by Dan Sweet
AURORA, OREGON — As Incident Commanders know, wildland fires are unpredictable and require an ever-changing battle plan. They also know that their most effective fire fighting weapons are the ones that are versatile and can change their attack to fit the situation.
Columbia Helicopters’ fleet of heavy-lift helicopters has met that description since the company began using their aircraft to assist ground crews in fighting wildland fires in the 1960s.
Today, using the Model 234 Chinook and Vertol 107-II helicopters, Columbia has become one of the most versatile companies on the fire line. Whether it’s a matter of providing water or retardant to the fire lines, delivering a bulldozer to limited access areas, or carrying entire hotshot crews in a single flight, Columbia’s aircraft are often the answer to problems faced by fire fighters on the line.
“We offer an Incident Commander many options, but we are only one part of the fire fighting team,” said Jon Lazzaretti, Vice President of Marketing for Columbia Helicopters. “We are primarily on the fire lines to support the ground crews in whatever capacity they need.”
Columbia’s model UT Chinook, with a lifting capacity of over 25,000 pounds, has the lowest cost-per-gallon delivered rate of any aircraft fighting fire today. Carrying a 2,580-gallon bucket, the Chinook is capable of delivering massive quantities of water, foam or long-term retardant to the fire at a time. Depending on what the Division Boss needs, the Chinook can directly support the ground crews with large single drops, a series of smaller drops, or helping to build a fire line with a long, extended drop.
The company’s Vertol 107-II has a capacity of 10,000 pounds, and carries an 1,100-gallon bucket. The pilot has the same options for dropping water or retardant as those in the Chinook.
Both aircraft types are equipped with the SEI Torrentula Bambi Bucket with Powerfill system. These buckets are equipped with a series of high volume pumps that can fill either size of bucket in less than two minutes. Each aircraft carries their bucket at the end of a long line, enabling them to use many water sources that tanked helicopters can’t reach. Tree-lined ponds or streams or other hard-to-reach water sources are often closer to the fire, giving Columbia’s aircraft the ability to have faster turn times on the fire.
Over the past two fire seasons, Columbia has also offered Chinooks with Part 135 capabilities, allowing them to carry fire-fighting crews to the line. However, instead of carrying four, ten or even sixteen firefighters at a time, Columbia’s LR Chinook has carried as many as 40 firefighters – and their gear – to and from the fire lines. Equipped with comfortable airline-style seating, the crews are able to load and unload from the rear of the aircraft, well away from any turning rotor blades.
On a fire in California several years ago, one of Columbia’s Chinooks carried nearly the entire fire management team aloft. Instead of shuttling several smaller groups around the fire at a time, the entire group was able to study the behavior of the fire at the same time, as well as being able to discuss their attack options.
Following a year full of activity, Columbia Helicopters is now the undisputed world leader in heavy-lift helicopter operations. Over the past eight months, the company announced they were acquiring the Type Certificates for both the Model 234 Chinook and Vertol 107. During the same period, they also acquired Canadian helicopter logging company Helifor, and purchased eight CH-113 Labradors from the Canadian government.
While the Canadian aircraft will eventually make their way into the company’s active fleet, Columbia currently operates seven of the model 234 Chinook helicopters and fourteen of the Vertol 107s. These aircraft are the commercial models of the military CH-47 Chinook and H-46 Sea Knight respectively, and Columbia Helicopters is the only civilian operator of these aircraft in the world.
Thanks to the massive lifting capacity of the Chinook (over 25,000 pounds for precision placement work), these aircraft are also becoming very popular with international oil companies who use them to transport oil and gas exploration rigs across vast jungles and rainforests. The company currently has Chinooks working for petroleum companies in Peru, Ecuador and Papua New Guinea.
Columbia Helicopters was the pioneer in sustained helicopter logging operations, using a Sikorsky S-61 to harvest Oregon timber in 1969. Today, the company’s Chinooks continue that tradition, logging timber across the Western United States and in Canada.
The backbone of Columbia’s fleet, the Vertol 107, has a lower lifting capacity (in excess of 10,000 pounds) that makes it an ideal aircraft for the company’s selective harvesting procedure. Only a portion of the available timber is removed, leaving a pristine looking forest, and allowing the remaining timber to thrive on the additional natural resources.
Both the Vertol and Chinook are also used extensively for various construction projects across the United States. The company annually uses these aircraft for the precision placement of HVAC units on large building, installing power and communications towers, and installing ski lift equipment across the slopes of the western U.S.
Columbia’s aircraft have also appeared on the silver screen, flying across such motion pictures as “X-Men II”, “Jurassic Park – The Lost World” and “Under Seige”.