Tag Archives: helicopter firefighting

Initial Attack

Posted on November 30, 2008 by Heligypsy

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 →

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Urban Interface

Posted on November 16, 2008 by Heligypsy

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 →

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Close Call

Posted on October 30, 2008 by Heligypsy

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 →

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A Helicopter made worse….conclusion

Posted on August 2, 2008 by Heligypsy

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 →

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Same tribe, different town

Posted on July 23, 2008 by Heligypsy

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 →

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Holding the Line

Posted on July 22, 2007 by Heligypsy

Summertime and the living isn’t always easy, here in Greece. My assignment is firefighting with a SkyCrane based in Athens. The flying we do with this impressive aircraft is called I.A. or initial attack. It is a simple program, get … Continue reading →

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Remembering Katrina

Posted on September 4, 2006 by Heligypsy

In the last days of August 2005 a local firebug was keeping me busy flying initial attack helicopter firefighting in the evenings after my regular work day had ended. Paula and I were sitting down to a late night supper, … Continue reading →

Posted in Flying Stories, Helicopters on Katrina | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment