I'm a helicopter pilot, and what an amazing show on Thursday (6/11) of two CH-47D Chinook helicopters with Bambi Buckets, the Sikorsky S-46s, and...
The VLATs (Very Large Air Tankers). There were two DC-10s, one MD-87, one Bae-146, and two Beechcraft super king-air lead planes to show the fast jets where to go ... when it's safe to drop... and where to drop the retardant.
The jets flew all day, and went to Ft Huachuca and Mesa Gateway airport to refuel and get retardant. The CH-47s and the S-46s refueled off a helistop set up on Oracle road for them, and got water from the reservoir on Magee rd.
Seeing the Chinooks pass each other going east and west, and the skycranes dropping water, and the VLATs coming in 500ft above ground level to drop the red/purple fire retardant was awesome.
The south side of the Santa Catalinas is no longer ablaze.
Thank you to our firefighter people who saved our homes!
Ehud Gavron
Foothills
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
