Document
September 2002
Playing it Safe
Bill Foy, T-60 pilot, and Don Cavin, Airtanker Base Manager, made a good call to stop firefighting operations on August 8, 2002. Bill departed Klamath Falls airport enroute to the Sour Biscuit Fire for a retardant drop. When he arrived at the fire, the visibility was so bad that he felt it was not safe to make the drop.
He made the responsible decision to abort the Michael Jackson (left) and Bill Foy (right) mission and return to Klamath Falls. When Don received the call that T-60 was returning loaded and T-66 was returning to reload he became concerned about allowing T-66 to return to the fire. He talked to the Sour Biscuit Zone 2 Air Operations Director and T-66 pilot about these concerns. He followed through with the Fortuna Dispatch Office where the decision was eventually made to suspend all air operations due to the poor visibility. Good call for safety, Bill and Don! SafeCom 02-701 / Don Cavin SafeCom 02-703
Eyes of a Tiger
Russ Ivie, Prescribed Fire Specialist, prevented a major situation on June 4, 2002 by paying close attention to detail during helicopter start up procedures. Russ was filling in as a helitack crewmember, which he typically does a few times a year. His keen tiger-eyes spotted oil leaking from under the engine cowling down the side of the helicopter. Russ immediately informed the pilot and helicopter manager of the situation. The pilot then found the cause of the leak and replaced the Jim Morrison (left) and Russ Ivie (right) filler cap that had not seated properly. Way to go, Russ! SafeCom 02-244
Excellence in Airspace Operations
Jim Unruh has been invaluable initiating and modifying TFRs, coordinating within the Southwest Oregon area, and working with local general aviation personnel on the Florence/ Biscuit Incident. Jim met with the local ultra-light operators at the Illinois Valley airport and briefed them on the fire aviation situation. The TFR was modified to exclude the airport even though it was adjacent to the fire boundary. The general aviation pilots have been very supportive of the fire aviation Rex Mann (left) operations and there have been no conflicts at presenting award to Jim Unruh (right) the airport or near the fire. You da man, Jim!
No SafeCom submitted
Safety at its Finest
John Tinnin, pilot, carefully made a forced landing after the aircraft’s engine rpm began fluctuating and he could not control the propeller rpm. Inspection revealed that a piece was missing from the airbox to the throttle ducting.
The missing piece was lodged in the butterfly valve causing the engine and propeller surges by disrupting the airflow through the engine. John’s commitment to safety and smart decision to land the aircraft prevented a serious problem. This Airward’s for you, John! No SafeCom submitted No picture available
Airspace Guru to the Rescue
Julie Stewart was in Washington DC on September 10th, 2001 for a meeting with FAA and DOD. After the tragedies of September 11th, she was asked by FAA Headquarters to stay in Washington DC to assist as a liaison with FAA Headquarters and the Air Traffic Control System Command Center. For the next 20 days, she remained in the Washington DC area where her knowledge of airspace enabled her to negotiate the exemption for firefighting aircraft to continue aerial firefighting operations during the nations ground stop. She was also responsible for obtaining the clearances for the jets which flew the Incident Management Teams to Washington DC and New York. Hats off to Dan Roth (Region 4), Neal Flagg (Region 5), Julie Stewart and Dennis Griffin (Region 6) who assisted her with updating the Interagency Airspace website during this time. Thumbs up and an Airward go to Julie for her great work!
No SafeCom submitted
Bruce and his Lama
Bruce Dissil did an excellent job finding a problem with one of our contract helicopters. Being an observant helicopter manager, Bruce noticed that the performance chart on a Lama helicopter was kind of strange. Every time the pilot plotted his power check on the chart it looked like the recent opening and closing spikes of the Dow Jones Average. He called the maintenance staff in Boise for some guidance. The maintenance staff in Boise called the company and faxed the owner a copy of the chart, requesting he fix this. Once the owner found out his Lama was out of work, mechanics and parts were on the move. By the next day the mechanics had fixed the Lama and the plotting on the charts looked much better. Bruce did a good thing by spotting a problem and making the call. Good job, Bruce!
Bruce Dissil No SafeCom submitted