September 2013 - California Fire Pilots Association

20
13
Se
pt.
CFPA
NEWS
The California Fire Pilots Association newsletter
An other day out .(photo Anouck Le Bris)
News.
Safety : the Magnificent Seven.
Density altitude.
Books review.
Fire Brothers.
Douglas DC-7.
Privateer at Hemet in the 80ies .(photo Steve Whitby)
Privateer.
N°3/2013
Sept 2013
Martin Mars, it’s over...
C
oulson ended operations
with the last Martin Mars
waterbomber early this
september. After a total of 54
seasons, and 51 for the last flying
one, the “Hawaii Mars”, Coulson
opens a new page for their
firefighting activities with the
C-130Q. Let’s wish this NextGen
Tanker an long and safe career, but
memories of a Martin Mars flying
over British Colombia or California
to fight fires will not be forgotten!
(photo Cyril Defever)
NEWS
Airspray
in the lower 48
Airspray signed a CWN contract
with CalFire. Tanker 482, a
Lockheed Electra is waiting at
Chico AAB
(photo Jimmy Ferreira)
DC-7 at Chico
Aero Air LLC also signed a CWN
contract with CalFire. DC-7 Tanker
62 is sitting on the Ramp at Chico.
Aero Air purchased the Butler
Aviation airtanker operations in
december 2012.
(photo Jimmy Ferreira)
Editor : Jerome Laval.
Redaction and graphic design : Cyril Defever
Please forward your pictures and articles to:
e-mail : [email protected]
Website : http://www.calfirepilots.com/
2
CFPA news
S2 at work
by Michael Meadows
September 2013
3
SAFETY
Jeronimo
Productions
Presents :
“ THE
MAGNIFICENT
SEVEN ”
decisions.
1. DISTRACTION
On take-off roll, 70kts, I realized that I missed a
critical item on the before Take Off check-list. I
could take off without it but what if something
really happened right after Take Off at slow speed,
low altitude? With this item “ON” it could save the
day. So I decided to abort the Take Off, taxi back,
regroup and re-do the entire before Take Off
check list.
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2. SICKNESS
One morning I woke up quite sick. Really unfit to fly
for sure and knowing this would take the entire day
to feel better. Right away I made the call and a relief
pilot was available to take over.
CFPA news
3. PRESSURE :
It’s already been a long day and we’ve been
bouncing around different incidents. Fuel quantity
was getting low and I got diverted to a new incident which was quite a distance away. Feasible but
stretching it fuel wise and almost no time to stick
around over the incident. Therefore I decided to decline the dispatch right away so command center
could call somebody else with appropriate level of
fuel and flight time.
4. SAFETY :
6. COMMUNICATION :
Flying for some time on the same incident, I got
diverted and wrote down all the information. After
setting up the GPS, something didn’t seem right.
I double checked it and decided to confirm the Latitude and longitude coordinates with the Tanker
Base. Somewhere along the communication line
some figures were incorrect. Made all the necessary
corrections and went on to the incident.
7. AWARENESS:
While being cleared to enter the FTA at 12 Nautical
miles and join numerous aircraft over the incident,
I noticed the radio traffic suddenly increased drastically. With 4 tankers already at scene, I decided
to stay at 7 Nautical miles and orbit away from the
route used by tankers between the Base and the incident. When Radio traffic permitted it, I advised the
air attack on AirTactics about it.
5. EFFICIENCY :
While turning final on a drop run, I noticed the
smoke was overlaying the target. I decided to go
around instead of making a drop in the blind. While
I climbed back at maneuvering altitude, a slight
wind shift moved the smoke and I could see the target again. I was able to make a precise drop where
it was requested and useful.
September 2013
Early call, just coffee for breakfast and flying all
morning with short turn around time. Load and
return, over and over. I didn’t see it coming but I
began to feel dizzy, tired. Got dehydrated and hungry. I decided to take a quick break after fueling
the plane. Water, good snack and few minutes of
rest made a difference. I felt good and ready again.
Base manager told me the air attack needed a Tanker right now! Just before starting the engines, for
some reason I thought about fuel caps… Did I forget? Should I hurry up and take off anyway? Well, I
decided to stop right there and check the fuel caps.
Good thing I did…
5
Density altitude
Old school maths., rough but good enough...
Density Altitude.
How do we calculate density altitude? There
are just two pieces of information you’ll need for
a rough approximation: pressure altitude and
temperature. Where do you find this information?
Easy: for temperature, you look at the thermometer
in your airplane. For pressure altitude, set the
window in your altimeter to 29.92. Whatever value
it reads is pressure altitude.
1.Finding pressure altitude when you’re not sitting
in the airplane is a bit more complicated, but here’s
a nifty formula:
pressure altitude = (standard pressure your current pressure setting) x 1,000 + field
elevation
That’s a pretty simple formula since two of the
variables will always be the same and the other
two are easy enough to find. Let’s say our current
altimeter setting is 29.45 and the field elevation
is 5,000 feet. That means (29.92 - 29.45) x 1,000 +
5,000 = 5,470 feet.
2. density altitude = pressure altitude + [120 x
(OAT - ISA Temp)]
Now, before your eyes glaze over, here’s how simple
this formula is: We already have the value for pressure
altitude from our last calculation; OAT is degrees
Celsius read off our thermometer (let’s say it’s a balmy
35 °C today) and ISA Temp is always 15 °C at sea level.
To find ISA standard temperature for a given altitude,
here’s a rule of thumb: double the altitude, subtract
15 and place a - sign in front of it. (For example, to find
ISA Temp at 10,000 feet, we multiply the altitude by 2
to get 20; we then subtract 15 to get 5; finally, we add
a - sign to get -5.)
So, in the example above:
density altitude = 5,470 + [120 x (35 - 5)]
Working out the math, our density altitude is 9,070
feet.This is a rough estimate, but it will be pretty close
to the actual value. Try this formula the next few times
you go flying (or, just for fun, run some scenarios
using Microsoft Flight Simulator) .
Easy! Now let’s move on to step two, finding
density altitude. Here’s the formula:
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CFPA news
Chico
Jimmy Ferreira
SUNSETS
Some of our pilots are also
talented with a camera
Paso Robles
Anouck
Le Bris
Anouck Le Bris
September 2013
7
Books review
Waiting is part of our job so a good book is always welcome...
Books review…
WWII
And you thought Eagle
Squadrons had the first
American pilots flying the
Spitfire against the Luftwaffe?
Think again…” The Few”
describes the incredible adventure
of few(8) American pilots who
wanted to fight the Nazis before
the US went to war. Nothing could
stop them and they finally joined
the RAF right before the battle of
England in the summer of 1940.
A must read. “The Few” by Alex
Kershaw
O. Thompson tells the dramatic
story of one of the most successful
research aircraft ever flown. The
first full-length account of the X-15
program, the book profiles the
twelve test pilots (Neil Armstrong,
Joe Engle, Scott Crossfield, and
the author among them) chosen
for the program. Thompson has
translated a highly technical
subject into readable accounts of
each pilot’s participation, including
many heroic and humorous
anecdotes and highlighting the
pilots’ careers after the program
ended in 1968.
Test flying:
At the edge of Space
The X-15 is a mythical flying
machine; half rocket, half glider.
In At the Edge of Space, Milton
Vietnam
“A lonely kind of war”
by Marshall Harrison.
One of the best books about the
the OV-10; “A lonely kind of war”
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by Marshall Harrison.From retired
Air Force pilot Marshall Harrison
comes a remarkable memoir of
aerial warfare in Vietnam. In his
third combat tour, Harrison found
himself “converted” from the high
performance world of jets to the
awkward-looking OV-10 Bronco
and assigned as a FAC—forward
air controller. A captivating
tale of valor, brotherhood,
and patriotism unravels in the
pages of A Lonely Kind of War,
Forward Air Controller, Vietnam,
a posthumous release by this
published author through Xlibris.
Harrison is a born story teller.
There is excitement, suspense,
and humor in this account of
the life of a FAC. They were a
small group of dedicated pilots
flying lightly armed prop-driven
aircrafts in South Vietnam.
Considered to be the eyes and
ears of the attack aircraft, their
job was to fly low and slow, find,
fix, and direct airstrikes against
an elusive enemy concealed by
the heavy rainforest and jungles.
In aerial firefighting we don’t call
them FAC’s but Air Attacks , ASM,
ATGS… But the job is actually
pretty much the same! With a
noticible difference.. Nobody’s
shooting at you. Which is a good
thing.
CFPA news
“ Thud Ridge ”
by Ret. Col. Jack Broughton
F-105’s are flying North, carrying bombs trying
to break the North Vietnamese war effort. The
Thunderchief nicknamed “Thud” is fast but that’s his
only advantage over unsurprising mission planning,
agile Mig 21’s and SAM’s (Surface to Air Missiles). Once
they cross the northern ridge, hell breaks loose..every
time. The F-105’s Squadrons encounter heavy losses
and Jack Broughton, one of their leaders describe
with incredible accuracy the stressful briefings, the
chaos in the clouds, the heavy breathing in oxygen
mask, friends being shot down. Once you start
reading “Thud Ridge” you can’t put it down and when
you do, you realize the incredible story and fate of
these fighter-bomber pilots who flew these missions
on a daily basis.
” Memoirs of a fighter pilot ”
by “Robin Olds ;
Robin Olds was many things to many people. To
his West Point football coach he was an All American destined for the National College Football Hall
of Fame. To his P-38 and P-51 wartime squadrons
in WWII he was the aggressive fighter pilot who
made double ace and became their commander
in nine short months. For the pioneers of the jet
age, he was the wingman on the first jet demo
team, a racer in the Thompson Trophy race, and
the only U.S. exchange officer to command an RAF
squadron. In the tabloid press he was the dashing flying hero who married the glamorous movie
star. For the current crop of fighter pilots he is best
known as the leader of the F-4 Wolfpack battling
over North Vietnam. For cadets at the Air Force
Academy he was a role model and mentor. He was
all of those things and more.
Here’s Robin’s story in his own words and gleaned
from the family and friends of his lifetime. Here’s
the talent and learning, the passion and leadership, the love and disappointments of his life. Few
men have written on the tablets of aviation history
with such a broad and indelible brush. Olds was a
classic hero with vices as well as virtues, a life writ
large that impacted many.
September 2013
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Fire fighting brothers
in Sonoma Lake Napa
B
C Chris Jurasek and FC Jake Serrano started their
careers in 1993. Chris as an Explorer/Volunteer in
the town of Glen Ellen, and Jake with Forestville
Fire Distirict.
BC Chris Jurasek
Both graduated CDF’s 67Hr Fire Fighting
Academy in 1994 in Santa Rosa and
became Seasonal Firefighters in what was
then the Sonoma Ranger Unit. Glen Elen
Station for Chris and Healdsburg Station
for Jake.
A major step for both was joining Boggs
Helitack 104 Crew in 1998. In 2000 Chris
became Engineer and followed Copter
104 with the fuel truck. They carried
on staffing various stations in the unit
along the years; Spanish Flat, Napa Airport, Yountville,
Middletown, as both Firefighters, Engineers and Captains.
By 2004 both were LT/ Relief Captains at Boggs and
responding with Crew 104 on many fires in the unit.
We all know how important and efficient the helicopter
program is for Cal Fire and this is mostly due to well
trained Fire Captains and crews combined with versatile
helicopters.
To comple ment this aerial firefighting experience, Chris
and Jake moved to company officers at fire stations as
Captains. They kept a foot in the Copter as Relief Captains
until they fully committed to the Air Program as ATGS
(2007 for Chris and 2012 for Jake).
In September 2012, Chris Jurasek became the Battalion
Chief at Sonoma Air Base and Captain Jake Serrano
became the Fire Captain of the Base.
None of them thought being an ATGS would be as
challenging as it is but both really enjoy the challenge
of it. Every flight, every fire is a lesson. Reflecting on you
as being able to handle a small incident or seeing the
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situation getting worse with
hectic communications…
Both Chris and Jake really
appreciate to see a plan
coming
together
and
recognize how helpful the
previous aerial experience
was in the Copter. It
really helped to make the
transition to the OV-10.
Having experienced Air
Tactical pilots really help too and a good CRM (Crew
Resource Management) is really important to make
things happen safely and efficiently. No matter what
or where, good communication is essential.
Both really believe in Cal Fire Air program as a very
efficient way of taking care of business. So how about
the future of this program? ; “tools and aircraft can
change but the basics and working principles are
there. Foundation is solid. Adding few large heavies,
fixed and rotor wing would help for extended attack…”
They enjoy hunting, fishing and their
family lives in Sonoma County. Always
professional, ready to brief, debrief the
flights; learning from each other so
they can improve, share and someday
pass it on. I heard that Jake really enjoy
singing… but that might be just a
rumor.
By the way gentlemen, we Tanker
pilots, really appreciate your feedback
after the drops, especially when you say
; “On target, on line..load and return !”.
Chris and Jake, see you on the next one !
FC Jake Serrano
CFPA news
Airtank’art
Thomas Burgard
Prints available
12X16 . $30 plus shipping
Thomas can make custom
stretched canvas and frames any
size for commissioned pieces. He is
building the stretcher bars out of
redwood.
Take a look at Thomas’s artwork : www.thomasburgardfineart.com
September 2013
11
Up close and personnal
Coll. Larry Kraus
with DC-7
Airtankers
part 3
This serie of articles is an interview of Captain the airlines. Obviously, part of the conversion process
from passenger plane to tanker has been stripping the
Larry Kraus by Tiller Miller
old passenger cabin. Moving on. Now in this photo
You can follow Tyler’s blog about aerial it is obvious that there is something going on. This is
firefighting :
Butler’s tanker 66 and the gentlemen in the photo is
http://randomramblingsfromnj.blogspot.com/
former passenger cabin, ballast
Brian Lash, the pilot of T-66. Larry Kraus tells me that
in this photo, taken on May 26, 2008, Brian is doing a
preflight check for a maintenance test flight of T-66.
More importantly, Larry sent me this picture because
it shows ballast secured in place on the aircraft.
Ballast represents additional items (for example
the tires in back of the cabin in the above photo),
is carefully stowed and secured at specific points
called fuselage stations to add weight to bring the
aircraft within manufacturer designated weight
and balance parameters. It isn’t just the weight of
the plane that is important but how the weight is
distributed within the plane that is crucial for safe
operations. For example, weight that is distributed
too far forward will put the plane into a nose down
situation with possible fatal consequences for the
The image above ( get photo from Dec. 11, 2009 blog plane and crew. Aviation mechanics, aka airframe and
entry ) is interesting to me for a couple of reasons. First, power train or A&P mechanics, periodically reweigh
remember that Butler’s DC-7’s once saw service with the plane and then check the planes center of gravity.
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CFPA news
Once the center of gravity is known, there are
calculations that are performed that determine weight
and balance parameters. Then additional ballast is
often needed to bring the plane within these weight
and balance parameters.
I want to close this article on ballast by letting Larry
share with us about how the weight of the retardant
tank (1,500 pounds empty and an additional 27,000
pounds when carrying 3,000 gallons of retardant)
affects tanker 62’s center of gravity (CG).
The photo on the left, a little fuzzy, shows one of these
fuselage stations (F.S. 860)
for tanker 62. What this
means, according to Larry,
is that this station is «860
inches aft of the weight
and balance datum (F.S.
0, located at the tip of
nose of the DC-7).» As I
understand the weight
and balance datum is also
known as reference datum
and is:
Larry Kraus: “With the retardant tank installed, the
DC-7 is out of the forward center of gravity range in
the empty condition unless several hundred pounds
of ballast is located right aft, or a higher total weight
spread over the aft part of the fuselage. We originally
used sandbags at the rear pressure bulkhead, which is
as far back as you can go inside the pressurized cabin,
just behind the seats in the old passenger lounge at the
rear of the plane.
The weight varies from airplane to airplane. I think that
it’s around 660 lbs on tanker 62.We now carry spare tires,
tools,parts and other supplies that are carefully weighed
in place with the fuselage stations noted (in inches from
an imaginary vertical the bulkhead forward of the cockpit) to be sure that we
plane from which all horizontal distances are measured get it right.
for balance purpose (FAA, Aircraft Weight and Balance
Handbook (2007), Glossary p. 5).
The mechanics changed things around in T-62 this
From this ballast station, F.S. 860, additional ballast year after doing a new weight and balance and I think
stations (fuselage stations) and their assigned weights that they got the CG slightly too far forward. At least it
are calculated to assure that tires, parts, ladders, etc felt that way on take-offs and landings. There’s a heavy
equal the required ballast. According to Larry T-62 box that we can move fore and aft over several feet to
carries somewhere around 1200 lbs. of ballast. Most easily adjust the CG, but it wasn’t bad enough to adjust,
of it is behind (aft) of F.S. 860 and some of it is forward although I thought about moving it a couple of feet aft
of F.S. 860.
to see if I was right, but the season ended before I got
around to moving it.”
Larry wanted to show you a graphic from one of his
References :
DC-7 manuals (electronic files) showing the location
Aircraft Weight and Balance Handbook (2007)published by
of the fuselage stations. Unfortunately, computer
the FAA and freely available on the web, Much of it is written for
troubles with the computer where these manuals A&P mechanics and other aviation experts. But the first chapter
are stored prohibit him from doing so. Thanks for the or two have an overview that I could follow as well as a glossary.
effort, Larry.
photo Jimmy Ferreira, Chico sept 2013
September 2013
to be continued...
13
engine maintenance
Larry Kraus provides some details
on changing out a bad engine:
“One point of interest concerning
the DC-7 engine installation is that
the engine, prop, oil system (oil tank/
cooler and all lines) and all of the
accessories are mounted in a Q.E.C.
(Quick Engine Change) assembly.
The British call this Q.E.C. a «Power
Egg». If you look at the Q.E.C./Power
Egg, you can probably see where
the term originated, especially if
you think of the Q.E.C. without the
engine stand.
photo Larry Krauss
engine down because of smoke from an oil leak and flew
to Redmond. The problem would take a while to repair
and a Q.E.C. was ready that had been run the day before
on a test stand.
photo Larry Krauss
The pictures here show an engine that Butler brought
to us for Tanker 66 in Fairbanks in 1983. The engine itself
weighs about 4,400 lbs. The Q.E.C. when it’s ready to
install weighs a bit over 6.000 lbs. These picture are in
sequence, including photos giving a good view of what
a Q.E.C. looks like out of the engine stand.
photo Larry Krauss
These really are Quick Change assemblies. The record
for Butler for an engine change is truly amazing. I
was flying as co-pilot to Laddie Lash in 1979 in the
old Tanker 67 on a fire near Klamath Falls. We shut #4
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photo Larry Krauss
There were no complications and it took right at two
and a half hours from the time we parked in front of
the hangar to starting to taxi out for a test flight. The
test flight went okay and we were back flying on the fire
within four hours of shutting the engine down. That’s
a record,but it isn’t unusual to have the old engine
removed and the new one ready to run within four
hours.”
As I understand it, the Q.E.C. is used for many tankers,
and the Q.E.C. can take some time to build. For example,
Larry tells me that «It takes a long time to build up a
Q.E.C. when you start with a bare mount and an engine
in a can. For the DC-7 Q.E.C. at Butler, it takes around
3-4 months per Q.E.C. in the winter with two or three
guys working on it.»
CFPA news
Greetings from...
Grass Valley
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13/08/2013 12:08:21
Privateer
Built as a maritime patrol aircraft,
The Consolidared Vultee PB4Y-2
served the Navy and Coast guards
until mid 50ies. In 1959 the
first aircraft were converted in
airtankers by Avery Aviation, later
to be Christler & Avery Aviation.
Ten machines were converted and
six crashed. Rosenbalm aviation
employed two machine, at the end
of the sixties, T84 and T85, Stell
Aviation, SS&T from phoenix used
T30C an,d T50C, T30C changing
between 1977 and 90. In 1969
Hawkins and Powers bought
Seven Tankers plus a spare to
Christler and Avery in 1969.
Of the 10, 6 were lost. T123
accident in avril 2002 grounded all
the PB4-Y2 of the last user, H&P
Now, only 4 survivors are flying or
beeing restaured by associations.
The Privater flew 44 years of
firefighting over US forests.
September 2013
photos Steve Whitby
17
C-27 impressive transport and
aerobatic airplane!
by Cyril Defever
O
n the third week end of july I was at RAF
Fairford for the biggest military airshow
in Europe, the Royal International Air
Tattoo and I saw an outstanding demonstration of
aerobatics by the italian test pilots crew of an Alenia
C-27J performing loops, barrel rolls...
It looks like it has a good potential for an airtanker
with obvious good maneuverability ...
After aerobatics, crews should clean aircraft interior
and look for FOD!!!
Fly safe,
see you next month
Some interesting links
(click on the blue link)
Tribute to the recently retired Martin Mars...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEeNmSOEgQY
...and S-2 Tracker in Saskatchewan :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtXB6c_INzM
DC-10 on Powerhouse fire, june 2013 :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaUDs48h2ns
The AOPA news :
http://www.aopa.org/AOPA-Live.aspx?cmp=ALTW:L6
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CFPA news