got rid of the radios, pump systems — all to lighten it up. We removed 10,000 lbs. of equipment plus about 13 drums of fluids. All of that took about two weeks.”

Tessier said the props and engines were removed while the aircraft was still on the water. “We cut trees and built a raft that we craned the engines onto,” he recalled. “We supported all the weight of the engines on that raft and a Bell 205 helicopter lifted them from there.” SimpleFlying.com reported that the retrieval operation went smoothly, with Tessier shooting video and posting it online.

 

Recovering the aircraft involved weeks of careful planning — and even special government approval. The main concern for Buffalo Airways was the fast-approaching winter season. Once temperatures dipped below freezing, the aircraft would be frozen into the lake ice, making things infinitely more difficult. Two things had to happen before they could airlift the CL-215; they needed an exemption from Transport Canada to move the aircraft, which took a month to acquire. And the scooper’s weight had to be reduced enough to be lifted by the Chinook.

The CL-215 also had to be pulled out of the lake; its keel was full of water, which added a lot of weight — too much for the helicopter lift. It took three days, with six men taking turns to hand-crank the plane onto the lakeshore.

The CL-215 is a twin-engine, high-wing amphibious waterbomber, and a staple of northern aerial firefighting. Benjamin Tessier Photo
The CL-215 is a twin-engine, high-wing amphibious waterbomber, and a staple of northern aerial firefighting. Benjamin Tessier photo

The CH-47 Chinook, operated by Montana’s Billings Flying Service, flew in October 30. (Imagine that phone call — you want us to what??) Mechanics from Buffalo and Billings flew in, and they were accompanied by the general manager of Alberta-based Airborne Energy Solutions; their team provided support and guidance on risk management for the operation.

“It was so bizarre to see such a big machine in remote little Mitchell Lake on Duck Island,” said Tessier. “They didn’t waste any time at all. Everything the pilot did was deliberate. He positioned himself in the wind, cable already dangling. We had a 50-foot extension cable going from the plane to where he hooked on. As soon as tension was there, it just went up. The Chinook didn’t budge, didn’t seem to struggle; there was no noticeable change in engine noise.”

Buffalo CL-215 back home at Yellowknife
Buffalo CL-215 safely back home at Yellowknife

The CL-215 took a 45-minute ride and was delivered to  Buffalo’s main base at Yellowknife Airport. They say it will take a few months of repairs to return the CL-215 to serviceable condition, but they expect it will be ready in time for the 2024 fire season.

The full story by Lisa Gordon is well worth the read — it’s online at Vertical Magazine.

 ~ Thanks and a tip of the hardhat to Jim for this heads-up.

Coulson pilots in Chile are aided by translators in the cockpits

Coulson Chinook and Blackhawk
A Coulson Chinook and Blackhawk, at Talca, Chile. Coulson photo.

(From Coulson Aviation)

Coulson team members work all over the world supporting communities and firefighters which means adapting to different systems, operations and firefighting partners.

In Chile, it’s also meant adapting to operating in a different language. While some of the team members speak Spanish, each of the 4 Chinooks and a Blackhawk fly with a pilot translator whose job it is to translate the instructions from the aerial supervisor or ground crews.

Pilot Andy Thomas is currently flying a tanked Chinook in Chile and said it was a lot of fun working with the translators, some of whom have fire experience.

“A lot of the translators are highly experienced airline pilots who are a great help on the radios navigating the flight paths and fire operations,” he said.

Coulson pilot Colin Morgan, who has been operating a Chinook with a Bambi bucket, said the pilot translators did an amazing job in dynamic circumstances. Colin worked in Chile last year for Coulson, also flying a Chinook.

“The CH47 is, in my own opinion, the best helicopter operating today. It was designed for the military to be versatile, technologically advanced, yet forgiving and simple to operate. It’s also simply a pleasure to fly,” he said.

Andy, who has decades of experience operating heavy helicopters, said the Chinooks were designed to lift a tremendous amount of weight.

“With us that’s water, and it’s really good at it,” he said. “It’s a lot of fun to fly and it makes us pilots look good!”

Coulson pilot in Chile
Coulson photo.

Coulson has four Chinooks and one Blackhawk working on fire contracts in Chile.