flying firefighters

ONETINSOLDIER · August 3, 2010

Gave a friend a ride to his moms house yesterday and on the way we spotted smoke from a brush fire that was approximatly 200 - 300 yards from her house. CDF was on the scene promptly as the fire rapidly began to spread, endangering the houses nearby, and everyone came out and started hosing down all they could reach. Not ten minutes later, an OV-10 bronco (i think) was overhead , yankin and bankin in tight circles( I can just imagine him goin "yeah baby!! woooohooo!!!, at least I would be) A few minutes later the familiar wopping sound of a huey was heard as he came in very low and slow, just skirting the smoke plume with guys in yellow fire gear hanging out each side.

Im guessing they carry the water bucket onboard, because he left the scene for about 5 minutes, returning with it slung beneath him, it was amazing to see the way he maneuvered that chopper in a hard bank , maybe moving 10 miles an hour ground speed and the 2 or so tons of water trying to pull him down, all this maybe 50 feet agl.

then the fun began....

The droning of two turboprops on two seperate air tankers coming at us, AND I MEEN RIGHT AT US! Right down the middle of 13th street at about 100 feet, I could count the freakin rivets. Two boraid drops, spot on target and it was all over but the mop up. DAMN FINE JOB, GENTLEMEN!

I got two things to say and I cant say them enough,

1) we got the best firefighters on the planet

2)Im so jealous of you guys that get to REALLY fly, you know how lucky you are?