Spring 2017 - AirFire & Forestry Edition in English

agairupdate.com SPRING 2017

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T & M Aviation

NCFS takes delivery of AT-802F North Carolina Forest Service

Montenegro receives new AT-802A

Leading by example

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keep turning… in this issue VOLUME 34 NUMBER 12 | SPRING 2017

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Raindrops keep falling on my head

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Cruising throughthe off season

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T & M Aviation: Leading by example

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NCFS takes delivery of AT-802

10 Providing aid to Chile 12 Why taking your training seriously matters 14 Montenegro receives new AT-802A 16 IMS New Zealand - Cloudburst Fire Bucket

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On the Cover and this page: T & M Aviation’s Bell 206L4 working over pine trees.

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Raindrops keep falling on my head

by Mike Schoenau A friend recently sent me a quote that he found on the Internet … “Everyone wants to be happy. No one wants any pain. But, you can’t have a rainbow without a little rain.” I was planning to knock the smile off his face the next time I saw him, but then I thought … hey … maybe this guy has it right and rains in California are a sign that 2017 will be a great year for Valley Air Crafts.

I started counting my blessings; the drought that has been plaguing my agricultural customers is over, reservoirs have been replenished and are now perfect for scooper water bombers, I just delivered another new AT-802 firefighting aircraft to a longtime customer and LA County Fire gave the AT-802 Scooper Fire Boss an honorable mention in its recent Aircraft Program Analysis report. My challenge remains to convince LA County and its state partners to seriously consider a “Buy American” Air Tractor solution vs. 23 years of contracting highly subsidized CL-415 Super Scoopers from a foreign government. Maybe President Trump will have something to say about that.

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Spring 2017

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This is my everything There’s a lot riding with this Air Tractor. My livelihood, my reputation—my life is in this airplane. When lives and property are at stake, I want the total package.

Safety. Airframe. Engine. 24/7 support. A champion for my way of life and a supporter of this industry. The stakes couldn’t be higher. So I need everything.

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Marc Mullis marc@agairupdate.com

from the SEAT

Cruising through the off season Overall, the U.S. fire activity has been very light since Mother Nature’s rain put an end to the fires in the Smoky Mountains last fall. This part of the country has always experienced late season fires, but these were made unusual by the deep drought the region was experiencing and a weather pattern that saw one dry front after another with continued shifting winds. The steep rocky terrain made it difficult to place dozer fire lines and thick timber canopies creates a challenge for aerial applied retardant to have good penetration and coverage. Oftentimes a hand crew digging line on the side of a mountain was the first line of defense.

California and the northern tier of states have seen nearly record amounts of precipitation during the winter. The northern Sierra Nevada is experiencing two to three hundred percent of average snowpack while the majority of the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains are well above average. These conditions will not prevent a fire season in the regions, but will certainly delay the onset.

In the Southern Hemisphere, Australia has had a fairly normal fire season while southern South America is experiencing one of the worst seasons

in history. The countries of Chile and Argentina are bearing the brunt of these blazes and neither nation has a well-organized wildland firefighting system, instead depending on local volunteers. The majority of the fires are on private lands and historically timber companies and local landowners have funded suppression efforts. However, those assets have been overwhelmed and an international outreach for help has been extended. Several aircraft from around the globe have been dispatched to Santiago, including the Global Supertanker B-747. There have been numerous fatalities, including a SEAT pilot that went down in mid-January.

Unfortunately, the vast majority of these fires have been determined to be arson.

The new Exclusive Use SEAT contracts were recently let and the results were disappointing to many, especially to those vendors not awarded a contract.

That is just part of life, however, what used to be a relatively simple bidding process has morphed into a very complicated conflagration that seems to be driven by bureaucrats and lawyers.

The end results are the same, but the path has become very expensive and impractical. What used to be completed in-house by vendors now requires outside help that costs vendors a lot of

money with no guarantee of a return on the investment. Hopefully, the newly elected presidential administration will follow up on its promise to “drain the swamp” and do away with a lot of the bureaucratic red tape.

Looks like the 2017 fire season will be the last for the venerable Lockheed P-2Vs of Neptunes’ fleet. As the Legacy Contracts expire, the classic air tankers will be retired with many already finding homes as gate guardians or museum pieces. It has been a pleasure to have served with these capable ships and their aircrews. This will truly mark the end of an era.

For the rest of the aerial firefighting industry, the 2017 fire season is fast approaching and most training programs have been completed. I hope everyone has a safe and prosperous summer and maybe we will meet in the mountains one day.

Marc Spring 2017

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T & M Aviation

Leading by example

by Graham Lavender A little shy of 20 years ago, Ron Wolf found himself at a crossroads. Ron had built a successful career in the helicopter industry, starting with PHI Helicopters as an A&P/IA mechanic.

PHI had instituted a mechanic to pilot transition program and Ron completed the training to earn his commercial helicopter rating. Soon after leaving PHI, Ron formed Wolf’s Aero Service.

The focus of this business was maintenance of fixed-wing aircraft for oil and gas companies. A downturn in the oil and gas industry led Ron to join Evergreen Helicopters where he was placed in charge of procurement of agricultural work for the company. Eventually, Ron was flying the work he was selling.

Little did he know at the time, he was setting the stage for today’s T & M Aviation. Fast forward a number of years, after Ron Wolf’s time at Evergreen Helicopters and some years as a line pilot for another agricultural aviation operator, Ron was ready to venture again on his own.

T & M Aviation opened its doors November 1998 in Abbeville, Louisiana with one helicopter, an OH-58, and Ron Wolf as the pilot/operator/owner. In the beginning, T & M Aviation was nearly 100% forestry work. A whirlwind first year in business led Ron to add a second helicopter and pilot.

Ron Wolf and his second pilot, Stan Hebert, continued building T & M Aviation from the ground up until a third helicopter was added in 2006. This helicopter was flown by Brandon Ricks.

Brandon was mentored by Ron and Stan and had been with T & M Aviation since its inception. Brandon had worked his way from helping around the operation to loading, then to managing ground crews and finally flying. Tragically, Brandon lost his life on March 30, 2014 during a prescribed burning operation.

T & M Aviation headquartered in Abbeville, Louisiana is nothing short of a first-class operation. The company holds current FAA Part 135, Part 137 and Part 133 certificates - and includes anything from pelican rescues to row crop spraying on its expansive resumé. With multiple operating certificates,

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Running the daily operations of T & M Aviation is Thomas Wolf, Ron’s son. Thomas grew up in the business and has had extensive “on the job” training. Tom earned his A&P and his commercial fixed and rotor wing pilot’s licenses directly out of college. Thomas serves as the president of the company and manages its 35 employees. Matt Wolf, Ron’s other son, is also a mainstay at T & M Aviation. Matt is the primary pilot for the company’s Part 135 Fixed-Wing operation, flying a Citation and a King Air C90. (If you’re wondering, the T & M portion of T & M Aviation is for Tom and Matt.)

The company operates five helicopters, all variants of the Bell 206. Two Bell 206B3 Jet Rangers can haul 90 gallons of product for application and has five seats. Two Bell 206L1C30 Long Rangers can haul up to 140 gallons of product for application and has seven seats. The fifth helicopter is a 206L4 that is slightly more robust than the 206L1C30s. The Bell 206B3s see an average fuel consumption of around 27 gallons per hour and the more powerful L1s and L4 burn approximately 37-40 gallons per hour.

Basically, each helicopter is configured similarly. Depending on the type of work required, each helicopter can quickly be configured to a specific nozzle arrangement (Teejet, Accuflow or CP) and boom setup. All five helicopters are running the AgNav Guia guidance systems with AutoCal flow control units. The Bell 206L4 is the only one of the fleet to utilize the Kawak hydraulic system; the others have Isolair and Simplex electric units.

The company applies this same philosophy of redundancy and duplication to its ground support units, going as far as to make

The T & M Aviation fleet with their new paint jobs parked on the ramp at Abbeville, Louisiana.

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T & M Aviation maintains strict pilot training with as many as three yearly check rides to maintain currency requirements for various government agencies. Stan Hebert, the company’s chief pilot and check airman, is in charge of all recurrent and initial training.

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sure the same type FM radio is installed in each truck. Nine support trucks service the five helicopters.

T & M Aviation’s work is 95% aerial application, divided 50/50 amongst row crop and forestry. Its season runs March through October with some prescribed burning taking place during the winter months. The company is licensed to operate in more than 30 states. The other 5% flying is firefighting and Part 135 operations. T & M Aviation also holds on-call relationships with the Department of Interior and US Forest Service, as well as miscellaneous contracts with the U.S. military.

T & M Aviation is expanding into helicopter sales and helicopter maintenance. It currently has customers nationwide that depend on the mechanics at T & M to keep their helicopters in the air.

To operate a successful helicopter company with many facets to the business model and many employees with different skill sets requires extreme organization and dedication. The crew at T & M Aviation are just that - organized and dedicated, a truly first-class operation.

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One of the many roles T & M Aviation’s helicopters has is prescribed burning, pictured here before startup. The “can” on the left drops the “fire”, while tethered to the helicopter.

Support trucks are set up identical for each helicopter. Typical load times from skid touch down to lift is less than 30 seconds.

In addition to agricultural spraying, T & M Aviation are ready to go on a moment’s notice to fulfill Part 135 obligations. This requires the interior to be spotless.

T & M Aviation’s Bell 206L4 approaches for a load at a typical remote site.

Spring 2017

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NCFS takes delivery of AT-802

by Bill Lavender From a modest beginning in the 1940s, the North Carolina Forest Service (NCFS) aviation program has grown into a formidable fire management tool. The original force was composed of Piper observation planes and surplus Navy N3Ns, used as water bombers.

Today, the agency operates 23 aircraft, including 18 fixed wing aircraft and five helicopters (three Bell UH1Hs and two Astar 350B3s). Their response time to emergencies can be measured in minutes. Aircraft are utilized for fire mitigation, detection, suppression and directing suppression activities. They’re also used in a variety of forest management missions such as assessing storm damage to forests after a storm and other forest health related activities.

The NCFS SEAT Program is based at Kinston Regional Airport, at Stallings Field (KISO), which is one of three NC aviation hubs. The NCFS aerial fleet operates anywhere in the state where it is needed to fight wildfires. For instance, a good deal of the NCFS aerial fleet was used in the mountains this fall.

During that time, the NCFS took delivery of a new AT-802 that was delivered to North Carolina on November 16, 2016, at the

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Taking delivery of the AT-802F Air Tractor are (L-R): North Carolina State Senator Brent Jackson, North Carolina Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler, North Carolina Forestry Service SEAT pilot Wayne Slaughter and North Carolina State Representative Jimmy Dixon. same time as many wildfires were raging in the North Carolina mountains. However, while the AT-802 was dispatched for standby near the fires towards the end of November, it was not

as an ag-pilot. This permits Slaughter to train NCFS SEAT pilots and endorse their logbooks as qualified to fly the aircraft. Of the three NCFS SEAT pilots he has been training, one has been signed off and the other two are still working to complete their logbooks as of this writing. The flight training in the AT-802 is made in accordance with the required FAA Exemption No. 5651Q that allows a pilot to fly the aircraft in excess of 12,500 pounds gross weight without a type certificate.

(L-R) North Carolina Forestry Service SEAT pilots Wayne Slaughter, Shannon Coleman, Shane Caison with North Carolina State Chief Pilot and Lead Plane Pilot Robert Delleo. used at that time.

The NCFS Aviation Program has been advocating to update their fleet for a long time. Prior to the arrival of the AT-802, the NCFS aerial fleet had three M18 Dromaders and one S2R 600 Thrush. These aircraft have flown in the NCFS Single Engine Air Tanker (SEAT) program for 22 years. A year ago, one of the Dromader engines needed replacing, costing the state almost $100,000; this is after two previous engine replacements. North Carolina Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler went before the North Carolina legislature in the spring of 2016 to appeal for funding to buy a new AT-802 and update ground support equipment. The North Carolina legislature recognized the need to upgrade the NCFS aerial fleet and appropriated the needed funding. The AT-802 was purchased with a price tag of nearly $2 million through Southeastern Aircraft Sales, an Air Tractor dealer in Fort Pierce, Florida. The North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is the parent agency of the NCFS.

The AT-802 Air Tractor is powered by a PT6A67F engine that develops 1,425 SHP.

Prior to the purchase of the AT-802, the NCFS used pistonpowered T-34Bs as lead planes for the M18 Dromaders to make water drops. With the increased airspeed of the AT-802, the state updated their lead planes with the acquisition of two turbine powered T-34Cs through the Federal Excess Personal Property (FEPP) program. Through an agreement with the U.S. Forest Service, the NCFS is allowed to obtain Federal Excess Personal Property from the federal government for use in fighting fires.

Since the delivery of the AT-802, one M18B Dromader and the S2R 600 Thrush have been sold. The remaining two M18A Dromaders may be for sale if the NCFS acquires more AT-802s in the future. The plan is to replace them with two single seat AT-802A Air Tractors.

North Carolina Forestry Service’s new Air Tractor AT-802 ready to work. The state self insures its aircraft.

The AT-802 Air Tractor is powered by a PT6A-67F engine that develops 1,425 SHP. The aircraft has fully operational dual controls in its dual cockpit configuration. In addition, it uses Garmin GNC 650 and Garmin 796 navigation systems and has the Air Tractor Gen II Fire Retardant Delivery System (FRDS) fire gate built by Trotter Controls. While it uses other products, the delivery system mainly uses FireIce as its fire suppressant.

Approximately five gallons of FireIce are injected through the load hose with a vacuum system as 800 gallons of water are pumped into the hopper, producing a true solution that doesn’t need agitation.

In addition to aerial firefighting, the AT-802 is being used to train NCFS SEAT pilots. Chief SEAT pilot Wayne Slaughter is designated by the Air Tractor factory as an authorized AT-802 instructor based on his previous experience flying Air Tractors

One of the recently acquired T-34C in its Navy colors before being painted to the North Carolina Forestry Service’s aerial aircraft paint scheme.

Spring 2017

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Providing aid to Chile

by Marc Mullis Since early December 2016, Chile has been suffering from the worst wildfires it has experienced in more than three

decades. Over 1.5 million acres have burned, including 1,644 homes and 11 fatalities have been attributed to the fires, including the entire village of Santa Olga

The Boeing 747 Global SuperTanker departing from Colorado Springs Colorado on January, 24th to arrive in Santiago at dawn on the 25th to initiate heavy tanker firefighting there.

burnt to the ground and a Single Engine Air Tanker (SEAT) pilot who lost his life in the line of duty. In January Chilean President, Michelle Bachalet sent out an international appeal for help in the form of more aerial resources.

Chile has a much different wildland firefighting infrastructure than the United States. Most Chilean firefighters are volunteers and with primary funding through The National Forest Corporation or CONAF. This is a nonprofit organization made up of timber companies and private landowners.

The Chilean government makes contributions through this organization.

The Ministry of the Interior’s Office of Emergency is responsible for contracting a handful of SEATs and helicopters used in aerial firefighting. When the appeal for worldwide help went out, the obvious question was, “Who is going to pay for it?”

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One of the first aircraft to respond to the disaster was Global Supertanker’s B-747-400 based in Colorado Springs Colorado. Fresh off a mission in Israel in November, the big Boeing made the five-thousand plus mile trip to Santiago arriving January 25. It was immediately put to work and its 20,000-gallon drop capacity soon made a difference in the firefight. After being credited with saving several communities from certain destruction, the SuperTanker team was given an award by the Chilean Red Cross for its humanitarian act.

Global Supertankers’ mission was initially funded by Ben and Lucy Ana Walton of Wal-Mart, along with Luksic, a Chilean business consortium.

The flow of aid into Chile is totally unprecedented at

CASA to serve as aerial supervision and lead plane.

Although aerial firefighters often cross international borders, the flow of aid into Chile is totally unprecedented at this point in history. Today’s jet powered air tankers and long range cargo delivery may make it more common in the future.

It is still not clear where all of the funding will originate and there have already been charges of collusion among some

of the companies involved. The results are clear that property and lives were saved. It is reported that the majority of the fires are caused by arson and this will continue until Mother Nature brings fall weather to the Southern Hemisphere.

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As the battle continued, numerous other aircraft began to show up. Brazil sent a military Lockheed C-130 equipped with a Modular Aerial Fire Fighting System (MAFFS).

In early February, Tanker 03, a Neptune BAe-146 heavy air tanker arrived in country, along with an Erickson Sky Crane.

A Russian IL-76 with its 11,500-gallon drop capacity was soon sharing the ramp with the B-747 in Santiago.

An Antonov An-124 cargo plane arrived with three Bell 205s and one Kamax 1200 helicopters tucked neatly inside. Two SEAT AT-802s from Aero Tech based in Clovis, New Mexico even made the long flight south to help out.

The host country supplied a twin engined turboprop

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Mark Bickham

Initial Attack

Why taking your training seriously matters “…Flat Rock Air Tac, Tanker 800 at the Initial Point.” OK, let’s see how long it takes him to get his act together and get me in there to drop on the target…then these other pilots will see a master at work, muses Delbert!

cut across the heel of the fire between here and there and save myself about ten minutes and I’ll beat the other tankers to the target area. He, he, he…step back and watch the master at work, rookies! Here we go.

“Tanker 800, Flat Rock Air Tac…proceed to the right shoulder of the fire …descend to and maintain 6500 feet MSL, altimeter setting 29.92… stay outside the F.T.A. until you reach the bridge over the river…contact me when you arrive.”

Holy smokes, where did that helicopter come from? That was close! I’ll bet he’ll be spending some time at the laundromat tonight cleaning his tighty whities! Dang, all these radios a blaring in my ears, a man can’t concentrate! I’ll just turn them down so they aren’t so distracting.

“Tanker 800 copies.” Jeezo Beezo, now he is sending me on a 20-mile detour around the outside of the fire. Let’s see…I can

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Ah, smoke is starting to thin out…WHOA! That was way too close! What the heck was that jack wagon C-130 doing going in the wrong direction down here? Man, this place is way too crowded with aircraft for my taste. I’m going to line up on the fire line, make my drop and get the heck out of here. Look at all them guys in yellow shirts, right where I’m gonna drop…look out below!

Wait! What? There must be a power outage. The screen in this simulator has gone black! Typical government snafu.

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AFF-12

The smoke is getting’ really thick in here. I’ll drop down and get under it. Sure is a rough ride here in this smoke. Another couple of minutes and I should pop out of this smoke and be lined up with the bridge.

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Training. We’ve all been going through it since we were taught to not mess our diapers. That has worked out pretty well, for most of us anyway. Although training is the common term being used these days, I personally prefer to use the word learning. Training, at least to me has a derogatory implication.

We train our dogs to use the outdoors as their restroom and not the family room couch. The “pain vs. reward cycle” of Dr. Pavlov’s dogs will attest to a time honored method. This type of “training” works on canines, but has somewhat limited success with humans. (We do have a rebellious streak that is inherent to our species, do we not?) So, what is the solution that we humans have developed that works for us?

As aviators, we are constantly learning. Every flight is different from all other flights we have experienced. Sure, the overall task workload may be very similar but we are never doing the exact same things in the cockpit over and over again. Training (learning), especially for aviators, has always been critical to flight safety. Almost all training syllabi for flight procedures have been written to address some flight characteristic or to avert concerns dealing with weather.

My friend Rusty Warbis, currently the Division Chief of Aviation Operations for the Bureau of Land Management; a truly gifted aviator, putting the SEAT simulator through its paces.

When the worst happens, training matters.It has been proven that when we are faced with an emergency/unexpected situation, we will revert to what we have done in the past. You can call it muscle memory, subliminal reflex or training recall, but it all points to the fact that we rely on what we have learned or have been “trained” to do in tough situations.

During times of stress or unexpected action, the procedures that we have done before will immediately come to the forefront of our minds. There have been many documented cases where a pilot is faced with a dire emergency and has completed a complex series of actions to correct or mitigate the emergency.

Many times the pilot does not remember going through those procedures and in some cases cannot exactly repeat those procedures in the aftermath of the event! Conversely, when we have not experienced and practiced a set of procedures to correct a problem, we are extremely susceptible to making a mistake. Or worse still, we may freeze and do nothing. Both of which may have dire consequences. Not good!

Good training and redundant practice will help to alleviate the possibility of failure to act in an emergency. Training can also help to identify bad habits we may have acquired without knowing it, if we pay attention.

A conscientious pilot will want to know all he/she can about the aircraft they are flying and how it will react in every situation.

There are lessons to be learned during training that have been learned the hard way by someone less fortunate than you. There is a saying within the aerial firefighting industry that I feel sums it up pretty well: “The rules, regulations and guidelines we have today were written with bent aluminum and blood!” Ah, the learning curve in aviation is steep and the consequences of inattention can be dire.

As aviators who are involved in the more hazardous segments of our industry, it is critical to our survival to have an unquenchable thirst for knowledge, always be thinking ahead and constantly practice our standard operating procedures, as well as those encountered during an emergency. Don’t just practice until you get it right…practice until you can’t get it wrong! This will insure you will have the correct skill, procedure, muscle memory or whatever you want to call it when the excrement hits the fan. When time is compressed and you are up to your eyeballs in alligators, you cannot afford to sit there and try to think things through. Paralysis by analysis during these times may cost you your life.

So, the next time you are going into the simulator for some recurrent training or pulling up a chair at some seminar, remember - the lessons you learn today may save your butt tomorrow. Pay attention. Think things through to their obvious conclusion. And above all practice your emergency procedures until you can’t get it wrong. It is the least you can do to show respect to all those who have gone before you and paid the ultimate price so that you could learn the lesson. Don’t be like Delbert in the above example. Check your ego at the door and learn your lessons!

Stay safe out there. Clear skies and tailwinds always. Bickham out.

Spring 2017

AFF-13

Montenegro receives new AT-802A

by Igor Bozinovski The Montenegrin Ministry of Interior Aviation-Helicopter Unit (Avio-Helikopterska Jedinica Ministarstva Unutrašnjih Poslova Republike Crne Gore) has recently increased its firefighting fleet with the introduction into service one single-seat Air Tractor AT-802A. Procured from the Spanish company Air Tractor Europe, S.L.U., the aircraft was handed over to its new operator at Podgorica-Golubovci airport on 15 December 2016.

Under the procurement agreement, the conversion training for two existing Montenegrin AT-802A Fire Boss SET(SEA)rated pilots was also organized and conducted in Spain. The new Montenegrin aircraft is equipped according to the latest AT-802 production standard of Texas-based Air Tractor Inc. featuring the powerful Pratt & Whitney PT6A-67F turboprop engine delivering 1,600 SHP, latest Generation II Fire Retardant Delivery System (FRDS) and the AmSafe inflatable airbag system.

Being the third Air Tractor AT-802 aircraft to join Montenegrin Ministry of Interior Aviation-Helicopter Unit since 2009, the latest addition is indeed an attrition-replacement for a amphibian-configured Air Tractor AT-802A Fire Boss that was lost 21 July 2015 when due to pilot error the plane landed on

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Montenegro’s new AT-802A seen wearing temporary Spanish identification markings in front of Avialsa T-35 main hangar at Valencia-Manises International airport in Spain, weeks before delivery to Podgorica - the capital of Montenegro formerly also known as Titograd (photo: Hugo Arceo) Skadar Lake with the landing gear extended and flipped over, remaining underwater for 24 hours before it was pulled out and subsequently written-off. Only 11 days later on 1 August 2015, the Montenegrin MoI Aviation-Helicopter Unit suffered another loss when one of its two PZL M18B Dromader firefighting planes crashed at Kakarička Gora and was also written-

off. This crisis with Montenegro’s aerial firefighting fleet lead to the decision for the purchase of one new AT-802A and to a lease one M-18 Dromader during the 2016 firefighting season.

The Montenegrin legacy with the Air Tractor AT-802 started in 2008 when a pair of Air Tractor AT-802A Fire Boss amphibians became part of Aviation-Helicopter Unit. According to the Montenegrin Ministry of Interior Aviation-Helicopter Unit, its sole remaining Fire Boss AT-802 is scheduled for conversion into the classical tailwheel-type landing gear. For that reason, the appropriate landing gear was also procured from Air Tractor Europe S.L.U., which was contracted to complete the conversion through its sister company Avialsa T-35 S.L.U. that operates a Part 145 Maintenance Organization specialized in OEM-backed maintenance and logistical support for Air Tractors operating in Europe, Africa and Asia.

With the transformation of this Fire Boss into a standard configuration, the Montenegrin Ministry of Interior AviationHelicopter Unit will enter the 2017 summer firefighting season with three aircraft: two AT-802As and one piston-engine PZL M-18B Dromader. With impressive water capacity of over 3,104 liters, capability to use highly effective firefighting foam and retardant and relatively low cost financial funding needed for its procurement and ongoing maintenance, the Air Tractor AT-802 has became the standard aerial firefighting aircraft for small countries in Europe - apart from Montenegro, some 80 firefighting AT-802s are now in regular use in Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Croatia, Macedonia, Cyprus and Israel.

The AT-802A was delivered to Montenegro in the morning of 15 December 2016 and handed over to Montenegrin Ministry of Interior by Mr. Hugo Arceo of Air Tractor Europe. The aircraft is seen here shortly after landing at PodgoricaGolubovci international airport (photo: Hugo Arceo)

Air Tractor Europe ferry pilot José Luis Domínguez took this photo of beautiful Adriatic Sea coast line shortly before landing at Podgorica-Golubovci international airport on 15 December 2016 (photo: José Luis Domínguez)

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IMS New Zealand experiences ongoing growth and success with the Cloudburst Fire Bucket Sales throughout the South American, Asia Pacific and European regions are up as the modern, simple, and extremely effective Cloudburst Bucket exceeds demands around the world.

The Cloudburst Fire Buckets’ market presence has grown significantly over recent years with the systems’ refined features and characteristics giving operators a noticeable advantage at the fire front. Over nearly two decades of extensive development, the Cloudburst Fire Bucket range today incorporates key features that include

• Highly concentrated drop pattern • Simple attachment to give the same bucket a broad pattern • Simple and fast setup and pack down • A simple design with minimal components / minimal potential for operational failure • A size range to suit any helicopter • Multi Drop available across the entire size range • Foam Injection Systems • Purpose Built Long Lines to match the Cloudburst Bucket to your Helicopter • Shallow Fill Pump’s are available, built into the valve to keep the bucket streamlined when negotiating the

system into tight fill points • Customisable to suit a variety of helicopter configurations • A strong and durable construction of the highest quality components • Sales and After-sales backed by a global support network We are very happy with the response the Cloudburst Fire Bucket has had from the civilian and military / government sectors of the industry securing its position as the new standard in Helicopter Fire Fighting.

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