Moderator: coldharvest
Darcy wrote:A birddog, generally in a fixed wing high above, coordinates the drops, like left flank or cut the head, your number 3, etc, then you line up to your drop zone. If you’re lined up and over it, it’ll drop below where you want it, directly below. For the release, You get a feel when to punch it depending on your speed, or find a visual marker abeam to release. We miss the mark sometimes but if it’s too often you’ll be off the fire. They watch the heavy helicopter drops closely as we are pretty expensive. With the longline you can swing the bucket into it more with a turning release too, avoiding the smoke or flames.
Darcy wrote:Flew back to civilization yesterday, in Winnipeg now. Will be flying to Western Canada Thursday to pick up the other Super Puma to fly back here, then home for the holidays. Supposed to depart Jan 2nd. Route is being finalized and all the necessary overfly and cross border permits getting sorted. I've heard of guys being posted in barbed wire compounds in the mountain to stage for fire fighting but my boss seems to think we'll be in a nice beach house with a hot tub. I guess I'll see. Fly rod will be going along...
Also, here's a video (I didn't shoot it) of my buddy pulling wire earlier in the season. I can't seem to embed it.
https://photos.smugmug.com/Custom-Helicopters/i-LSsq6cS/0/11be91db/1280/IMG_2454-1280.mp4
Darcy wrote:vagabond wrote:Did you get out before the insane weather / cold?
No, I was in a Northern bush camp just below Churchill for almost a month of -40. I didn't have my extreme cold Arctic gear as it was only December. Froze my ass off. We leave for Chile January 3rd.
Good news though; the Spanish company we are contracting to might give me an "in" back into the military contracting world.... fingers crossed. Not being "American" closed a few doors when that market dried up. Bucketing water onto fires is damn fun flying though...
Plan is to overnight in Panama then again in Ecuador, with just a fuel stop in Cali, Colombia. I've got some friends I want to visit in Colombia so I'll probably push for a layover.
dogtanian wrote:Darcy wrote:vagabond wrote:Did you get out before the insane weather / cold?
No, I was in a Northern bush camp just below Churchill for almost a month of -40. I didn't have my extreme cold Arctic gear as it was only December. Froze my ass off. We leave for Chile January 3rd.
Good news though; the Spanish company we are contracting to might give me an "in" back into the military contracting world.... fingers crossed. Not being "American" closed a few doors when that market dried up. Bucketing water onto fires is damn fun flying though...
Plan is to overnight in Panama then again in Ecuador, with just a fuel stop in Cali, Colombia. I've got some friends I want to visit in Colombia so I'll probably push for a layover.
Give me a shout if you're stopping by Cartagena.
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