Chopper Squad

I could see the columns of smoke stretching into the sky as I cycled home. Every time I changed direction the fire seemed to be in a different place. I tried working out where it was but soon after I got home Pauline told me that it was fairly close.

There was a fire burning strongly, aided by today’s scorching hot weather, just a couple of kilometres away. The fire services were working flat out to bring everything under control and the helicopter water bombers were in full force going backwards and forwards to the scene of the fire. At one point, before I got home, the helicopter went directly above our home as it made its way to a small lake about a kilometre from our house.

Just as we were finishing dinner, the largest of the choppers headed over our house again. We figured it need more water from the lake but it seemed to land at the local park and stay there. I wondered if it may be refueling. We jumped in the car and headed off for a look.

When we got to the park we saw the giant Carson Helicopter and two smaller choppers parked on the grass, getting refueled from tanker trucks. The Carson is a massive Sikorsky S61 Helicopter which can carry around 3700 litres of water each run. The Carson website says,

Carson’s S-61 FIRE KING is the “perfect” firefighting machine capable of rapidly and accurately delivering a thousand gallons of water per drop. That, coupled with the ability to transport personnel and cargo internally at great speeds and range directly to the fire line, makes the FIRE KING the most versatile fire suppression tool available to Firefighting Agencies today.

We wandered around the edge of the park, not wanting to get in the way. Eventually we saw someone wander across to the Carson. They were invited to jump on board for a look around. We headed straight for the helicopter and were also invited for a tour. The children received a sticker and a pin as souvenirs.

After checking out all three aircraft we sat about 25 metres away from the carson, waiting for the pilots to get the order to head off.

Eventually the order came and we watched the choppers take to the sky. It was an amazing thrill to be on the grass so close to the big helicopter as it lifted off. The wind coming from the blades of the chopper were as strong as the engine was loud. It was awesome.

All three took off and headed away. We started walking back to the car watching the three helicopters become specks ni the sky before disappearing completely. What a great way to end the day.

Do you think some of your friends would enjoy reading Chopper Squad? Please use the buttons below to share the post. Thanks.