FireFighting Video

[GeorgeS]

A Video, http://player.vimeo.com/video/48642618

 

Not M/C related, but for those involved in fire fighting, and aircraft, and machines of all types, this video is worth watching. Not to many uses, for Sea Planes in this day in age, but -- in this case, the Sea Plane, is still in the running.

 

This subject , has a special place in my life, as I was Crew Member on the Last of the large U.S. Navy Seaplanes. Went out of service back in 1964, ( there abouts )

 

The P5-M Martin, Marlin. The last one still in existence is at the Pensacola N.A.S aircraft museum. ( I actually made one operational flight in that, particular, aircraft, as a crewmember ) from N.A.S North Island. At the time the aircraft was assigned to Squadren, VP-48.

[AKRefugee]

I have had some extremely wonderful opportunities to fly in a lot of different airctraft in a wide variety of situations. Thanks for sharing this video it brought back memories of two great flights.

 

One was in a PBY off Lake Clark in Alaska. Wow what a rush to be in that much aircraft flying on and off the water. Got to sit in the top bubble and it was a view I shall never forget.

 

The other experience that this video brought back was flying in a KC97 fire bomber in the 1980's on a fire drop run. Holy cow let me tell you them fellers earn their pay and at least half of someone else. I have flown in some pretty wild turbulence in the Aleutian Islands but man that was the absolute wildest for me. The winds are so squirrelly you never know what direction that aircraft is going to go next. You can get a tail wind, a down draft, a head wind and then a up draft all in about the time it took you to read this sentence out loud. You see some of that in this video when they are making their drop runs. It's not so much that they are flying the plane as they are trying to prevent the plane from crashing itself. Those are the kind of folks that should get a free beer badge. Any bar, anywhere free beer, for life.

[Miles]

George, that is the best video I have "ever" seen. I now know why you seem a little wet behind the ears, as I was a flight engineer on old P3 Orions, with VP19. We could not land in the water, but we flew low enough to the water that we would get our belly wet many times. Had to get low to drop those sono bouys.

 

Excellent video. Those folks are darn good pilots.

 

Miles

[GeorgeS]

George, that is the best video I have "ever" seen. I now know why you seem a little wet behind the ears, as I was a flight engineer on old P3 Orions, with VP19. We could not land in the water, but we flew low enough to the water that we would get our belly wet many times. Had to get low to drop those sono bouys.

 

Excellent video. Those folks are darn good pilots.

 

Miles

 

OK, I have to ask, what years were you flight engineer with VP-19 ??

 

Did you fly out of Adak ??????