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Water
Bucket Training with the California Department of Forestry May 2001 Story and photos by CW4 David Rosenthal |
One of the ongoing missions of the 126th Med Company is providing firefighting support for the California Department of Forestry (CDF) as well as the U. S. Forest Service and other Federal agencies.
During May of every year, CDF and Federal firefighting managers join us for a training session where both aircrews and firefighters update their knowledge and get some hands-on experience before the fire season gets underway.
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It begins in the classroom where everyone learns the practical aspect of airspace control around a fire. This is a CDF diorama to illustrate how airspace is controlled around a wildfire. |
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Outside, firefighting managers get a close-up look at the collapsible bucket and how it connects to the aircraft. They also get an orientation on operating with the aircraft and understanding its capabilities. |
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| Finally, everyone meets at the aircraft and we have a final briefing before getting down to business. |  |
The way it works is that the bottom of the suspended bucket is about 30 feet
below the helicopter. Hovering above the water, the pilot simply lowers
the aircraft until the bucket
touches the surface, falls over, and sinks. Once done (this takes less than
ten seconds), the pilot raises the aircraft and the collapsible bucket
"inflates" itself with water. Meanwhile, a cleverly designed
delivery chute mechanism inside the bucket uses the weight of the water to keep
the bottom closed.
What you're seeing at left is the view down through the cargo hook hatch as the filled bucket is raised out of the water.
The next step is easy: simply fly to the fire.
Of course, this can be tricky. A filled water bucket can easily weigh more than 5000 pounds. During the already hot weather conditions of fire seasons, this taxes both aircraft and aircrew to their performance limit.
This is still a view looking down through the hatch with the aircraft flying along at about 150 feet.
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As the aircraft approaches the target, you push the release button. The bottom essentially drops out of the bucket and more than 600 gallons of water plunge earthward in about three seconds. |
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This is what it looks like from overhead.
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So as the fire season really gets underway, stay tuned here since we'll bring you pictures of the action as it develops.
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