Category Archives: helicopter firefighting
Too Risky?
I have a high risk occupation. My everyday job consists of flying a 9000 horse power helicopter down flaming hillsides dropping enough water or retardant in one load to injure or kill anyone accidentally struck with that volume of liquid. … Continue reading →
The Burn Over Part II
This had been a stubborn fire.Not much had gone our way and the news from our fire base that we still didn’t have our grocery order hadn’t improved morale.My Helitac crew had been split in two to manage the new … Continue reading →
The Burn Over
Our Helitac crew’s firefighting efforts and my water drops were not going to be enough to get this wildfire under control. No control today and unless we got some help from Mother Nature, not for a few days.There were no … Continue reading →
Answer the radio
“I’ll bet you have had some frightening experiences?” It is a question I often get from people who ask about my helicopter firefighting career. “Not too many really”, I say “and I work hard to keep it that way” A … Continue reading →
Posted in Contract helicopter pilot, Flying Stories, helicopter firefighting, Helicopter Pilot
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Tagged helicopter, helicopter firefighting, Helicopter flying, Helicopter Pilot
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Initial Attack
The following is the partial definition of the wildland firefighting term that is the title for this blog and governs a lot of the firefighting I have done in the U.S.A. with helicopters of various types. Initial attack is the … Continue reading →
Urban Interface
Its the term used to describe wildfires that run into densely populated areas.I have fought a lot of these types of fires over the years and the number one rule, just as it is with physicians, is first, do no … Continue reading →
Posted in Flying Stories, helicopter firefighting, Helicopter Pilot
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Tagged helicopter firefighting, Helicopter flying
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Close Call
Part of our management team visited our Heli-base in Albenga Italy awhile back. One of the many positive changes the company has begun includes a near miss report. To pilots, near misses are generally followed by a sharp intake of … Continue reading →
Posted in Flying Stories, helicopter firefighting, Helicopter Pilot, Random rantings, World Travel
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Tagged helic, helicopter firefighting, Helicopter flying
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Good Bye Alassio
There are times when you have to wonder at your good fortune. The past 42 days spent here on the Liguria coast staying in the resort town of Alassio ,Italy has been one of those times. The flying was slow … Continue reading →
Posted in Euro travel, Friends and Family, helicopter firefighting, Random rantings, World Travel
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Tagged Euro travel
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A Helicopter made worse….conclusion
I never told this to the CASB . The Canadian Air Safety Board. If I had of told the investigators the whole story it would have explained a lot. It would have, if not exonerated me, at least, placed blame … Continue reading →
Posted in Flying Stories, helicopter firefighting, Helicopter Pilot
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Same tribe, different town
Buffalo Narrows. The shithead capitol of Northern Saskatchewan. The clean morning light couldn’t put a happier face on this litter strewn, rag bag of a mostly Indian town. Garbage, ravens and an ATV- sans-muffler, to get my morning started. “Rick, … Continue reading →
Helicopter Pilot, will travel 