I postponed this week's episode of AirPower by a few hours to drop this video. This week's episode about the Stormbreaker Glide Bomb will go live at 5pm EST!
@@mill2712there are, the CALFIRE fleet just came online at the end of august. Coulson Aviation also has a fleet of them but those are on contract in Australia
Only because Biden is Prez. Traitor Trump brags he won't help them because they didn't vote for him and will demand Gavin do something for him any time he needs help.
@@Dcscockpityeah but they are slower in use than canada. Canadian water bombers can stay in the fight far longer and land much more water on target per refueling. Canadian water bombers can fly and refill their tanks, they never stop working until they need refueling or maintenance.
Hi Alex; Great clip as always. With respect to the VA med center and veterans homes, I am the emergency coordinator for California Department of Veteran Affairs. The first and second day of the fires was touch and go but the winds and firefighters kept the flames away. Our West LA home is right across the street from USDVA med center. They are, for now, safe. However, there is no doubt some of the satellite facilities may be compromised or continue to be at risk. This event makes the Oakland hills fire look like a backyard barbeque. The men and women firefighters on the ground are the real heroes, they have all gone above and beyond. And, for those critics out there arm-chairing this fire event, I have many words for you, but "shut the hell up" will suffice for now.
I haven’t heard anyone criticizing the firefighters. I’ve only heard people criticize government choices which created a situation where fires are much worse than necessary and more difficult to fight.
@@Kitt_the_Katt One example: For years California has been reducing the number of controlled burns to get rid of more flammable undergrowth and dead material. Discussions about it stretch back for at least a decade.
@Jack-Tactical there are fingers being pointed in every direction. I think my point could have been better stated that better choices could have been made at many levels but right now that's irrelevant to the situation we face. Work on solutions and "we" can argue the politics later.
@@Jack-Tactical I absolutely don't know enough about the inner workings of controled burns to speak to it intelligently. I don't think it's a lack of desire to get it done. More than likely a lack of resources? Allocation of budgets? And politics getting in the way for whatever reason. Not to mention any environmental arguments that are probably out there throwing up barriers. This is going to be an expensive lesson for California just like the Oakland hills fire was. But that fire gave us the greatest lessons in command and control, and communications. All of that was revolutionized, not just in California but across the country, because of the Oakland hills fire. I hope we see something like that come out of the fires down south. But then again you don't have to look too far back in history to see the change in wildfires over the decades. I mean one of the reasons these fires cost so much and are so destructive is because of land development for the urban sprawl. And I know emergency response infrastructure, law enforcement firefighters, EMS, struggle to keep up with the growth. Even the wildland fires like up in Lassen, or Paradise, or pick a wilderness (it's been on fire at some point in time in the recent past) there's just so much to preventative work to do and not enough resources. I'm sure at some point in his term, Trump will float the idea of privatizing firefighting. "To make it more effective."
Great coverage, Alex. The biggest advantage to the fertilizer component of slurry is easy to overlook. Most wild fires happen in places where erosion risks are huge, and when the roots die the hills slide the next time it rains. Never underestimate the power of grass, particularly in the Sierras and the Commifornia coastal ranges where it never rains, until it storms.
As a young flight engineer in the Wyoming Air National Guard I was the FE on a crew sent to California to load and test the very first version of MAFFS on our C130. A 2 day trip wound up lasting over a week as they had to keep unloading it and taking it back to FMC to modify it. It was so big they couldn't move it in daytime. So they had to wait until evening to take it back, modify it, and get it back before morning. After several iterations they succeded. This original version had 2 huge arms that swung over the ramp after it opened and directed the ffuid downward. On the first trial even at a reduced pressure, the water bounced off the ramp and went higher than the verticle stabilizer. WOW! Impressive. This would have been in about 1974 or 1975. I am proud to have been part of that and now to see that system still used. Also go Cowboy Guard!! Look at their emblem. Red and black with a cowboy on a bucking bronco. The 153rd Group and the 187th Squadron.
It sounds like you guys are doing a great job, as usual. That old Hercules and the A10 Warthog both seem like they've been around for ever but they look like they're still getting their missions done. 👍
I do not know the terrain involved but as a very experienced bushfire fighter, I can tell you that the C130 will only be effective on certain terrain. The helicopters with Bambi buckets will much better in hilly terrain however one of the most important factors is the communication between pilots and ground crews to get the water or retardant where it is required which takes experience so the military will need experienced pilots to help out. That said there's no problem that can't be solved especially as military are experienced working in a team situation. And another negative for the C130's is that they need to land before reloading with water. That said a lot of water at the right location at the right time can save lives. So a great idea and it seems to be being deployed quickly too. Well done there as well.
Love to see these efforts mobilize! (Huge thank you!) In the future, we need to figure out how to get these kinds of resources in place before crises become disasters.
I’m adding to my earlier post to thank the service personnel and the many first responders. The late deployment of the military assistance is not caused by those responding. It’s an issue with bureaucracy. May God protect and bless those fighting these fires and those affected by them.
RAH! I was an El Toro Marine... I'm praying for my former neighbors...love your presentations, Brother. I always leave here more knowledgeable. Semper Fi.
GR8 👍👍. For those wonder why it took so long, those winds were blowing all over. 1 vid shows a Civilian C-130 "Brimstone" Bomber being blown over 1500' off course. Many thanx Alex!
There needs to be a restart of the PBY-Catilina which was and still is the most efficient and effective aerial firefighting craft ever. If memory serves, Canada and Alaska operates the last remaining (3) PBYs. That said The Mighty Hercules, still proves it's adaptability to a multitude of missions.
It was announced last year that a PBY-Catilina with updated avionics was going into production in Florida. The plan is the first aircraft will be ready by 2029.
Airframes of the Catalina's are getting to old and fatigued for firebombing. Aircraft only have a certain number of flight ours before they wear out. It's an extremely dangerous task even with brand new aircraft equpied with LIDAR, RADAR, FLIR and a small guide plane, so nobody wants to put aircrew and ground firefighters lives at risk. The Cats were great in their time but that time has passed. The De Havilland Canadair 515 is its closest successor, specifically designed from the ground up for scoop load firefighting and is an all round much better aircraft for the job. It's one of these that was damaged by a drone that some criminal idiot was flying over the fires.
Here in Australia we found the Ericsson sky-cranes invaluable, especially the crew who were experienced in communicating with ground crews. They are great because they can get into difficult terrain in valleys, etc and they can reload from almost any location. It (or any other aircraft) are not the answer in all situations though so you need a variety of aircraft available. Sadly I can't post a link but if you look at the organisation that assembles our bushfire fighting planes you'll see some of the best available and they even list why. Also Canada have some great aircraft.
I have a good friend who fly's a C-130. She would love to be helping out in LA but can't since she is in Hawaii. So for all the USAF pilots and crews making a difference, Thank You.
God Bless our brother and sister on the west coast. Us in the heart land send our love, and prayers. Let’s go, that’s what we as a people are about . Coming together to help cause as much as we love our individual freedom we are as one as a nation under our shared dream of seeing what was started 250 years ago does not die on our watch! I love this country and the people who call her home.
Thanks, Richard! We live just east of the Eaton fire and at one point we could see the flames in the distance. It was mighty scary. We appreciate your thoughts and prayers more than l can say. Not everyone in California has lost their mind. There are plenty of folks on the left coast who think like Midwesterners.
God Bless our brother and sister on the west coast. Us in the heart land send our love, and prayers. Let’s go, that’s what we as a people are about . Coming together to help cause as much as we love our individual freedom we are as one as a nation under our shared dream of seeing what was started 250 years ago does not die on our watch!
Watching these airmen lining up drops on flight traker fills me with pride to be an American all these heroic people rushing to aid my city is truly something
it makes perfect sense to make use of military equipment and infrastructure in this type of situation. my question is, why it isn't is done more often?
Pray for the crews. Fire suppression is EXTREMELY hazardous. Odds are that these crews have never flown in these conditions. It’s not just fly low and spray. B-29 were flipped and destroyed flying over the fire raids over Japan from updrafts. And this happened at attitudes well above those these aircraft will fly at
These C-130 fire fighting modules sound fantastic. But I'd like these aircraft made available on a moment's notice. It was clear on the very first day on Tuesday that extraordinary help was needed so if these aircraft arrive tomorrow on Saturday, that is 4-5 full days from first reported flames.
Flying in the extreme winds that were happening is very unsafe. Plus, military (National Guard) asserts cannot be used until all available civilian resources have been used. I spent 22 years in the Ca Air Guard, and there were numerous times we wanted to be involved in disasters, but the bureaucracy stopped us.
I'm an Australian volunteer fire fighter, which is like the vast majority of bushfire crews in Australia, we don't get paid we do it to protect community. These Video brings back bad memories for us over here, especially from 2019-2020 when we had fires from SA all the way through Vic, NSW and up into Qld that burned for months. So my heart goes out to the firefighters and all affected residents. There's an ever increasing problem that's clearly manifested in these fires being that theyre in winter. In past decades firebomber aircraft have been shared between USA/Canada, crossing the Pacific and hemispheres to cover each other's Sumner fire season. Now those aircraft are needed year round as the climate heats up producing fire conditions all year long. We've experienced it in recent years with a 10 month long period of massive fires on the east coast in 2019-2020. We've seen it coming for many years with the increasing impacts of climate change. But governments and forestry companies never allocate enough resources until after the shit hits the fan. Then they still don't allocate enough.
Ex CFA member here and that is BS. Here in Victoria we had very few fires in 2019/2020, it was mostly in NSW and it lasted for weeks NOT months. Sounds like you were NOT involved at all. They called it the black summer because it was so wide spread due to mismanagement by NSW gov't minister. A few of our crews drove up to NSW to help and the RFS were extremely critical of lack of management from RFS. They basically ignored the RFS in the end.
Up in Canada we have blackhawk helicopters that have been converted for fire fighting. The advantage of those is with night vision they can run 24/7. Helicopters actually seem to be the most effective as long as there are water sources close by. While the C-130 is useful it still has a somewhat long turn around time. They need to fly back to a base to get more water/chemical. The C-130 wont be used to put out fires. It will be used to prevent the fire from spreading.
The soon to be recalled Mayor of LA refused help from FDNY. She cut the LAFD budget by 17 million and they laid off mechanics so the 100 reserve engines sitting in a lot couldn't be repaired. The horrible Governor refuses to increase the water supply to Southern CA, favoring the safety of smelt fish. There was a DRY 117million gallon reservoir meant to supply the Palisades area and it's fire hydrants that has been empty. Who is to answer to this??
This was fantastic news! So Cal is very thankful! Unfortunately, our fleet of several Super-scoopers (made in Canada) had to be grounded after some dirtball was flying his drone to document our misery, & it collided w/ one amphibious aircraft. It could have easily killed 2 aviators on board; these are simple 2 prop planes. What's unique about them is they just skim across a lake, a reservoir, or Pacific ocean, & fill up in seconds B4 going back for a drop. They only use the ocean as a last resort b/c the salt content is too high for plants to regrow. It's likely nothing grows back. This will cause mudslides when it rains b/c burnt ash won't let water absorb in the soil, so it always runs down hill. But we'll take it one crisis at a time. Thanks everyone. Thanks, Alex, for bringing this to your platform.
As a Nevada native I'm required to inform you that it's Nev-ADD-uh not Nev-ODD-uh. Our DMV and state government even make jokes about people "not from here" and this is how you know. Please say it correctly. Love your videos!
At Hill AFB during the summer there is normally 5-6 fire bombers. I have been on the side of the taxiway and had to pull off because there was so many.
I use to watch F-4's back in late 70's and 80's too..We would be swimming in the river and they would fly tree top level up the river to practice bomb run the dam that was being built..It would scare the hell out of us, but it was AWESOME!!!
I’ve always wondered today why can’t we use blimp like aircraft meant for fire fighting. Designed to carry massive amounts of water or the sleuth material. We have got to be able to have the technology to design and build blimps that can be fire proof carry large amounts of fire killing sleuth or pure water.
whats the estimated flight time from LA to the merch air support base? when did california/LA request assistance from the air force? thank you for the video, good work
lol just checked on the map... never mind haha so about half an hour turn around time? twice an hour? 2 min frequency between arrival and departure on march air reserve base? wow
Re Palisade fire: Cal Fire has had one on line since right after the no-fly day/night & yesterday (Jan 11) I saw 2 maybe 3 Air Force making 2 drops each late in the afternoon. One came from Cheyenne into Mugu & headed back soon after having only spent a few hours in SoCal I’ve seen both Army & Navy Blackhawks in the area but none on the line dropping water.
Great as long as folks don't fly their drones in the same airspace - like the one that hit the Canadian fire fighting plane yesterday. Good luck to everyone fighting and surviving this and future natural disasters.
You're right. And they are. The 146th is out of Channel Islands ANGS. Right next to Point Mugu. Alex mentioned them via map illustration. I think March ARB is staging aircraft out of the state; like Wyoming.
My province of Alberta is dispatching water bombers to help with the LA fires. BC has dispatched helicopters and Quebec already has two water bombers in LA, one of which was hit by an illegal drone being flown over the fires by some fool. We also have hundreds of forest fire wild fighters in LA now. Hopefully these fires will be under control soon. The people of Canada stand with our American brothers and sisters in their time of need. 👌😉💖💖💖
It's fantastic to see our military serving their homeland and citizens. This fire was completely preventable, it's due to negligence on the part of our elected officials.
Thats crazy that you mention March ARB, i live right down the street by it and was wondering why there were so many c-130s lately, considering the base hosts the 452nd that flies c-17s. C-130s are a very rare sight around here. Interestingly enough, all but 3 c-17s are gone, would you know anything about that?
For many years the 146th had aerial fire fighting tankers on standby stationed at the Van Nuys Airport. There was a historical reason for these fire fighting aircraft to be in Van Nuys. Overwhelming wildfires are not unusual in Southern California. And there was much controversy when in 1988 they were redeployed to Point Mugu and taken off of firefighting standby duty. The LAFD claimed that they could handle urban fires, and could request the C-130’s if needed for wildfires. In this case the C-130’s arrived two days too late….
I love I. Australia we have bushfires regularly and a fleet of military transport aircraft and if they can fit a tank or 2 inside them then surely they can fit a large water tank in them and a way to disperse said water ,foam, fire retardant mix on the fire.
Alex kudos on video showcasing the deployment of military assets. I've been working on something since the record setting 2020 "Season" as a formidable ground asset capable of dynamic application of protective agent reinforced by water / agent reserves that are deployed in close proximity to the hot zone. These platforms would be capable of both dynamic (mobile) & static (stationary) in defense of towns, communities, subdivisions, & commercial / industrial locations. Think of an 8x8 ARRF platform on steroids with enhanced capabilities and that's the smallest of the platforms making up a "Strike Team". The aim is to accomplish from the ground what can't be done frome the air due to weather conditions or just the sheer weight of product dropped and forward air speed combined as a destructive force leveling what you're trying to protect.
“Scrambling”. LOL. That’s a stretch. Glad they are using them. We have plenty more Hercs in our inventory across Air Guard, Air Force Reserve, Actual Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps. Use them all if mission requirements, air space separation, and equipment allow! Or use as many as you can!
Yep. From initial reports it looks like it might have been a privately-owned drone out getting footage...the idiot was posting on IG, then pulled it down after word got out and he realized he could be in very hot water.
I postponed this week's episode of AirPower by a few hours to drop this video. This week's episode about the Stormbreaker Glide Bomb will go live at 5pm EST!
Thanks, it was pretty interesting!
I was watching it and it kicked me out! Either way super happy to see more vids!
@@jeremyholland4527, he put it on "private". The video was titled "Stormbreaker: the most dangerous bomb in the world".
@@jeremyholland4527, he put it on "private". The video was titled "Stormbreaker: the most dangerous bomb in the world".
@@jeremyholland4527, he put it on "private". The video was titled "Stormbreaker: the most dangerous bomb in the world".
Hercules: the airframe that keeps on giving
Perhaps we should get some commissioned for our firefighters.
@@mill2712 Probably just tad outside their budget.
@Bacteriophagebs
Perhaps but it would probably cost less than the aftermath of these fires.
@@mill2712there are, the CALFIRE fleet just came online at the end of august. Coulson Aviation also has a fleet of them but those are on contract in Australia
It is called "Hercules", after all.
Good to see the US military is helping to protect the homeland.
Only because Biden is Prez. Traitor Trump brags he won't help them because they didn't vote for him and will demand Gavin do something for him any time he needs help.
The war on wildfire has begun!
It would not be necessary if the Kalifornia government did it's job.
@@poolchuck66Most of the brush area ablaze belong to the FEDERAL Government.
@@Ryan_Christopher Something something DEI rakes or something.
(*edit spelling) Canada has also sent several water bombers along with fire fighting *personnel to help aid in the effort to put out the flames.
And they now have every aircraft they have as well as every service member fighting a fire 😂
Yes they have, I’ve seen them!
@@Dcscockpit It's not a good time for jokes a-hole.
No way they’d be doing this if the fire was in the poor neighborhoods.
@@Dcscockpityeah but they are slower in use than canada. Canadian water bombers can stay in the fight far longer and land much more water on target per refueling. Canadian water bombers can fly and refill their tanks, they never stop working until they need refueling or maintenance.
I can’t tell you how thankful we are here in California. Thank you!
We wish there was more we could do to help, at least I do. I don't live there anymore but California will always be my home.
No thank you needed. You bought and paid for this. Literally the least your government can do.
God Bless LA, our troops, and our first responders
Hi Alex; Great clip as always. With respect to the VA med center and veterans homes, I am the emergency coordinator for California Department of Veteran Affairs. The first and second day of the fires was touch and go but the winds and firefighters kept the flames away. Our West LA home is right across the street from USDVA med center. They are, for now, safe. However, there is no doubt some of the satellite facilities may be compromised or continue to be at risk. This event makes the Oakland hills fire look like a backyard barbeque. The men and women firefighters on the ground are the real heroes, they have all gone above and beyond. And, for those critics out there arm-chairing this fire event, I have many words for you, but "shut the hell up" will suffice for now.
I haven’t heard anyone criticizing the firefighters. I’ve only heard people criticize government choices which created a situation where fires are much worse than necessary and more difficult to fight.
@@Jack-Tacticalsuch as?
@@Kitt_the_Katt One example: For years California has been reducing the number of controlled burns to get rid of more flammable undergrowth and dead material. Discussions about it stretch back for at least a decade.
@Jack-Tactical there are fingers being pointed in every direction. I think my point could have been better stated that better choices could have been made at many levels but right now that's irrelevant to the situation we face. Work on solutions and "we" can argue the politics later.
@@Jack-Tactical I absolutely don't know enough about the inner workings of controled burns to speak to it intelligently. I don't think it's a lack of desire to get it done. More than likely a lack of resources? Allocation of budgets? And politics getting in the way for whatever reason. Not to mention any environmental arguments that are probably out there throwing up barriers. This is going to be an expensive lesson for California just like the Oakland hills fire was. But that fire gave us the greatest lessons in command and control, and communications. All of that was revolutionized, not just in California but across the country, because of the Oakland hills fire. I hope we see something like that come out of the fires down south.
But then again you don't have to look too far back in history to see the change in wildfires over the decades. I mean one of the reasons these fires cost so much and are so destructive is because of land development for the urban sprawl. And I know emergency response infrastructure, law enforcement firefighters, EMS, struggle to keep up with the growth. Even the wildland fires like up in Lassen, or Paradise, or pick a wilderness (it's been on fire at some point in time in the recent past) there's just so much to preventative work to do and not enough resources.
I'm sure at some point in his term, Trump will float the idea of privatizing firefighting. "To make it more effective."
Thanks brother for using your voice to pass the word
God bless and respect to those who serve.
The barbarians are at the gate! :(
To everyone there, stay safe. To everyone helping stop this, thank you. I've been through disaster relief efforts, and the work you do is invaluable.
Cleaning up afterwards is a very important job in many ways. So you are an appreciated asset.
Great coverage, Alex. The biggest advantage to the fertilizer component of slurry is easy to overlook. Most wild fires happen in places where erosion risks are huge, and when the roots die the hills slide the next time it rains. Never underestimate the power of grass, particularly in the Sierras and the Commifornia coastal ranges where it never rains, until it storms.
I appreciate the compliment!
FINALLY! REAL NEWS! Out of the two dozen mainstream news junkies, this presentation is the absolute 💯 👌 BEST.
As a young flight engineer in the Wyoming Air National Guard I was the FE on a crew sent to California to load and test the very first version of MAFFS on our C130. A 2 day trip wound up lasting over a week as they had to keep unloading it and taking it back to FMC to modify it. It was so big they couldn't move it in daytime. So they had to wait until evening to take it back, modify it, and get it back before morning. After several iterations they succeded. This original version had 2 huge arms that swung over the ramp after it opened and directed the ffuid downward. On the first trial even at a reduced pressure, the water bounced off the ramp and went higher than the verticle stabilizer. WOW! Impressive. This would have been in about 1974 or 1975. I am proud to have been part of that and now to see that system still used. Also go Cowboy Guard!! Look at their emblem. Red and black with a cowboy on a bucking bronco. The 153rd Group and the 187th Squadron.
It sounds like you guys are doing a great job, as usual. That old Hercules and the A10 Warthog both seem like they've been around for ever but they look like they're still getting their missions done. 👍
It's really awesome that you made this video.
I do not know the terrain involved but as a very experienced bushfire fighter, I can tell you that the C130 will only be effective on certain terrain. The helicopters with Bambi buckets will much better in hilly terrain however one of the most important factors is the communication between pilots and ground crews to get the water or retardant where it is required which takes experience so the military will need experienced pilots to help out. That said there's no problem that can't be solved especially as military are experienced working in a team situation.
And another negative for the C130's is that they need to land before reloading with water. That said a lot of water at the right location at the right time can save lives. So a great idea and it seems to be being deployed quickly too. Well done there as well.
Once again we the people... stepping up to help. Thanks to all for the helping hand. God bless
I watch those C-130's fly out of Reno all the time. Impressive pilots with skills second to none. Thank you Air National Guard.
Thanks for sharing this Alex!
Good news. Much needed help.
Love to see these efforts mobilize! (Huge thank you!) In the future, we need to figure out how to get these kinds of resources in place before crises become disasters.
To someone from Europe I find it amazing that Canadian aircraft were helping before the US military came to the rescue.
Thanks as a resident of LA are for the news had not seen this in the national or local media.
I’m adding to my earlier post to thank the service personnel and the many first responders. The late deployment of the military assistance is not caused by those responding. It’s an issue with bureaucracy.
May God protect and bless those fighting these fires and those affected by them.
RAH! I was an El Toro Marine... I'm praying for my former neighbors...love your presentations, Brother. I always leave here more knowledgeable. Semper Fi.
Thank you Alex
May all the aerial fire fighters return to base safely 🙏🏻
Thank you for your amazing work!!
GR8 👍👍. For those wonder why it took so long, those winds were blowing all over. 1 vid shows a Civilian C-130 "Brimstone" Bomber being blown over 1500' off course. Many thanx Alex!
There needs to be a restart of the PBY-Catilina which was and still is the most efficient and effective aerial firefighting craft ever. If memory serves, Canada and Alaska operates the last remaining (3) PBYs.
That said The Mighty Hercules, still proves it's adaptability to a multitude of missions.
There’s the CL-415 which is kind of similar to
It was announced last year that a PBY-Catilina with updated avionics was going into production in Florida. The plan is the first aircraft will be ready by 2029.
Airframes of the Catalina's are getting to old and fatigued for firebombing. Aircraft only have a certain number of flight ours before they wear out. It's an extremely dangerous task even with brand new aircraft equpied with LIDAR, RADAR, FLIR and a small guide plane, so nobody wants to put aircrew and ground firefighters lives at risk. The Cats were great in their time but that time has passed.
The De Havilland Canadair 515 is its closest successor, specifically designed from the ground up for scoop load firefighting and is an all round much better aircraft for the job. It's one of these that was damaged by a drone that some criminal idiot was flying over the fires.
@@C0wCakes Until 2029, that is. Then the Catalina will be back.
Here in Australia we found the Ericsson sky-cranes invaluable, especially the crew who were experienced in communicating with ground crews. They are great because they can get into difficult terrain in valleys, etc and they can reload from almost any location. It (or any other aircraft) are not the answer in all situations though so you need a variety of aircraft available. Sadly I can't post a link but if you look at the organisation that assembles our bushfire fighting planes you'll see some of the best available and they even list why. Also Canada have some great aircraft.
I have a good friend who fly's a C-130. She would love to be helping out in LA but can't since she is in Hawaii. So for all the USAF pilots and crews making a difference, Thank You.
God Bless our brother and sister on the west coast. Us in the heart land send our love, and prayers. Let’s go, that’s what we as a people are about . Coming together to help cause as much as we love our individual freedom we are as one as a nation under our shared dream of seeing what was started 250 years ago does not die on our watch! I love this country and the people who call her home.
Thanks, Richard! We live just east of the Eaton fire and at one point we could see the flames in the distance. It was mighty scary. We appreciate your thoughts and prayers more than l can say. Not everyone in California has lost their mind. There are plenty of folks on the left coast who think like Midwesterners.
Thank you for the amazing coverage from you personally Alex and the team at Sandboxx.
Thanks for all you do!
Thanks for the the Good news.Much appreciated.Much appreciated
San Diego says thank you ! Sandboxx rocks!
You're an awesome guy my man! Love your videos so do my kids your content is 100!!! Your are appreciated! Thank you!
this is awesome thanks!!!
Good luck all affected.
That's badass, the Hercules is such a versatile plane. God bless our airmen.
God Bless America 🇺🇸
Thanks for the well wishes. Here’s to hoping the wind keeps pushing the fires towards to coastline
great service to us in California
Thank you Joe!
God Bless our brother and sister on the west coast. Us in the heart land send our love, and prayers. Let’s go, that’s what we as a people are about . Coming together to help cause as much as we love our individual freedom we are as one as a nation under our shared dream of seeing what was started 250 years ago does not die on our watch!
Watching these airmen lining up drops on flight traker fills me with pride to be an American all these heroic people rushing to aid my city is truly something
God bless our military.
God bless the American military.
This is Ruben AMEN 🙏 THANK GOD
Yes we are Alex, yes we are.
we all have to stick together, no conspiracy, no lies, no poison... lots of love from Germany
Yep, seen them on the radar flying like bees. Thank goodness. ♥
Awesome!!
Thanks!
WE CELEBRATE US MILITARY AIRCRAFT HELP QUENCH THE FIRE 🔥 AND SOO MUCH OTHER HELP!//❤❤❤🎉🎉🎉
Been hoping we could do this for a while
March ARB is 2 counties away from the L A area Channel Island ANG Base ( where 2 MAFFS are based ) is 5 min from the fires .
it makes perfect sense to make use of military equipment and infrastructure in this type of situation. my question is, why it isn't is done more often?
Pray for the crews. Fire suppression is EXTREMELY hazardous. Odds are that these crews have never flown in these conditions. It’s not just fly low and spray.
B-29 were flipped and destroyed flying over the fire raids over Japan from updrafts. And this happened at attitudes well above those these aircraft will fly at
My uncle flew a C-130 in the 80s with the same equipment fighting a wildfire and he said that the most intense and demanding flying he ever did.
Got one that came through VSFB. Was wondering why it had its cargo bay door open. And I followed it on radar to Riverside. 👍
the Guard unit at Channel Islands has had this gear for years
AIM HIGH. GO AIR FORCE!
Gee - what genius took so long to get this organized?
i'm not surprised. it's been a physically dangerous situation for aircraft operators due to super strong santa ana winds.
I had heard they military C-130s had been delayed due to the high winds. Also CalFire has there own C-130s for use.
Always thought the C 17 would be a beast of a water tanker .
These C-130 fire fighting modules sound fantastic.
But I'd like these aircraft made available on a moment's notice. It was clear on the very first day on Tuesday that extraordinary help was needed so if these aircraft arrive tomorrow on Saturday, that is 4-5 full days from first reported flames.
Flying in the extreme winds that were happening is very unsafe. Plus, military (National Guard) asserts cannot be used until all available civilian resources have been used. I spent 22 years in the Ca Air Guard, and there were numerous times we wanted to be involved in disasters, but the bureaucracy stopped us.
well done
I'm an Australian volunteer fire fighter, which is like the vast majority of bushfire crews in Australia, we don't get paid we do it to protect community. These Video brings back bad memories for us over here, especially from 2019-2020 when we had fires from SA all the way through Vic, NSW and up into Qld that burned for months. So my heart goes out to the firefighters and all affected residents.
There's an ever increasing problem that's clearly manifested in these fires being that theyre in winter. In past decades firebomber aircraft have been shared between USA/Canada, crossing the Pacific and hemispheres to cover each other's Sumner fire season. Now those aircraft are needed year round as the climate heats up producing fire conditions all year long. We've experienced it in recent years with a 10 month long period of massive fires on the east coast in 2019-2020. We've seen it coming for many years with the increasing impacts of climate change. But governments and forestry companies never allocate enough resources until after the shit hits the fan. Then they still don't allocate enough.
Ex CFA member here and that is BS. Here in Victoria we had very few fires in 2019/2020, it was mostly in NSW and it lasted for weeks NOT months. Sounds like you were NOT involved at all. They called it the black summer because it was so wide spread due to mismanagement by NSW gov't minister. A few of our crews drove up to NSW to help and the RFS were extremely critical of lack of management from RFS. They basically ignored the RFS in the end.
Up in Canada we have blackhawk helicopters that have been converted for fire fighting. The advantage of those is with night vision they can run 24/7. Helicopters actually seem to be the most effective as long as there are water sources close by. While the C-130 is useful it still has a somewhat long turn around time. They need to fly back to a base to get more water/chemical. The C-130 wont be used to put out fires. It will be used to prevent the fire from spreading.
The soon to be recalled Mayor of LA refused help from FDNY. She cut the LAFD budget by 17 million and they laid off mechanics so the 100 reserve engines sitting in a lot couldn't be repaired. The horrible Governor refuses to increase the water supply to Southern CA, favoring the safety of smelt fish. There was a DRY 117million gallon reservoir meant to supply the Palisades area and it's fire hydrants that has been empty. Who is to answer to this??
Holy crap.. I was just thinking yesterday that something like this would come in handy.
Once again, I am. Little behind the game.
This was fantastic news! So Cal is very thankful! Unfortunately, our fleet of several Super-scoopers (made in Canada) had to be grounded after some dirtball was flying his drone to document our misery, & it collided w/ one amphibious aircraft. It could have easily killed 2 aviators on board; these are simple 2 prop planes. What's unique about them is they just skim across a lake, a reservoir, or Pacific ocean, & fill up in seconds B4 going back for a drop. They only use the ocean as a last resort b/c the salt content is too high for plants to regrow. It's likely nothing grows back. This will cause mudslides when it rains b/c burnt ash won't let water absorb in the soil, so it always runs down hill. But we'll take it one crisis at a time. Thanks everyone.
Thanks, Alex, for bringing this to your platform.
As a Nevada native I'm required to inform you that it's Nev-ADD-uh not Nev-ODD-uh. Our DMV and state government even make jokes about people "not from here" and this is how you know. Please say it correctly. Love your videos!
Californians can't do anything right. Nevadans don't like how we pronounce their state, Texans don't like how we pronounce pecan, ...
Who cares.
At Hill AFB during the summer there is normally 5-6 fire bombers. I have been on the side of the taxiway and had to pull off because there was so many.
Thank you so much Alex!!!
Back in the 80s I spent a lot of time watching F4s come out of march…bitchin’ good time
I use to watch F-4's back in late 70's and 80's too..We would be swimming in the river and they would fly tree top level up the river to practice bomb run the dam that was being built..It would scare the hell out of us, but it was AWESOME!!!
The West LA VA center isn’t in danger of burning down. It’s surrounded by massive firebreaks including one of the world’s biggest highways.
I’ve always wondered today why can’t we use blimp like aircraft meant for fire fighting. Designed to carry massive amounts of water or the sleuth material. We have got to be able to have the technology to design and build blimps that can be fire proof carry large amounts of fire killing sleuth or pure water.
Water is extremely heavy. The blimps would need to be absolutely massive in order to carry the same water as a much faster plane or helicopter.
whats the estimated flight time from LA to the merch air support base? when did california/LA request assistance from the air force?
thank you for the video, good work
lol just checked on the map... never mind haha
so about half an hour turn around time? twice an hour? 2 min frequency between arrival and departure on march air reserve base? wow
I haven’t seen a single Hercules over the skies of Encino yet.
Re Palisade fire:
Cal Fire has had one on line since right after the no-fly day/night & yesterday (Jan 11) I saw 2 maybe 3 Air Force making 2 drops each late in the afternoon. One came from Cheyenne into Mugu & headed back soon after having only spent a few hours in SoCal
I’ve seen both Army & Navy Blackhawks in the area but none on the line dropping water.
1-12-25 @ 12:35 PST
A pair of Army Black Hawks are dropping water on Western side of fire (Monte Nido area)
No fixed wing activity today
@@ericsokoloff89So you’re referring to the areas around Calabasas. Is that correct?
Great as long as folks don't fly their drones in the same airspace - like the one that hit the Canadian fire fighting plane yesterday. Good luck to everyone fighting and surviving this and future natural disasters.
Australian's know the sh*t you're going through. Best wishes and stay safe.
2 hours to prep a plane is crazy. I dont know where you got those numbers, but you're off by about 34 to 46 hours.
Why only now ? It's about time... we are suffering here in California.
Do you need an AWACS to help coordinate air traffic?
Why aren't they operating out of point Mugu? So much closer to the fires!
You're right. And they are. The 146th is out of Channel Islands ANGS. Right next to Point Mugu. Alex mentioned them via map illustration. I think March ARB is staging aircraft out of the state; like Wyoming.
My province of Alberta is dispatching water bombers to help with the LA fires. BC has dispatched helicopters and Quebec already has two water bombers in LA, one of which was hit by an illegal drone being flown over the fires by some fool. We also have hundreds of forest fire wild fighters in LA now. Hopefully these fires will be under control soon. The people of Canada stand with our American brothers and sisters in their time of need. 👌😉💖💖💖
Damn, have we these in Aus as well?
It's fantastic to see our military serving their homeland and citizens. This fire was completely preventable, it's due to negligence on the part of our elected officials.
Thats crazy that you mention March ARB, i live right down the street by it and was wondering why there were so many c-130s lately, considering the base hosts the 452nd that flies c-17s. C-130s are a very rare sight around here. Interestingly enough, all but 3 c-17s are gone, would you know anything about that?
For many years the 146th had aerial fire fighting tankers on standby stationed at the Van Nuys Airport. There was a historical reason for these fire fighting aircraft to be in Van Nuys. Overwhelming wildfires are not unusual in Southern California. And there was much controversy when in 1988 they were redeployed to Point Mugu and taken off of firefighting standby duty. The LAFD claimed that they could handle urban fires, and could request the C-130’s if needed for wildfires. In this case the C-130’s arrived two days too late….
I love I. Australia we have bushfires regularly and a fleet of military transport aircraft and if they can fit a tank or 2 inside them then surely they can fit a large water tank in them and a way to disperse said water ,foam, fire retardant mix on the fire.
Thanks for the info,
The California 130s are literally a 15 minute drive from Malibu. The 146th is right down the street, why did they wait until now?
Alex kudos on video showcasing the deployment of military assets. I've been working on something since the record setting 2020 "Season" as a formidable ground asset capable of dynamic application of protective agent reinforced by water / agent reserves that are deployed in close proximity to the hot zone. These platforms would be capable of both dynamic (mobile) & static (stationary) in defense of towns, communities, subdivisions, & commercial / industrial locations. Think of an 8x8 ARRF platform on steroids with enhanced capabilities and that's the smallest of the platforms making up a "Strike Team". The aim is to accomplish from the ground what can't be done frome the air due to weather conditions or just the sheer weight of product dropped and forward air speed combined as a destructive force leveling what you're trying to protect.
They Should have been doing this on Tuesday, pretty ridiculous they are not on standby at all times for this role
@SandboxxApp How many other military's can or are actually outfitted to perform such actions?
Anyone have any idea when they’re actually going to get here to help fight the fires??
In a recent news briefing on the Palisade fire, 1 of 2 Super Scoopers was damaged by a Drone.
“Scrambling”. LOL. That’s a stretch. Glad they are using them. We have plenty more Hercs in our inventory across Air Guard, Air Force Reserve, Actual Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps. Use them all if mission requirements, air space separation, and equipment allow! Or use as many as you can!
I heard a story today that a Canadian super scooper struck a drone over the LA fire putting a hole in the wing, and putting it out of action.
Yup it may have been a media drone to but take that with a grain of salt
Too many private drones getting in the way of those who are trying to help.
Yep. From initial reports it looks like it might have been a privately-owned drone out getting footage...the idiot was posting on IG, then pulled it down after word got out and he realized he could be in very hot water.
Yeah. Infuriating