Caco's trial helicopter flight.....

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Re: Caco's trial helicopter flight.....

#201 Post by Cacophonix » Mon Nov 12, 2018 11:01 am

The fire in Paradise was on the Radio 4 news news again this moning. They were talking of at least 36 fatalities and the worst fires in recorded Californian history.


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Re: Caco's trial helicopter flight.....

#202 Post by Cacophonix » Mon Nov 12, 2018 11:10 am

On a meteorologically gloomy subject I am booked in for my next lesson on Friday at 09:30 but general weather forecast is looking like this...

Headcorn forecast.JPG
Headcorn forecast.JPG (38.46 KiB) Viewed 604 times

Was dreaming about helicopter flying last night. Trust they have overegged the gloom forecast.

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Re: Caco's trial helicopter flight.....

#203 Post by Slasher » Mon Nov 12, 2018 1:29 pm

Cacophonix wrote:
Mon Nov 12, 2018 11:10 am
Was dreaming about helicopter flying last night.
Last time I dreamt about flying I was starkers. Everybody else was dressed except me, but the weird bit (after I woke) was recalling that everyone on board thought it was normal for me to be that way.

Have I got some latent exhibitionism fetish locked in a dark recess of the cesspool that is me brain? 😳

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Re: Caco's trial helicopter flight.....

#204 Post by OFSO » Mon Nov 12, 2018 1:37 pm

These "I was the only one nude" dreams are very common, but why ?

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Re: Caco's trial helicopter flight.....

#205 Post by Cacophonix » Mon Nov 12, 2018 1:43 pm

Slasher wrote:
Mon Nov 12, 2018 1:29 pm
Cacophonix wrote:
Mon Nov 12, 2018 11:10 am
Was dreaming about helicopter flying last night.
Last time I dreamt about flying I was starkers. Everybody else was dressed except me, but the weird bit (after I woke) was recalling that everyone on board thought it was normal for me to be that way.

Have I got some latent exhibitionism fetish locked in a dark recess of the cesspool that is me brain? 😳
Well of course you have, Slash, we all know that! =))

Wasn't starkers in my dream, fortunately for everybody else, but I had grabbed the heli and had gone off on a jolly without a licence or clearance of any sort and came back down to face the wrath of my instructor. Think I am subconsciously worrying about the length of time since I last climbed into an egg beater. Last two lessons this month having been blown out of the sky by poor weather! Funny, I could fly perfectly well in my dream, whizzing along a mountain ridge without a by your leave, as free as a bird and happier than Larry (whoever he was)! =))

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Re: Caco's trial helicopter flight.....

#206 Post by G-CPTN » Mon Nov 12, 2018 1:58 pm

Cacophonix wrote:
Mon Nov 12, 2018 1:43 pm
happier than Larry (whoever he was)! =))

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Re: Caco's trial helicopter flight.....

#207 Post by Cacophonix » Mon Nov 12, 2018 2:05 pm

G-CPTN wrote:
Mon Nov 12, 2018 1:58 pm
G-CPTN, thanks for that. I must admit that I never saw Larry Grayson on TV, let alone stage although my first English girlfriend, who was once the theatre manager at the young Vic, got to see him in his girdle apparently after she accidently barged in on him in his changing room (why does one remember such odd facts, the last time I saw her was in 1988). I take it that he was a happy chappy!


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Re: Caco's trial helicopter flight.....

#208 Post by G~Man » Mon Nov 12, 2018 4:16 pm

Cacophonix wrote:
Mon Nov 12, 2018 11:01 am
The fire in Paradise was on the Radio 4 news news again this moning. They were talking of at least 36 fatalities and the worst fires in recorded Californian history.
Caco
It is a bad one, the problem is that Paradise is a "mountain" community, with a lot of people living "off the grid". There is also only a couple of roads leading up that way and they got gridlocked. I have seen video from guys on the line of bodies in burned out cars that got over ran by the fire. On Thursday it was a nightmare trying to co-ordinate helicopters because different agencies were on different radio channels. I ended up sitting on the ground most of the day just trying to get dispatched.
B-) Life may not be the party you hoped for, but while you're here, you may as well dance. B-)

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Re: Caco's trial helicopter flight.....

#209 Post by Cacophonix » Mon Nov 12, 2018 4:36 pm

G~Man wrote:
Mon Nov 12, 2018 4:16 pm
Cacophonix wrote:
Mon Nov 12, 2018 11:01 am
The fire in Paradise was on the Radio 4 news news again this moning. They were talking of at least 36 fatalities and the worst fires in recorded Californian history.
Caco
It is a bad one, the problem is that Paradise is a "mountain" community, with a lot of people living "off the grid". There is also only a couple of roads leading up that way and they got gridlocked. I have seen video from guys on the line of bodies in burned out cars that got over ran by the fire. On Thursday it was a nightmare trying to co-ordinate helicopters because different agencies were on different radio channels. I ended up sitting on the ground most of the day just trying to get dispatched.

It there not one fire control agency managing and co-ordinating the movement of aircraft in different sectors on different frequencies in conjunction with fire fighters on the ground or does the progress of a fast moving fire make this kind of structured order almost well nigh impossible? Sounds like a logistical and operational nightmare to manage.

Kudos to all involved in the process.

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Re: Caco's trial helicopter flight.....

#210 Post by G~Man » Mon Nov 12, 2018 6:46 pm

Cacophonix wrote:
Mon Nov 12, 2018 4:36 pm
It there not one fire control agency managing and co-ordinating the movement of aircraft in different sectors on different frequencies in conjunction with fire fighters on the ground or does the progress of a fast moving fire make this kind of structured order almost well nigh impossible? Sounds like a logistical and operational nightmare to manage.

Kudos to all involved in the process.

Caco
Normally yes, we have "Air attack" platform above the fire coordinating all aviation assets and then "Helco" will talk to the ground units and assign helicopters to work with them. The problem in the early phases is no-one knows who is where, and this was moving so fast we could not keep ahead of it.

This will give you an idea:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fjF2KQ75TY
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Re: Caco's trial helicopter flight.....

#211 Post by Woody » Mon Nov 12, 2018 10:06 pm

Maybe not as serious as some of the other comments on this thread, but quite entertaining

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Re: Caco's trial helicopter flight.....

#212 Post by Cacophonix » Tue Nov 13, 2018 1:53 pm

G~Man wrote:
Mon Nov 12, 2018 6:46 pm
Cacophonix wrote:
Mon Nov 12, 2018 4:36 pm
It there not one fire control agency managing and co-ordinating the movement of aircraft in different sectors on different frequencies in conjunction with fire fighters on the ground or does the progress of a fast moving fire make this kind of structured order almost well nigh impossible? Sounds like a logistical and operational nightmare to manage.

Kudos to all involved in the process.

Caco
Normally yes, we have "Air attack" platform above the fire coordinating all aviation assets and then "Helco" will talk to the ground units and assign helicopters to work with them. The problem in the early phases is no-one knows who is where, and this was moving so fast we could not keep ahead of it.

This will give you an idea:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fjF2KQ75TY
Forty four dead reported on the lunchtime news here and an interview with a police officer talking about the traffic jams and folks being found dead in and next to their cars. A very bad situation indeed, it seems, and no end in sight yet.

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Re: Caco's trial helicopter flight.....

#213 Post by OFSO » Tue Nov 13, 2018 3:06 pm

I lived for years in a mountainside urbanisation with only one road in and out. Mandatory evacuation by police is done very early if a fire is anywhere near. Every urbanisation has chopper dipping tanks somewhere and the fire brigades make sure they are always full. And all through the dry season at least two Air Tractor firefighters are stationed abt 3 miles away on the strip. All sounds good in practice but when the Tramontana is blowing all you can do is run away when you first smell woodsmoke or see ash descending and the sunlight going golden.

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Re: Caco's trial helicopter flight.....

#214 Post by Cacophonix » Thu Nov 15, 2018 8:45 am

Shades of the song Ventura Highway...

Scene the road east of Simi Valley, in Ventura County, as the fire spread up a hill towards the edge of an outer lane on a freeway.

Cal Fires.JPG
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Re: Caco's trial helicopter flight.....

#215 Post by G~Man » Thu Nov 15, 2018 8:30 pm

If you want to see close up the damage, go here and zoom in and click on the red dots. It is a map created by Cal Fire showing which homes have been destroyed by the Camp Fire is now showing photos of the properties.

Click HERE for the map
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Re: Caco's trial helicopter flight.....

#216 Post by Woody » Thu Nov 15, 2018 8:39 pm

It’s difficult for us Europeans to comprehend this level of destruction.
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Re: Caco's trial helicopter flight.....

#217 Post by Cacophonix » Thu Nov 15, 2018 8:46 pm

Massive area and disparate fires elsewhere as well. Fly safe G~Man and let's hope for rain and the kind of weather that will help you guys.

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Re: Caco's trial helicopter flight.....

#218 Post by Cacophonix » Thu Nov 15, 2018 8:51 pm

All the above puts my puny heli training concerns into perspective.

Fog here at the moment with 250 metres visibility.

EGSS 151700Z 1518/1624 15008KT 3000 BR OVC003 BECMG 1518/1521 0300 FG OVC000 PROB30 TEMPO 1521/1610 1500 BR OVC002 BECMG 1610/1613 4000 BR OVC003 PROB30 TEMPO 1613/1616 6000 NSW OVC005

Phil was prepared to trog across (80 minute round drive) to Headcorn tomorrow to do some ground work and maybe get airborne tomorrow, circuit bashing, but the forecast is not great and I need +- 800 feet ceiling.


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Re: Caco's trial helicopter flight.....

#219 Post by Cacophonix » Fri Nov 16, 2018 10:12 am

Fog on the deck at Headcorn so no flying. Next shot is now Tuesday.


On the fire front in California I see this really bad news...
The number of missing or unaccounted for people in the northern California wildfire soared to 631 on Thursday, authorities said, an increase of more than 500 since Wednesday.

The news came as the death toll in the Camp fire increased to 63 after authorities recovered the remains of an additional seven people.

The remains were found outdoors and in the rubble of homes and cars in the towns of Paradise, Magalia and Concow.

One victim was found in a overturned charred car in Paradise.

The revised official roster of 631 individuals whose whereabouts and fate remained unknown is more than double the 297 listed earlier in the day by the Butte county sheriff’s office.

Sheriff Kory Honea said the list of missing would continue to fluctuate as more names were added and others removed, either because they turned up safe or were identified among the dead.

More than 9,700 homes have been destroyed, along with a total of 118 multi-family residences and 290 businesses. The fire has destroyed 11,862 structures.

... The fire grew to 140,000 acres, or 219 sq miles, Thursday as crews managed to push containment up to 40%. Authorities were able to lift evacuation orders in some areas near Chico and Forest Ranch.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... death-toll

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Re: Caco's trial helicopter flight.....

#220 Post by G~Man » Fri Nov 16, 2018 5:25 pm

The new count of 631 missing is because somehow everyone who called 911 were put on the safe list, but that has not been verified so just to be safe they moved them back.

I have 4 of our helicopters working the fire. After the fire is done we go to work restoring the power infrastructure---pole sets, flying crews to the remote areas etc. Most of the crews are flown on the end of Long Lines.

I am on an office day today, and I head to Utah Sunday to pack for England for 2 weeks, one wedding, one funeral up in Lincolnshire and Humberside.
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