Fires ARE ~ bad up here. We got some relief from the smoke yesterday with the wind coming up; but sadly too, that fanned the flames.
I spent a whole day last year at the RDD air base talking with Cal Fire air support pilots and crews for my book project; we owe a HUGE debt of gratitude to them for what they do...people really have no concept of the risks they take to perform their crucial job. As aviators though ~ and especially the type YOU all are ~ I know you do.
And for those of you here that do just that ~ although I know you're certainly not hanging out on your computers right now ..... thanks again. Every time one of your orange and white planes fly over our house; I'm offering up my gratitude. My friends and neighbors here too (we live less than 10 min east of the air base) also have a deeper appreciation; I educated them with more perspective so they wouldn't take you guys for granted quite so much anymore
Massive water bomber to join fight against north state blazes
By Dylan Darling ~ Redding Record Searchlight
Friday, June 27, 2008
A big bird is about to join the battle against blazes in the north state.
The Martin Mars -- a floating boat built in 1946 that was first designed to be a long-range bomber for the U.S. Navy and is now used as a water bomber -- is set to land on Lake Shasta this evening, load up with water and start dropping it on the flurry of fires still blackening the north state's national forests, said Mike Odle, spokesman for the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. Along with the massive aircraft, which is under contract with the U.S. Forest Service out of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, will come a tanker truck and a support semi to Lake Shasta. Looking at a photo of the outfit, Odle said the plane dwarfs the trucks.
"And it's landing on the lake," he said.
The bomber holds 7,200 gallons of water -- 60,000 pounds worth, enough to douse 3 to 4 acres -- Odle said, and carries enough fuel to keep flying for six hours. To reload, the plane lands and uses scoops on its fuselage to draw in water. The water is dropped on a fire after the plane, which is comparable to a Boeing 747 jumbo jet in size, swoops down to 150 to 200 feet.
A support crew also will set up at Lake Oroville to provide another place for the bomber to reload, Odle said.
He said fire managers are still figuring out how to add the Martin Mars to the mix of resources being used on the lightning-sparked fires that still dot the north state.
Although the Martin Mars has been used to fight fires in Southern California for the state, this will be the first time it is used in the north state and by the federal government, Odle said.
“We are looking at every available tool that we can use to augment our efforts,” Odle said.
On Thursday, that meant traditional, retardant-dropping air tankers as smoke yielded enough for missions to be flown after the planes had been grounded Wednesday.
“We are flying quite a bit today,” Jim Heffley, manager of the Redding air tanker base, said Thursday. Tankers flew to fires near Round Mountain, Whiskeytown and on the Lassen National Forest, he said. Smoke was still too thick to fly missions over the Lime and Iron complexes of fires near the Shasta-Trinity county lines.
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