Gilligan13

Can you provide a range a smokejumper pilot makes a season?

kaputt

Any Forest Service pilots floating around here? Trying to learn more about the LIDAR mission and how it potentially compares to the Smoke Jumper, Leadplane, and Forest Health sides of FS?

If anyone has any knowledge feel free to PM or respond here. Thanks!

JohnBurke

Air attack jobs are Part 135 positions which carry government, or contract ATGS (air tactical groiup supervisors--experienced firefighters who direct, coordinate, and communicate from the air). AGTS platforms are mostly Twin Commander, Turbo Commander, and King Air, with several other types in the mix.

Leadplane are USFS and DOI positions that use a single pilot to guide tankers into drops and to scout airspace for air drops. ASM's, or air supervision modules, are lead platforms with an ATGS on board that fill both roles. Most commonly used these days. Leads are mostly King Air 200's, with a couple of Citations in the mix.

Smoke jump platforms are government (USFS/DOI), and privately contracted, and range from Sherpa's to Twin Otters to Casas, to Dorniers. Smoke jumpers are government personnel; pilots on government aircraft are government employees. Pilots on contract aircraft are charter pilots.

LIDAR is not a standard USFS or DOI role for fire use.

Flightsoffusion

Spent many years mixing it up with those guys on some of the largest fires in an ENG bird. Lidar is a whole different animal. Somewhat boring flying. A lot of the lead planes "Air Boss"s now fly OV-10 Broncos..

JohnBurke

Only in California on Calfire fires.

The BLM was given OV-10's, but it didn't work out. Calfire got them.

Folks in California think that's how the fire world works, but California works differently than the rest of the country. Very, very differently.