Ryan Mason

The last few months have been rough for the aerial firefighting industry, with the loss of several aviators and aircraft. One pilot lost hits incredibly close to home, as she was a previous contributor to our sister publication AgAir Update. The recent incidents are tragedies, and one, at this s ...

One complex challenge in fighting fire from the ground and the air is integrating the rapid growth in available technology into firefighting operations. The Center of Excellence for Advanced Technology Aerial Firefighting (CoE), the research and development section of Colorado's Division of Fire Prevention and Control (DFPC), is attempting to do just that with its latest offering, “COTAK.”

In aerial firefighting, responders are focused on one mission: slowing the spread of the flames. This focus accomplishes the singular goal of buying time. Crews buy time for ground firefighters to arrive on the scene and work towards containment. They are there to cool the intensity and slow the path of the fire. They are there to give people time to evacuate their homes.

The last few months have been rough for the aerial firefighting industry, with the loss of several aviators and aircraft. One pilot lost hits incredibly close to home, as she was a previous contributor to our sister publication

CAL FIRE debuted the first operational C-130 on Monday, August 26, 2024, marking a significant milestone for CAL FIRE as it moves into the LAT space with the C-130 Hercules (C-130H) coming into operational service as an initial attack airtanker. CAL FIRE welcomed media on Thursday, August 29, 20 ...

The final Martin Mars aircraft owned by Coulson Aviation will likely take flight for the last time in November or December of this year from its home in Sprout Lake, BC before making its final flight to Lake Roosevelt in Arizona, the largest water body in Arizona and the nearest body of water ca ...

CAL FIRE debuted the first operational C-130 on Monday, August 26, 2024, marking a significant milestone for CAL FIRE as it moves into the LAT space with the C-130 Hercules (C-130H) coming into operational service as an initial attack airtanker.

The final Martin Mars aircraft owned by Coulson Aviation will likely take flight for the last time in November or December of this year from its home in Sprout Lake, BC before making its final flight to Lake Roosevelt in Arizona, the largest water body in Arizona and the nearest body of water capable of handling the arrival of the large air tanker before its delivery to the Pima Air and Space Museum near Tucson, Arizona.

The co-founder and CEO of CO Fire Aviation, Kyle Scott, lost his life during an aerial application flight yesterday while flying an AT-602 in Colorado. Scott founded Scott Aviation in Fort Morgan Colorado providing aerial application services before the founding of CO Fire Aviation in 2020. Both companies operate primarily out of their Fort Morgan base which also includes the Fort Morgan Airport FBO run by Scott Aviation. CO Fire Aviation has been a successful aerial firefighting company for several years, providing SEAT aircraft on contracts in Oregon, Washington, and Colorado.

The New York Naval Militia, the New York Army National Guard, the New York Guard and the Schodack Landing Fire Company teamed up to execute a wildfire training exercise on the Hudson River off Schodack Island State Park on Sept. 6, 2024. Seventeen New York Naval Militia members deployed two patr ...