飞行员操作飞行手册Pilot Operational Flying Manual

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bags full of equipment an hour.

This is very often in places

where people can’t get around

very easily, even without a 250

lb bag, and you will not be

popular if you drop the stuff in

the wrong place. Although GPS

is useful here, many pilots

(including myself) prefer to map

read and get really familiar with

the area before starting. In my

opinion, the cockpit is not the

best place for your head when

buzzing around trees – oddly

enough, a little instrument

training can be beneficial here,

as it gives you the basics for

taking in a lot of information in

one glance. In any case, the

ground crews should mark the

drop off spots with an orange

X, at least 6 feet in size, with a

double one at each end. Ensure

your own ground crew have the

serial numbers of all equipment

you move – this will stop the

customer unloading any old

junk on the insurance if you

have to drop anything.

· Precision longlining means what it

says, and usually involves

moving drills, etc. because they

are heavy and cannot be moved

once they are on the ground.

The real finesse with longlining

comes when moving loads that take

up nearly all the payload available,

although you should never use it all,

because you leave yourself with no

margins, ether with power or pedals.

Some companies (and customers)

will expect you to "inadvertently"

use more power than the maximum

to get the load moving in the first

place – that is, it's well known that

you are not allowed to intentionally

use more torque than that in the

Special Use Of Aircraft 191

Limitations section of the Flight

Manual, but you can do so by

accident. What you do is up to you,

but that margin is for getting you out

of trouble, like when a load sucks

you into a hole and you need to give

it a gentle landing – you should

always aim to do the complete job

within 100%, which is what

performance graphs are for, talking

of which, remember that humidity

can reduce their figures by as much

as 10% or more, so be careful after a

good shower. Put more simply,

overtorquing (within limits) is for

landing, not taking off, but you knew

that already. Another consideration

is looking after your engine – many

turbine failures are the result of

pulling too many cycles from

minimum to maximum Ng, so if you

don't need 100% torque, it's best not

to use it. It's also best not to reduce

the collective lever to the bottom

when descending, either, and to

make power changes gently,

avoiding over- and undershoots.

It's when an experienced longliner

gets on the controls that the whole

process becomes like poetry in

motion, with the load and helicopter

becoming a symbiotic pair, when

every ounce of performance is

extracted from the machine, even to

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extent of bouncing a load against a

tree to set it in motion (without

damaging it of course!).

Naturally, with the top half of your

body twisted round, you have to

learn some new motor skills. Some

people say there is a tendency to pull

the cyclic the same way as you are

leaning, and back, but I found a

bigger factor was the drift that

occurs when you lower the

collective, which you learn to cope

with automatically when learning to

hover. To take a LongRanger as an

example, from being nicely

positioned over the load with a

vertical line, and reducing power,

unless you make a conscious

correction, you will find yourself

very much to the left of the load

very quickly. It's too easy to accept

the resulting parallax position as the

normal one and try to take off again

with a slanted line, which means a

potential for dragging the load.

This is something you therefore

need to practice, that is, keeping the

hook directly over the load and the

line in sight whilst pushing the

controls in a strange direction. If

you're likely to get the same training

as me (i.e. none at all), get into a

high hover, without a line first of all,

and practice spot turns, keeping the

belly hook over the target (it is behind

you!). Get your head out of the

window and get used to landing and

taking off by looking at the back of

your skid, so you avoid the transition

from vertical to horizontal reference.

Maybe do a circuit or two, as well.

This also helps you if the engine

stops, with no time to start looking

horizontally – just moving your

focus from the load to the

instruments, or vice versa, takes about

two seconds, let alone reorganising

your whole body.

Next, graduate to a line with a lightly

loaded cargo net, followed by a

heavier one, finally working up to an

unloaded hook. You will find that,

up to a point, the heavier the load is,

the easier longlining is to do.

There is also a natural tendency to

tighten up on the controls, the same

as when you start mountain flying

the first time. The same advice

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applies, however, which is to

RELAX! If you have to take your

aggression out on anything, do it on

the collective, as the key to good

longlining is proper downwash

management, and spilling it with

jerky cyclic movements does not

help at all (this is one reason why

there are holes in bearpaws, to let

the downwash through. Even a ski

basket can upset the downwash

enough to spoil a lift).

So, be as gentle as possible at all

times. Small, longer, controlled

movements are always better than

larger and shorter ones. The reason

you “fly the load” is to stop you

focussing on the helicopter and

interpreting its larger angular

movements the wrong way, although

you shouldn't forget to watch where

you're going.

However, the big problem with

concentrating on the load is that it is

very easy to start it swinging. I find it

best to get over the area looking out

through the windows, and look

down for the final positioning

moves, for which you have to get

used to your line's position relative

to the ground (use the altimeter).

This also means being able to see the

instruments (i.e. torque) a lot better,

and ensuring you don't hit anything.

You can look down more as you get

more proficient.

Having done the usual preparations,

such as ensuring that the line isn't

tangled, and all the electrics work,

you might also want to take a note

of the altimeter readings of the

lifting and delivery points – just add

the length of the line and a bit for

the usual instrument errors to the

elevation, so you get an idea of when

it is going to get taut. This means

that, when learning, you only need to

stick your head out of the window

just before you lift, to make sure the

line is straight and the load isn't

going to hit anything on its way out.

As mentioned above, performance

charts are important, as a difference

of 5° can make the difference

between getting a load off the

ground (or not) when operating to

the limits. Although the maximum

payload is there to be used, I still like

a safety margin of somewhere

between 5-10%, because pulling full

power for long periods is not good

engine handling (you need to watch

your pedals, too). Remember that

you have to get the load moving

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onwards and upwards (especially the

latter), which eats into the maximum

continuous power limits.

Another reason for the margin is to

ensure you have enough fuel to get

to the destination – running short of

gas is one source of pressure you

don't need. It's all very well for the

sales department to tell the customer

that your machine can lift a

particular load, but you also have to

get it somewhere! A stage length of

25 miles or so at 40 knots means

over 30 minutes' flying, or more if

the load flies badly. Unless you have

fuel there as well, you also have to

include the journey to the fuel

drums, so minimum fuel should be

avoided, and neither should you

have to remove survival kits, etc. to

make a job happen.

There is a certain springiness to a

load as it comes off the ground

which tells you it's a good lift. In my

experience, if you have to struggle to

get the load off, and it's reluctant to

do so anyway, that's the time to

think again. Reduce the payload, wait

Special Use Of Aircraft 193

for some wind or a cooler day, or

whatever, but STOP.

Once the load is airborne,

immediately ease the nose forward,

adding a little collective, with the aim

of proceeding smoothly forwards

and upwards. If it is out of the door,

your head should be constantly

moving between the forward and

vertical positions, to make sure you

don't lose situational awareness,

which is another way of saying don't

hit anything! Once you are clear of

obstacles, you can start thinking of

turning, and can put your head back

inside the office and proceed as for a

normal load (that's the time to spit

out all the bugs that have splattered

all over your teeth). It’s also

important to ensure that you don’t

overpitch, and that you remain in

balance as much as possible. Don't

forget, reduce power when you have

the speed and height that you want.

Now you've got to get it back on the

ground!

Well before the landing site, start

slowing down. The mountain

technique of using the collective to

do this works well, and this is also

worth some practice. A slight crab

will not only help to keep the target

in sight, but the drag from the more

sideways presentation of the fuselage

will also reduce the speed. Your scan

at this point will be off the scale,

especially if you are dropping off to

a point higher than the ground (that

is, on a platform) and you don’t have

the shadow to give you an idea of

where the bottom of the load is.

Do not overshoot, as the load will

have its own inertia and will

continue forward of its own volition

(this is what's meant by flying the

load). Backing up to reposition is

always a problem, even with power

in hand, as it's easy to set the load

swinging, and it's better to go around

and try again - there should always

be movement, even if it's vertical.

You should at this point be coming

in nicely on a long approach, aiming

for a point just above the elevation

of the ground plus the length of the

line. Keep moving forward and

down. With power in hand, you

could probably afford to come to a

complete stop, but still aim for a nohover deposit of the load. Without

much power, you have to aim for

the target directly and place it in one

movement, with a final check at the

last minute, which is something that

only comes with practice.

I have also found it useful, for

positioning, to extend my view

forwards and sideways to prominent

points and line myself up with them,

which is useful when I can't see the

landing point.

In mountains, you have to learn to

ignore the slope, and be aware that

your downwash may well bounce off

it and push the load away from

where it should be, that is,

underneath you, which is why you

might sometimes use very long lines,

when the slope is very steep and you

still find your skids in the trees.

After a job, when landing, curl the

line up on itself, then pull back when

quite close to the ground, ensuring it

is away from your skids.

EM Bird

This is a large gadget used to detect

terrestrial magnetism (anomalies may

indicate the presence of minerals). It

costs around $1.2 m and needs to be

flown very accurately at specific

194 Operational Flying

heights and speeds, for which you

need at least a radalt and GPS,

although some setups use a laser

altimeter, which is accurate to the

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foot. It is generally well behaved, but

can be tricky at slow speeds, and the

data gets fuzzy above 80 kts. It is at

the end of a 100-foot line, and needs

to be 100 above the ground anyway,

so you will be at 200 feet, unless

you’re over water or ice, down to 30.

There will be a 10-14 foot height

window to operate in.

There is a PDU (Pilot Display Unit)

on the top of the instrument panel

that gives you information on the

line you're flying or intercepting,

with horizontal track bars indicating

your distance from the centreline in

metres. Although done in VFR, it’s

the sort of job where a little IFR

training comes in handy, as it allows

you to keep your head in the cockpit

a little more and cope with doing

several things at once, such as

thinking several hundred metres

ahead, planning approaches to hills,

power lines and other obstacles. This

will include power and speed

requirements, and fuel.

The operation is dependent on may

things which are critical, such as

maintenance, weather, solar activity,

magnetic storms, etc., so bring a

book. Or three.

Aerial Application

Aerial application (of pesticides or

fertilizers) means either cropspraying or top dressing, the latter

being used in forestry (although you

can spray cut blocks with booms

on). Top Dressing is more akin to

load slinging, except you use engine

driven devices like buckets to spread

solutions over forests. Unlike crop

spraying, it can be done in strongish

wind conditions, but, otherwise, it's

characterised by always being in, or

very near, the avoid curve and many

other situations that you're taught to

avoid normally. You can tell with

forests that have been sprayed in the

early stages of their growth as to

whether the pilots were successful or

not—you very often see trees

shorter than others, which is where

they missed. Helicopters are

particularly useful when the leaves

need to be sprayed from underneath,

because of the downwash.

In fact, your downwash (or rotor

wake) can be used to good effect. At

low speed, you can spray a small area

underneath the flight path. At higher

speeds, the wake helps spread the

load behind and to either side (the

term rotor wake means all the air

displaced by the helicopter, as

opposed to just the downwash).

Knowledge of wake management

will therefore help you become a

better spray pilot.

The Rotor Wake

This changes within three distinct

speed ranges:

· Up to 20 mph, the air moves

primarily downwards, most of it

descending from the outer

edges of the blades, so you get a

relatively calm area around the

fuselage (in other words, you

Special Use Of Aircraft 195

are in the middle of a ring, like a

doughnut - you can see this by

hovering over water). The force

in the outer ring can agitate the

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foliage so it collects chemical

above and below, in a fog over a

relatively large area. Slow

speeds, however, cost money.

· At 18-22 mph (on a Bell), the

annular ring shortens in the

direction of movement to

become an ellipse, coinciding

with translation. Above 20 mph,

the annular ring disappears, and

a large amount of separate,

small airflows coalesce to

provide an area of ill-defined

airflow with a general

downward direction.

· Above 35 mph, two distinct

rotating vortices are formed

from directly behind the

machine to a long way behind,

assuming no outside influence

(they are fully developed about

1 rotor diameter behind the

mast, and can be sustained for

up to 2500 feet). Each vortex

starts from where the annular

ring would be in the hover, and

is relatively calm in the center

(in fact, the centre to centre

distance between them is just

under the rotor diameter, and

slightly displaced from the

centre towards the retreating

blade). Regard them as large

funnels extending rearward and

downward, getting bigger as

they go. The point is, they can

be used to direct chemical into

the foliage. Ground cushion,

however, can cause them to

separate, because there is

nowhere else for them to go.

There is still a downward flow

as well as the vortices.

Particle size at low heights should be

larger to prevent them being sucked

into the vortex areas, where they will

not be effective – low level

operations should plan to use the

lower parts of the generated airflow

(say for economical application of

pesticides, or where penetration is

not required). You would spray at

higher levels if you want to spray the

underside of foliage, as with an

orchard, and make full use of the

vortices. In this case, particle size

would be smaller, but large enough

to fall out of the air stream. The

denser the foliage, the higher the air

stream needs to be.

It has been found that, between 40-

80 mph, the swath width can be

relatively constant, meaning that you

can get the same physical coverage

while slowing down to concentrate

on more heavily infested areas.

Application is inversely proportional

to airspeed, so 2 gallons an acre at 60

mph translates to 3 gallons at 40 or

1.5 at 80.

Note that there is a different

optimum particle size according to

the foliage - a good reference book

for your library in this respect is

Concentrated Spray Equipment, Mixtures

and Application Methods, by S F Potts

(Dorland Books, NJ).

The Procedure

Crop-spraying, like slinging, is very

satisfying when you get a good

rhythm and an efficient team that

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keeps you in the air as much as

possible. Unlike it, however, you will

be operating a heavy machine with

unwieldy spray booms (actually just

like bouncy missiles, if you ever did

196 Operational Flying

that sort of thing) at some speed in

confined areas, and the low level

manoeuvres will require a lot of coordination and forward thinking. For

example, you have to continually

keep a note of the ground so when

you turn round you can pick up

from where you left off and

remember where you've been

already. When lining up, you need to

get the speed and heading right, and

pick a spot to aim for so you can

keep straight, all in the space of a

few seconds. There are GPS-based

systems that will even turn the

booms on and off automatically.

There's usually very little wind to

help you, either, because of the legal

restrictions on wind speeds and the

possibilities of Spray Drift (see later),

and spraying cotton in Australia is

actually done at night. In fact, you

can only really count on about 5

hours' productive time during the

day, 3 in the morning and 2 in the

evening. Anything else is a bonus.

The big problem with doing it at

those times is that the Sun is always

in your eyes from one direction,

which may not be the ideal if there is

any wind about.

The idea is to fly between 35-45

knots at about 5 feet along the

"grain" of the crop (if you don't

need penetration), at the end of the

run pulling up and pivoting around

to face the other direction on the

end of the boom that is pointing

into wind, so you start where you

left off (the speed and height would

be about 50 kts and 50 feet in forest

blocks, allowing for obstacles). Thus,

you turn into wind at the end of

each run, progressing towards the

wind direction. The trick when

turning down wind is to pull up, turn

halfway, then let the machine fall

into the right spot, with maybe a

little help from some backward

cyclic. Hopefully, after each run, you

can still see your load settling and

can use it as an aiming point for the

next one, so you could liken it to

using a paintbrush, even to the

extent of using pedals to twist the

swath into the fiddly bits of forests.

Expect to overlap about 10%. The

reason for starting from a downwind

position is so that you're not flying

into your own spray. Before you

start, however, make sure you have

the right blocks, and you have the

permits for them!

Pesticides come in various forms, as

solid, liquid or gas—in general,

insecticides kill insects, herbicides

kill plants (i.e. weeds) and fungicides

make short work of, well, fungi, but

even these classifications can be

further broken down. With

insecticides, a stomach poison must

actually be ingested, while a contact

poison needs merely to be touched

by the insect. A systemic insecticide

can be applied to one part of the

plant from where it spreads by itself

to the rest, although it may need to

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be applied in a particular way to be

properly effective, such as at the root

or on the leaves.

Herbicides can also be selective, in that

they go after a certain species of

plant. Residual herbicides provide

long-term control, sometimes for up

to three seasons. However, timing is

important—they must be applied

when the plants to be protected are

strongest and the weeds at their

weakest. You might find pre-plant,

pre-emergence or post emergence types,

which really speak for themselves.

A protectant is a fungicide designed to

protect the plant rather than do

Special Use Of Aircraft 197

damage to a fungus. Eradicants are

used when it's too late. In with the

mix may be an inert substance,

which might be talc in a dust

formulation, or a petroleum product

to assist emulsification.

Aerial Application, in UK, at least,

takes place under a “Certificate”,

which is broadly comparable to an

AOC. Other countries will have a

similar system. Under the terms of

this, a Ground Operations Manager

must always be present, who must

have certain minimum qualifications.

There should also be a field support

engineer, who monitors aircraft

performance and attends to routine

servicing (the same person could do

both jobs). There may also be a

flagman, who marks out the areas to

be sprayed and the routes to be

followed. Other ground staff include

loaders, who mix and load the

solution, which usually requires fast

action to keep things going, but,

when things are happening quickly,

there is more danger of spillage and

contamination.

Wherever you are, though, it is likely

that you'll need some ground school

in order to pass exams for

registration as a spray pilot, which

may involve some calculations about

nozzle sizes, etc. You must also learn

to read the label on the product, which

will have some legal status. It will

contain instructions concerning

equipment required, first aid

procedures, compatibility, amounts

to be used, and where, and storage

(pesticides are often Dangerous

Goods, as well). If you spray outside

the conditions in the label, you will

not be legal.

To make money out of spraying, set

prices are usually charged for an

area, which means the quicker the

job is done, the quicker another can

be started, which is about the only

way to maximise income - the

problem is that your company's

accounts are based on flying hours,

not acreage. The aircraft should be

placed centrally, and its production

(in acres per hour) will depend on

payload available, endurance, dead

time between sites, volume of work

at each site, terrain, pilot's

experience, time spent on the

ground reloading, rate of application

and weather (I think that's all).

Organisation, however, is most

important. If you keep changing

chemicals, the whole pattern of work

will be disrupted, so grouping crops

that require the same cover on a

regular basis can get rid of not only

dead ferrying time, but also

unnecessary cleaning of tanks. Very

often, you can expect to top up with

fuel after every delivery, to get the

maximum spread.

To minimise weight, liquid solutions

will be more concentrated than

normal, and exposing yourself and

ground staff to the spray must be

regarded as a possibility, either by

ingestion, skin contact (sometimes

through the eyes) or inhalation.

Remember, whatever it is kills

things, so it will be toxic—the larger

the LD50 value, the less it will be, but

below 10 is regarded as extremely

toxic (LD50 indicates a dose that will

kill 50% of test animals within a

certain period, and refers to acute

toxicity). Minimise skin

contamination with rubber gloves

and boots (unlined), and clean

clothing which includes long

trousers and sleeves, which is just

what you need on a hot day,

especially with coveralls on top

198 Operational Flying

(wear trouser legs outside boots). It's

not essential to use anything

waterproof unless you actually

expect to get drenched, or are

working in a mist. Cover cuts and

abrasions. Flaggers can avoid

exposure to whatever is being

sprayed by simply keeping out of the

way of each pass.

Acute poisoning refers to a single

dose, while chronic poisoning arises

from many non-poisonous doses

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over time.

Spray Drift

This is the movement of whatever

you're spraying to areas it was not

intended for. It's undesirable, not

only because it reduces the chemical

used on the job, but it also causes

damage in non-target areas due to

concentrated amounts accumulating

downwind, sometimes more than

that applied to the target (it's also

trespassing). Spray Drift is affected

by greater wind velocity at height,

volatility of the solution, temperature

inversions combined with spray

pressure, nozzle spray angle and air

movement around the aircraft. You

can reduce the chances of it by

releasing large droplets close to the

target, by:

· Flying as low and slow as

possible.

· Locating nozzles away from

rotor tips.

· Placing the spray boom as far

forward as possible.

· Orienting nozzles backward and

spacing for uniform patterns.

· Using low nozzle pressures.

· Using larger orifices in the

nozzles.

· Spraying when winds are light

and the air is cool, about 4 a.m.

· Using herbicides that do not

produce damaging vapours.

· Using buffer zones, particularly

around water

You can also modify the solution

with additives that produce more

viscosity (adjuvants), or with an invert

emulsion system, which will apply a

mayonnaise-like material. They both

have disadvantages, though, in either

needing specialised equipment or

mixing techniques.

If you're trying to increase the

volume of solution over a particular

area, you're better off tinkering with

the nozzles than reducing speed or

raising spray pressure. This will help

to avoid small droplets, or 'fines',

that are more likely to drift. There

are some crops, however, that

require good coverage and small

droplets, which is the opposite. This

is where you need to be a bit of a

chemist as well as a pilot to satisfy

the customer.

Vapour drift is a similar effect arising

from evaporation.

Accurate records are essential, not

only as aids to the business but also

for later complaints of drifting. It's

helpful to note such items as nozzle

size and spacing, wind velocity and

weather conditions, rate of

application and time on task,

together with a diagram (which you

should have made anyway, for

planning purposes—many pilots use

an aerial photograph and keep a log

of the tracks flown with a marker).

Special Use Of Aircraft 199

Seeding

When a pipeline, or similar, has been

laid, the countryside has to made to

look attractive again as soon as

possible. A large hopper full of grass

seed is used to do this, and you will

get to do a series of runs over the

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pipeline to spread it.

The hopper is basically a large

fibreglass bucket that weighs about

300 lbs. It has a large petrol motor

on the bottom, about the size of the

average lawnmower engine, with a

gate that is opened and closed from

the cabin, and the important thing to

remember is to positively switch off

after a run, otherwise you will drop

the seed everywhere. In other words,

just letting go of the On button

doesn’t automatically stop the flow.

The other point is that, like a

longline, it is attached to the

helicopter in two places, that is, the

hook and the electrical cable, and the

latter has to be pulled out by ground

staff or you will strip the cables

when the hook is released.

If you have a lot of ground to cover,

think about placing the seed on a

truck and operating from various

points around the countryside,

which will save a lot of dead flying

time. Lastly, depending on the

machine and how far you have to fly,

it’s not uncommon to top up with

fuel after every delivery.

Fire Suppression

You may be asked to turn your hand

to many jobs, including:

· help fight the fire itself, with

buckets, attached directly to the

helicopter or on a long line

· move men and materials over

natural barriers, between their

camps and the fire

· scan with FLIR (Infra red)

· report fire dimensions back to

the fire boss

· recover equipment afterwards

· search for hotspots

· do Initial Attack patrols

· Command and Control

Generally, what job you get is

determined by the fireboss the night

before (once the fire's organisational

structure is in place) and you get

your orders in the morning when

you turn up for work.

Of course, what often happens is a

system of organised chaos, where it’s

hard to tell if anyone really knows

what’s going on and you end up

fighting a little bit all by yourself.

Otherwise, if you're not part of the

operation, you should not be within

5 nm and below 3000 feet agl of the

fire's limits. Anyone joining in

should be in touch with the bird

dog, if there is one—this is a light

plane or helicopter used for air

traffic and controlling the water

tankers, and you need to be told

200 Operational Flying

when they are coming so you can get

out of the way for 15 minutes or so.

If there is no bird dog, the local fire

authority should have a UHF flight

watch frequency, and the fire itself

will have a common aeronautical

VHF frequency allocated to it.

Expect also to need a VHF FM

frequency for the ground crews,

which means you have to listen out

on three very busy

frequencies.

Water bombers

will be used either

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to drop retardant

or water,

sometimes with

foam. Retardant is

phosphate

fertiliser and

water, with a dye

so they can see

where it hit. It is

not actually used

on the fire, but

around it, so it is

contained in a

smaller area and

allowed to burn

out. Skimmers

(like the CL415)

pick water up from nearby lakes, but

others get reloaded from nearby

airstrips prepared for the purpose.

There will often be dozers trying to

create a break round the fire for the

same purpose if it is small enough.

Bombers do not usually get below

150 feet, as the water pattern will get

disrupted, so your safest height is

well below that, amongst the smoke,

so be careful.

Helicopters also make use of handy

sources of water, like swimming

pools or small rivers, typically using

the Bambi Fire Bucket. Such sources

should ideally be close, upwind and

at least the same elevation as the fire,

so you don’t have to keep climbing

with a load on. The Bambi can be

transported at quite a speed (up to

80 kts), as long as you don’t pitch

more than 15° either way.

These days, the minimum machine is

likely to be the AStar B2, or a

LongRanger with a good engine,

with anything lower in performance,

such as the 206,

being relegated to

observation or

putting out hot

spots, since the

bucket size is only

90 gallons. In most

cases, the killing

time is between 30-

45 minutes from the

start of the fire, so, if

you're on standby

for Initial Attack,

your response time

should be as fast as

possible (takeoff

inside 3 minutes).

For Initial Attack,

you will typically be

teamed up with

three or four firefighters and their

associated gear, which will fill every

available hole in the cabin and

baggage compartments. You will

need enough fuel to get them to the

spot and be useful while you're

there, and get them back again, so,

on the way, take note of the nearest

airfield or refuelling spot. If the fire

gets big enough, they may well bring

fuel down in drums, but by that time

the bombers could well be there

anyway and you will be sent off to

another one. Your task, as an initial

attack team, is just to stamp on a fire

Special Use Of Aircraft 201

just starting, but you could well be

involved in just slowing it down

around people or property. You will

get your instructions from the bird

dog if it arrives before you get there

(directions are given with reference

to the head or tail of the fire, which

are the downwind and upwind ends,

respectively. Left and right flanks are

counted from the tail to the head).

Once a fire has been detected, it will

be allocated a number. When it gets

beyond a certain size and becomes

part of a more serious effort, it will

also get its own traffic frequency, as

mentioned above, which should be

used by all aircraft entering or

leaving, once the bird dog has left

for greater things.

Anyhow, picking up water in singleengined helicopters beyond gliding

distance from shore has the usual

problems, plus possible

disorientation if you go too far in.

Fast moving streams don’t help,

making you feel as if you were

moving the wrong way, so it’s best

to find a calm area, as otherwise you

will have to move the helicopter to

keep up with the water, ending up in

a fast taxi unawares – always face the

flow of the stream. Approach the

water with some forward speed so

the bucket tips over and starts to fill

as you progress, as it has a tendency

to drift forward otherwise. Get into

a low hover, which will help push it

under, and lift it mostly out. If you're

heavy (i.e. with a lot of fuel), keep

the power on and pull the bucket

forward in one smooth movement,

using translational lift to get

airborne. You will find that the wind

direction is critical.

Be careful if you're longlining with a