The Aviators Thread

Maybe it is all the celebration fireworks adding to it ;0)

It is a little known fact that the Reds now build a reserve chute into your wristwatch......

From Volunteer to Red 4 - Yorkshire Air Museum

Forest management is essential, yet routinely under-funded. We've seen the direct effects in California in the past couple of years.

Now, rather than getting political, I can blend the two topics back into an aviation one. Check this out: it's who you know 😎 gots me a new hat

The scale of Canada is easily misunderstood by people from other countries, even (especially?) our closest neighbour. So just to put this into some perspective...

The population of Canada is about the same as the state of California - 40 million. That is spread over a vast area, with 90% of our population located within 160 kms (100 miles for those metrically challenged) from the US border. The average population density of California is 258 people per square mile - here it's 10 people per square mile. Again it's mostly concentrated on a little strip of land next to the US border, so the areas in question (where the fires are) are either very sparsely, or not populated at all for the most part.

The Canadian boreal forest covers 60% of our land mass, with most of it with no access by roads, rail, or any other means than by air if there is a lake nearby that you can land on. It is the largest intact forest on the planet - the green part below.



The boreal forest in Canada is over 13 times the size of California. Much of terrain is inaccessible, so the idea we would just "manage" it better is easily said, but rather more difficult to actually do. No one is going in there to clear the out underbrush for example, which is one of the things I saw California criticized for in their last round of fires. It's simply not possible with the amount of forest that there is and how inaccessible it is. Fire is a part of the lifecycle of the forest - always has been. Some of the fires that are in these remote areas are just left to burn, because trying to fight them would be fruitless, and would just put the lives of the firefighters in danger.

90% of the land the boreal forest is on is owned by the provinces, and another 5% is owned by the federal government. The management of fires is the jurisdiction of the provinces. They prioritize the fires around population centers, as would be expected.

No one likes the smoke, no one likes to be torn from their home, have to stay inside because the air quality is horrendous. But to suggest there is a simple answer here is rather absurd given the scale of what we are dealing with...

@Archer
On behalf of many of us: thank you for providing more information more concisely than just about any news outlet available!

Apologies if it came across that I was suggesting this problem to be a simple one. More, on the general topic of forest management, I was speaking to what I know of our domestic funding issues down here, which is why I specifically mentioned California. In fact, what I didn't communicate clearly enough was that I'm a proponent of the natural process fire plays in that ecosystem and I do NOT advocate the preservation of undergrowth (read: fuel) as we've seen governments do in some of our western states. It just sets the table for big fire. But then, as you point out, the proximity to people & structures is vastly different here than it is up there.

Granted, the severe terrain in most of northern Canada would hinder efforts to do prescribed burns on any large scale, as you also present. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if governments decide to (or not to) attempt to increase that effort to the tune of a veritable pile of money, even if for no other reason than to placate the public in a, "hey, we're trying!" sort of way. Here's hoping that the scale of fires this season actually has a positive effect on reducing available fuel across the risk area. It does seem that, even if we could all magically stop these fires tomorrow, we're only a lightning strike away from another blaze.

These Fire Boss guys have been stationed at my base of operations all summer. Excellent group of aviators, ground crew, and firefighters. I've been providing occasional maintenance on the SEATS and their Commanders over the past several weeks and was gifted the hat (and even a cigar!) by the crew.

I can't imagine doing this type of flying. Truly nomadic, high-stakes, and emotionally taxing. Add to that the aforementioned funding uncertainty every season and it's no wonder these operations are stressful.

A Shelby Cobra Super Snake with stub wings. I heard a joke once that this is the only production aircraft that had more crashes than airframes produced.

Lawn dart...

Travelled on the first 'Shuttle' all equipped for fog conditions and we all received a torch 😀

Was it a Trident ? I flew on one between Dublin and London when I was just a kid.

@Seiji when I visited the Commemorative Air Force collection at the Camarillo Airport (about 2.5 hrs drive west of Chino) I recall seeing another Zero restoration underway. It will have an American-made engine I believe, so maybe not as authentic as other examples. If you're able, you should check it out!

Sadly the old memory is fading 🙁