I'm a pilot flying a DC-10 fire bomber to battle the LA fires. This is what I've seen — and this is what needs to stop.
I'm a third-generation firefighter — and I'm helping to battle the LA fires from the air in a DC-10 fire bomber. Here's how we do it.
The New York Times28d
Firefighting Pilots Face High-Pressure Job: ‘It Gets a Bit Scary’
Two planes important to aerial firefighting missions are air tankers, which carry and drop the fire retardant, and the lead plane, a smaller, more nimble aircraft that flies ahead. The lead plane ...
Hosted on MSN18d
Aerial firefighting companies' new challenge: Keeping up with demand
As out-of-control wildfires threatened thousands of Los Angeles residents earlier this month, the companies that fight infernos from the air raced to send their air tankers and water bombers to ...
NBC Los Angeles29d
High winds do more than spread fires — they keep firefighting aircraft on the ground
The tankers loop from the fire to the air base, where aircraft like the S-2T tanker can be refilled on the ground within minutes. Cal Fire also has seven new airtankers that were put into service in ...
Noozhawk17d
Forest Service’s Air Tanker Base Ready Amid Reopening Due to Fires
The U.S. Forest Service has reopened and pre-positioned aircraft at its Santa Maria Air Tanker Base where critical firefighting equipment stood ready Friday to respond. The state has seen extreme ...
After nearly a week, 6,625-acre Otay Mountain brush fire declared fully contained
Gusty winds and then much-needed rain played a big role in the week firefighters worked to get 100% containment ...
Update: Clay Fire in Riverside County remains 100% contained as of Saturday morning
Clay Fire initially started 5 p.m. Jan. 21 in Riverside County. After being active for four days, it has burned 39 acres. As of Saturday morning, 98% of the fire was brought under containment by a ...
What is the flame retardant that planes are dropping on the LA fires?
As fire crews and air tankers work to block the wildfires' explosive growth, images of red clouds of fire retardant falling onto trees are common. What is it — and what's in it?