N°3/2013 Sept 2013

Density altitude.

Safety : the Magnificent Seven.

News.

Douglas DC-7.

Privateer.

An other day out .(photo Anouck Le Bris)

Fire Brothers.

CFPANEWS

T h e C a l i f o r n i a F i r e P i l o t s A s s o c i a t i o n n e w s l e t t e r

Sept.

2013

Books review.

Privateer at Hemet in the 80ies .(photo Steve Whitby)

2 CFPA news

NEWS

Editor : Jerome Laval.Redaction and graphic design : Cyril DefeverPlease forward your pictures and articles to:

e-mail : jeromelaval@hotmail.comWebsite : http://www.calfirepilots.com/

S2 at work

Airsprayin the lower 48

Airspray signed a CWN contract with CalFire. Tanker 482, a Lockheed Electra is waiting at Chico AAB(photo Jimmy Ferreira)

DC-7 at ChicoAero Air LLC also signed a CWN contract with CalFire. DC-7 Tanker 62 is sitting on the Ramp at Chico.Aero Air purchased the Butler Aviation airtanker operations in december 2012.(photo Jimmy Ferreira)

Martin Mars, it’s over...

Coulson ended operations with the last Martin Mars waterbomber early this

september. After a total of 54 seasons, and 51 for the last flying one, the “Hawaii Mars”, Coulson opens a new page for their firefighting activities with the C-130Q. Let’s wish this NextGen Tanker an long and safe career, but memories of a Martin Mars flying over British Colombia or California to fight fires will not be forgotten!(photo Cyril Defever)

3 September 2013

S2 at work

by Michael Meadows

4 CFPA news

SAFETY

“ THE MAGNIFICENT

SEVEN ”decisions.

Jeronimo

Productions

Presents :

On take-off roll, 70kts, I realized that I missed a critical item on the before Take Off check-list. I could take off without it but what if something really happened right after Take Off at slow speed, low altitude? With this item “ON” it could save the day. So I decided to abort the Take Off, taxi back, regroup and re-do the entire before Take Off check list.

1. DISTRACTION 2. SICKNESS

One morning I woke up quite sick. Really unfit to fly for sure and knowing this would take the entire day to feel better. Right away I made the call and a relief pilot was available to take over.

5 September 2013

3. PRESSURE :

It’s already been a long day and we’ve been bouncing around different incidents. Fuel quantity was getting low and I got diverted to a new inci-dent which was quite a distance away. Feasible but stretching it fuel wise and almost no time to stick around over the incident. Therefore I decided to de-cline the dispatch right away so command center could call somebody else with appropriate level of fuel and flight time.

4. SAFETY :

While being cleared to enter the FTA at 12 Nautical miles and join numerous aircraft over the incident, I noticed the radio traffic suddenly increased dras-tically. With 4 tankers already at scene, I decided to stay at 7 Nautical miles and orbit away from the route used by tankers between the Base and the in-cident. When Radio traffic permitted it, I advised the air attack on AirTactics about it.

5. EFFICIENCY :

While turning final on a drop run, I noticed the smoke was overlaying the target. I decided to go around instead of making a drop in the blind. While I climbed back at maneuvering altitude, a slight wind shift moved the smoke and I could see the tar-get again. I was able to make a precise drop where it was requested and useful.

6. COMMUNICATION :

Flying for some time on the same incident, I got diverted and wrote down all the information. After setting up the GPS, something didn’t seem right. I double checked it and decided to confirm the La-titude and longitude coordinates with the Tanker Base. Somewhere along the communication line some figures were incorrect. Made all the necessary corrections and went on to the incident.

7. AWARENESS:

Early call, just coffee for breakfast and flying all morning with short turn around time. Load and return, over and over. I didn’t see it coming but I began to feel dizzy, tired. Got dehydrated and hun-gry. I decided to take a quick break after fueling the plane. Water, good snack and few minutes of rest made a difference. I felt good and ready again. Base manager told me the air attack needed a Tan-ker right now! Just before starting the engines, for some reason I thought about fuel caps… Did I for-get? Should I hurry up and take off anyway? Well, I decided to stop right there and check the fuel caps. Good thing I did…

6 CFPA news

Old school maths., rough but good enough...

Density Altitude.

How do we calculate density altitude? There are just two pieces of information you’ll need for a rough approximation: pressure altitude and temperature. Where do you find this information? Easy: for temperature, you look at the thermometer in your airplane. For pressure altitude, set the window in your altimeter to 29.92. Whatever value it reads is pressure altitude.

1.Finding pressure altitude when you’re not sitting in the airplane is a bit more complicated, but here’s a nifty formula:

pressure altitude = (standard pressure - your current pressure setting) x 1,000 + field elevation

That’s a pretty simple formula since two of the variables will always be the same and the other two are easy enough to find. Let’s say our current altimeter setting is 29.45 and the field elevation is 5,000 feet. That means (29.92 - 29.45) x 1,000 + 5,000 = 5,470 feet.

Easy! Now let’s move on to step two, finding density altitude. Here’s the formula:

2. density altitude = pressure altitude + [120 x (OAT - ISA Temp)]

Now, before your eyes glaze over, here’s how simple this formula is: We already have the value for pressure altitude from our last calculation; OAT is degrees Celsius read off our thermometer (let’s say it’s a balmy 35 °C today) and ISA Temp is always 15 °C at sea level. To find ISA standard temperature for a given altitude, here’s a rule of thumb: double the altitude, subtract 15 and place a - sign in front of it. (For example, to find ISA Temp at 10,000 feet, we multiply the altitude by 2 to get 20; we then subtract 15 to get 5; finally, we add a - sign to get -5.)

So, in the example above:

density altitude = 5,470 + [120 x (35 - 5)]

Working out the math, our density altitude is 9,070 feet.This is a rough estimate, but it will be pretty close to the actual value. Try this formula the next few times you go flying (or, just for fun, run some scenarios using Microsoft Flight Simulator) .

Density altitude

7 September 2013

SUNSETSSome of our pilots are also

talented with a camera

Anouck Le Bris

Chico

Paso Robles Anouck Le Bris

Jimmy Ferreira

8 CFPA news

Books review…WWIIAnd you thought Eagle Squadrons had the first American pilots flying the Spitfire against the Luftwaffe? Think again…” The Few” describes the incredible adventure of few(8) American pilots who wanted to fight the Nazis before the US went to war. Nothing could stop them and they finally joined the RAF right before the battle of England in the summer of 1940. A must read. “The Few” by Alex Kershaw

Test flying: At the edge of SpaceThe X-15 is a mythical flying machine; half rocket, half glider. In At the Edge of Space, Milton

O. Thompson tells the dramatic story of one of the most successful research aircraft ever flown. The first full-length account of the X-15 program, the book profiles the twelve test pilots (Neil Armstrong, Joe Engle, Scott Crossfield, and the author among them) chosen for the program. Thompson has translated a highly technical subject into readable accounts of each pilot’s participation, including many heroic and humorous anecdotes and highlighting the pilots’ careers after the program ended in 1968.

Vietnam“A lonely kind of war” by Marshall Harrison.One of the best books about the the OV-10; “A lonely kind of war”

by Marshall Harrison.From retired Air Force pilot Marshall Harrison comes a remarkable memoir of aerial warfare in Vietnam. In his third combat tour, Harrison found himself “converted” from the high performance world of jets to the awkward-looking OV-10 Bronco and assigned as a FAC—forward air controller. A captivating tale of valor, brotherhood, and patriotism unravels in the pages of A Lonely Kind of War, Forward Air Controller, Vietnam, a posthumous release by this published author through Xlibris. Harrison is a born story teller. There is excitement, suspense, and humor in this account of the life of a FAC. They were a small group of dedicated pilots flying lightly armed prop-driven aircrafts in South Vietnam. Considered to be the eyes and ears of the attack aircraft, their job was to fly low and slow, find, fix, and direct airstrikes against an elusive enemy concealed by the heavy rainforest and jungles. In aerial firefighting we don’t call them FAC’s but Air Attacks , ASM, ATGS… But the job is actually pretty much the same! With a noticible difference.. Nobody’s shooting at you. Which is a good thing.

Books reviewWaiting is part of our job so a good book is always welcome...

9 September 2013

“ Thud Ridge ” by Ret. Col. Jack Broughton

F-105’s are flying North, carrying bombs trying to break the North Vietnamese war effort. The Thunderchief nicknamed “Thud” is fast but that’s his only advantage over unsurprising mission planning, agile Mig 21’s and SAM’s (Surface to Air Missiles). Once they cross the northern ridge, hell breaks loose..every time. The F-105’s Squadrons encounter heavy losses and Jack Broughton, one of their leaders describe with incredible accuracy the stressful briefings, the chaos in the clouds, the heavy breathing in oxygen mask, friends being shot down. Once you start reading “Thud Ridge” you can’t put it down and when you do, you realize the incredible story and fate of these fighter-bomber pilots who flew these missions on a daily basis.

” Memoirs of a fighter pilot ”by “Robin Olds ;

Robin Olds was many things to many people. To his West Point football coach he was an All Ameri-can destined for the National College Football Hall of Fame. To his P-38 and P-51 wartime squadrons in WWII he was the aggressive fighter pilot who made double ace and became their commander in nine short months. For the pioneers of the jet age, he was the wingman on the first jet demo team, a racer in the Thompson Trophy race, and the only U.S. exchange officer to command an RAF squadron. In the tabloid press he was the dash-ing flying hero who married the glamorous movie star. For the current crop of fighter pilots he is best known as the leader of the F-4 Wolfpack battling over North Vietnam. For cadets at the Air Force Academy he was a role model and mentor. He was all of those things and more.

Here’s Robin’s story in his own words and gleaned from the family and friends of his lifetime. Here’s the talent and learning, the passion and leader-ship, the love and disappointments of his life. Few men have written on the tablets of aviation history with such a broad and indelible brush. Olds was a classic hero with vices as well as virtues, a life writ large that impacted many.

10 CFPA news

Fire fighting brothers in Sonoma Lake Napa

BC Chris Jurasek and FC Jake Serrano started their careers in 1993. Chris as an Explorer/Volunteer in the town of Glen Ellen, and Jake with Forestville

Fire Distirict.

situation getting worse with hectic communications… Both Chris and Jake really appreciate to see a plan coming together and recognize how helpful the previous aerial experience was in the Copter. It really helped to make the transition to the OV-10. Having experienced Air Tactical pilots really help too and a good CRM (Crew Resource Management) is really important to make things happen safely and efficiently. No matter what or where, good communication is essential.

Both really believe in Cal Fire Air program as a very efficient way of taking care of business. So how about the future of this program? ; “tools and aircraft can change but the basics and working principles are there. Foundation is solid. Adding few large heavies, fixed and rotor wing would help for extended attack…”

They enjoy hunting, fishing and their family lives in Sonoma County. Always professional, ready to brief, debrief the flights; learning from each other so they can improve, share and someday pass it on. I heard that Jake really enjoy singing… but that might be just a rumor.

By the way gentlemen, we Tanker pilots, really appreciate your feedback after the drops, especially when you say ; “On target, on line..load and return !”.

Chris and Jake, see you on the next one !

BC Chris Jurasek

Both graduated CDF’s 67Hr Fire Fighting Academy in 1994 in Santa Rosa and became Seasonal Firefighters in what was then the Sonoma Ranger Unit. Glen Elen Station for Chris and Healdsburg Station for Jake.

A major step for both was joining Boggs Helitack 104 Crew in 1998. In 2000 Chris became Engineer and followed Copter 104 with the fuel truck. They carried on staffing various stations in the unit along the years; Spanish Flat, Napa Airport, Yountville, Middletown, as both Firefighters, Engineers and Captains.

By 2004 both were LT/ Relief Captains at Boggs and responding with Crew 104 on many fires in the unit. We all know how important and efficient the helicopter program is for Cal Fire and this is mostly due to well trained Fire Captains and crews combined with versatile helicopters.

To comple ment this aerial firefighting experience, Chris and Jake moved to company officers at fire stations as Captains. They kept a foot in the Copter as Relief Captains until they fully committed to the Air Program as ATGS (2007 for Chris and 2012 for Jake).

In September 2012, Chris Jurasek became the Battalion Chief at Sonoma Air Base and Captain Jake Serrano became the Fire Captain of the Base.

None of them thought being an ATGS would be as challenging as it is but both really enjoy the challenge of it. Every flight, every fire is a lesson. Reflecting on you as being able to handle a small incident or seeing the FC Jake Serrano

11 September 2013

Thomas Burgard

Airtank’art

Take a look at Thomas’s artwork : www.thomasburgardfineart.com

Prints available 12X16 . $30 plus shippingThomas can make custom stretched canvas and frames any size for commissioned pieces. He is building the stretcher bars out of redwood.

12 CFPA news

This serie of articles is an interview of Captain Larry Kraus by Tiller Miller

You can follow Tyler’s blog about aerial firefighting :

http://randomramblingsfromnj.blogspot.com/former passenger cabin, ballast

The image above ( get photo from Dec. 11, 2009 blog entry ) is interesting to me for a couple of reasons. First, remember that Butler’s DC-7’s once saw service with

the airlines. Obviously, part of the conversion process from passenger plane to tanker has been stripping the old passenger cabin. Moving on. Now in this photo it is obvious that there is something going on. This is Butler’s tanker 66 and the gentlemen in the photo is Brian Lash, the pilot of T-66. Larry Kraus tells me that in this photo, taken on May 26, 2008, Brian is doing a preflight check for a maintenance test flight of T-66. More importantly, Larry sent me this picture because it shows ballast secured in place on the aircraft.

Ballast represents additional items (for example the tires in back of the cabin in the above photo), is carefully stowed and secured at specific points called fuselage stations to add weight to bring the aircraft within manufacturer designated weight and balance parameters. It isn’t just the weight of the plane that is important but how the weight is distributed within the plane that is crucial for safe operations. For example, weight that is distributed too far forward will put the plane into a nose down situation with possible fatal consequences for the plane and crew. Aviation mechanics, aka airframe and power train or A&P mechanics, periodically reweigh the plane and then check the planes center of gravity.

Up close and personnal

with DC-7 Airtankers

Coll. Larry Krauspart 3

13 September 2013

Once the center of gravity is known, there are calculations that are performed that determine weight and balance parameters. Then additional ballast is often needed to bring the plane within these weight and balance parameters.

The photo on the left, a little fuzzy, shows one of these fuselage stations (F.S. 860) for tanker 62. What this means, according to Larry, is that this station is «860 inches aft of the weight and balance datum (F.S. 0, located at the tip of nose of the DC-7).» As I understand the weight and balance datum is also known as reference datum and is:

an imaginary vertical plane from which all horizontal distances are measured for balance purpose (FAA, Aircraft Weight and Balance Handbook (2007), Glossary p. 5).

From this ballast station, F.S. 860, additional ballast stations (fuselage stations) and their assigned weights are calculated to assure that tires, parts, ladders, etc equal the required ballast. According to Larry T-62 carries somewhere around 1200 lbs. of ballast. Most of it is behind (aft) of F.S. 860 and some of it is forward of F.S. 860.

Larry wanted to show you a graphic from one of his DC-7 manuals (electronic files) showing the location of the fuselage stations. Unfortunately, computer troubles with the computer where these manuals are stored prohibit him from doing so. Thanks for the effort, Larry.

I want to close this article on ballast by letting Larry share with us about how the weight of the retardant tank (1,500 pounds empty and an additional 27,000 pounds when carrying 3,000 gallons of retardant) affects tanker 62’s center of gravity (CG).

Larry Kraus: “With the retardant tank installed, the DC-7 is out of the forward center of gravity range in the empty condition unless several hundred pounds of ballast is located right aft, or a higher total weight spread over the aft part of the fuselage. We originally used sandbags at the rear pressure bulkhead, which is as far back as you can go inside the pressurized cabin, just behind the seats in the old passenger lounge at the rear of the plane.

The weight varies from airplane to airplane. I think that it’s around 660 lbs on tanker 62.We now carry spare tires, tools,parts and other supplies that are carefully weighed in place with the fuselage stations noted (in inches from the bulkhead forward of the cockpit) to be sure that we get it right.

The mechanics changed things around in T-62 this year after doing a new weight and balance and I think that they got the CG slightly too far forward. At least it felt that way on take-offs and landings. There’s a heavy box that we can move fore and aft over several feet to easily adjust the CG, but it wasn’t bad enough to adjust, although I thought about moving it a couple of feet aft to see if I was right, but the season ended before I got around to moving it.”

References :Aircraft Weight and Balance Handbook (2007)published by

the FAA and freely available on the web, Much of it is written for A&P mechanics and other aviation experts. But the first chapter or two have an overview that I could follow as well as a glossary.

to be continued...photo Jimmy Ferreira, Chico sept 2013

14 CFPA news

engine maintenance

Larry Kraus provides some details on changing out a bad engine:

“One point of interest concerning the DC-7 engine installation is that the engine, prop, oil system (oil tank/cooler and all lines) and all of the accessories are mounted in a Q.E.C. (Quick Engine Change) assembly. The British call this Q.E.C. a «Power Egg». If you look at the Q.E.C./Power Egg, you can probably see where the term originated, especially if you think of the Q.E.C. without the engine stand.

The pictures here show an engine that Butler brought to us for Tanker 66 in Fairbanks in 1983. The engine itself weighs about 4,400 lbs. The Q.E.C. when it’s ready to install weighs a bit over 6.000 lbs. These picture are in sequence, including photos giving a good view of what a Q.E.C. looks like out of the engine stand.

These really are Quick Change assemblies. The record for Butler for an engine change is truly amazing. I was flying as co-pilot to Laddie Lash in 1979 in the old Tanker 67 on a fire near Klamath Falls. We shut #4

engine down because of smoke from an oil leak and flew to Redmond. The problem would take a while to repair and a Q.E.C. was ready that had been run the day before on a test stand.

photo Larry Krauss

photo Larry Krauss

photo Larry Krauss

photo Larry Krauss

There were no complications and it took right at two and a half hours from the time we parked in front of the hangar to starting to taxi out for a test flight. The test flight went okay and we were back flying on the fire within four hours of shutting the engine down. That’s a record,but it isn’t unusual to have the old engine removed and the new one ready to run within four hours.”

As I understand it, the Q.E.C. is used for many tankers, and the Q.E.C. can take some time to build. For example, Larry tells me that «It takes a long time to build up a Q.E.C. when you start with a bare mount and an engine in a can. For the DC-7 Q.E.C. at Butler, it takes around 3-4 months per Q.E.C. in the winter with two or three guys working on it.»

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17 September 2013

Privateer

photos Steve Whitby

Built as a maritime patrol aircraft, The Consolidared Vultee PB4Y-2 served the Navy and Coast guards until mid 50ies. In 1959 the first aircraft were converted in airtankers by Avery Aviation, later to be Christler & Avery Aviation. Ten machines were converted and six crashed. Rosenbalm aviation employed two machine, at the end of the sixties, T84 and T85, Stell Aviation, SS&T from phoenix used T30C an,d T50C, T30C changing between 1977 and 90. In 1969 Hawkins and Powers bought Seven Tankers plus a spare to Christler and Avery in 1969.

Of the 10, 6 were lost. T123 accident in avril 2002 grounded all the PB4-Y2 of the last user, H&P

Now, only 4 survivors are flying or beeing restaured by associations. The Privater flew 44 years of firefighting over US forests.

18 CFPA news

Some interesting links (click on the blue link)

Tribute to the recently retired Martin Mars...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEeNmSOEgQY...and S-2 Tracker in Saskatchewan :http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtXB6c_INzMDC-10 on Powerhouse fire, june 2013 :http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaUDs48h2nsThe AOPA news :http://www.aopa.org/AOPA-Live.aspx?cmp=ALTW:L6

Fly safe, see you next month

C-27 impressive transport and aerobatic airplane!

by Cyril Defever

On the third week end of july I was at RAF Fairford for the biggest military airshow in Europe, the Royal International Air

Tattoo and I saw an outstanding demonstration of aerobatics by the italian test pilots crew of an Alenia C-27J performing loops, barrel rolls...

It looks like it has a good potential for an airtanker with obvious good maneuverability ...

After aerobatics, crews should clean aircraft interior and look for FOD!!!