"Station" Fire outside of LA

mjg407

mjg407

Well-Known Member
Here's some footage from the fire I just got off of flying, the fire is located just out of the Burbank Class C and is smoking out the valley from Palmdale to Shafter.

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Neptune's baby!

Watching some of that makes me remember how we used to actually offensively attack some of those fires on ground crews back in the day.... actually working the slopes doing dangerous stuff like downhill line construction, etc. Stuff you see rarely done today, especially after Storm King / 1994.
 
Thanks for all your hard work out there!!! We can see some of the ash on our cars here in Bako, so it's got to be a pretty big one. Are they still working the big one out there south of fellows vortac as well? Be safe out there and know that you are appreciated.
 
It's amazing how much stuff changed after Storm King and yet was completely disregarded during 1996 at the 30 Mile fire.

Some of that footage is amazing.
 
BobDDuck said:
It's amazing how much stuff changed after Storm King and yet was completely disregarded during 1996 at the 30 Mile fire.

Some of that footage is amazing.
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You aren't kidding.

The Reader's Digest of Storm King was a Hotshot crew, Helitack crew, and a few Smokejumpers, deployed onto a fire burning on a mountainside. That mountainside had zero structural exposures, wasn't backing downhill towards anything......basically no reason to go offensive on it; let it burn. Besides, there was no air support available for the first couple of days until helitack got there, which also was no problem IF there were no personnel put in up there. They dropped and lifted personnel onto a mountainside with steep grades, difficult escape routes, lack of great lookout points, and low fuel models. Not a good combo. Once the winds picked up and fire behavior worsened, there were few places to escape to; and there were some experienced people up there.

Fast forward to 30 mile, and nearly the same fire orders overlooked and watchout situations not heeded to.

Very unfortunate. Prior to Storm King we'd fight offensively from the ground often, after it, tactics changed to more defensive if there wasn't a life-safety or urban interface issue.

Like aviation, we don't find new ways to kill firefighters in wildland fires. Its the same-old-same old.
 
Me and my reporter were the first news ships on scene when this thing broke out. It's amazing how fast/large it's grown in just a few days. Seeing the smoke form the huge pyrocumulus storms is breathtaking.
 
Hey mjg, quick question for ya. How long does it take to refill a Neptune? Or in other words, what kind of dump rate do you guys get out of those things? Two an hour? And on a related question, how do they refill the tanks, do you guys have some sort of single point system for water?
 
XcalibeR said:
Hey mjg, quick question for ya. How long does it take to refill a Neptune? Or in other words, what kind of dump rate do you guys get out of those things? Two an hour? And on a related question, how do they refill the tanks, do you guys have some sort of single point system for water?
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He's in the Orion, but I'd like to know for the Neptune too. I don't know if the P-2s have the same dump system as the P-3s do.
 
I flew over it at dusk last night (above the TFR), I was just stunned at how large and raging that fire was.
 
MikeD said:
He's in the Orion, but I'd like to know for the Neptune too. I don't know if the P-2s have the same dump system as the P-3s do.
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Incorrect my good friend. The P-3s have the RADSII system which is a digitally controlled hydraullic door to produce exact coverage levels, the P-2s have the old 8 door system, but to reload the tank it takes about 10 minutes it's loaded on the side from a 3" fire hose, but the load time is all dependent on the strength of the fire bases pumps. So on the Morris/Station Fire we are looking at 30 minute sorties, with approximately 15 minutes on the deck for engine shutdown, taxi, load, and takeoff. We were showing at 0700, first sortie at 0845, shut down at 2030, so about 14 to 16 sorties and 7 hours flight time. (Some flights are down to 22 minutes or so). BTW, our AC was broke in 27 so we were hitting 111 Deg in the cockpit.
 
mjg407 said:
Incorrect my good friend. The P-3s have the RADSII system which is a digitally controlled hydraullic door to produce exact coverage levels, the P-2s have the old 8 door system, but to reload the tank it takes about 10 minutes it's loaded on the side from a 3" fire hose, but the load time is all dependent on the strength of the fire bases pumps. So on the Morris/Station Fire we are looking at 30 minute sorties, with approximately 15 minutes on the deck for engine shutdown, taxi, load, and takeoff. We were showing at 0700, first sortie at 0845, shut down at 2030, so about 14 to 16 sorties and 7 hours flight time. (Some flights are down to 22 minutes or so). BTW, our AC was broke in 27 so we were hitting 111 Deg in the cockpit.
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So they don't have the same dump system? I didn't think so, just wasn't sure.
 
I saw some of your planes battling a fire near Cedar City, UT yesterday. We were on the 15 heading back to Vegas and spotted a few Orions and saw one make a drop. Very cool stuff. Be safe guys.
 
mjg407 said:
Incorrect my good friend. The P-3s have the RADSII system which is a digitally controlled hydraullic door to produce exact coverage levels, the P-2s have the old 8 door system, but to reload the tank it takes about 10 minutes it's loaded on the side from a 3" fire hose, but the load time is all dependent on the strength of the fire bases pumps. So on the Morris/Station Fire we are looking at 30 minute sorties, with approximately 15 minutes on the deck for engine shutdown, taxi, load, and takeoff. We were showing at 0700, first sortie at 0845, shut down at 2030, so about 14 to 16 sorties and 7 hours flight time. (Some flights are down to 22 minutes or so). BTW, our AC was broke in 27 so we were hitting 111 Deg in the cockpit.
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Do you only fly 27? I think that one was on CNN yesterday or the day before.
 
juxtapilot said:
Well aren't YOU special! ;)
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just ask Bumblebee... hehehehe

Station_fire_air_tanker_3.jpg
 
VLAT video of Tanker 979, also on the Station fire.

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Trying to get me all worked up Mike? We were flying on the Morris fire, then station fire last week starting on Tuesday but it is almost like the press corps launches the second the 10 or 747 go. Oh and typical reporters not knowing what they are talking about.
 
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