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Fighting Fire From The Air
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Modular Airborne Fire Fighting Systems
Modular Airborne Fire Fighting Systems (MAFFS) are military C-130 transport planes that can be converted to serve as fire fighting airtankers. The C-130 can carry 3,000 gallons of fire retardant. The CAL FIRE S-2T airtanker carries 1200 gallons.
MAFFS are requested only when all other fire service aircraft are committed to major, extended incidents. They are considered a 24-hour resource, meaning that when ordered, it will be at least 24 hours before they can be expected on duty. When ordered, MAFFS must be taken from their regular military duties and then fitted with fire fighting airtanker equipment.
There are eight MAFFS in the United States. Two are stationed in California, the rest around the nation. All eight have been committed to California fires in the past.
MAFFS Mission Report
August 1, 2008
Today’s Topic: Exactly Who Is Leading This Operation?
Imagine maneuvering a massive C-130 Hercules cargo plane weighing in at over 150,000 pounds while flying close to stalling speed through choking, forest fire smoke at only 150 feet above the rugged, canyon-incised terrain. While these are amazingly versatile and powerful aircraft, they don’t exactly fly with the maneuverability of an F-16 jet fighter. Certainly the able C-130s are matched with pilots of the highest caliber but flying conditions on wildfires are about as challenging as it gets. 
If only someone could shepherd these MAFFS-equipped airtankers as they navigate into this highly hazardous aerial firefighting battle.
Well, for years airtankers have relied on “lead planes” which are a fraction of the tanker’s size and weight, yet lead plane pilots are willing to fly only 1,000 feet in front of the lumbering converted cargo planes in order to show the safest way into and then away from the critical drop zone. Firefighters on the ground anticipate the fire-quelling retardant that allows them to move in closer to the active fire and make a direct attack to contain the fire.
Today we meet one of the highly skilled lead plane pilots.
Ryan Curl is an Air Tactical Pilot who works for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in Idaho Falls, ID. His lead plane is a two-engine Beechcraft King Air that provides an aerial platform to coordinate multiple airtankers orbiting near a fire as they prepare to follow him through their drop run.
Curl must monitor up to four radio frequencies at the same time. He must stay in contact with an orbiting “Air Attack” plane that flies at a higher altitude above the fire, which provides coordination between fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and ground crews; he has another frequency for the airtankers and yet another to communicate with the firefighting helicopters operating on the same fire; plus he must be able to respond to control towers away from the incident on a separate channel.
Four radio frequencies and only two ears: that and all the stuff going on outside the cockpit makes for an extremely challenging situation.
This includes keeping track of all the tankers that he has “kegged up” as they await their turn to make their retardant drop.
After starting out as a BLM firefighter and watching the exciting and impressive aerial firefighting action from the ground, Curl decided way back in 1990 this was the job for him. So shortly thereafter he started flight training toward his goal of becoming a lead pilot for the fire retardant airtankers. He continued his summer firefighting as the means to fund his flying classes.
When asked how he can expect the much bigger and heavier airtankers to “follow the leader”, Curl explained how he has “right-seated” in an airtanker to get the feel of how they fly, and how he adjusts his King Air flight characteristics to mimic the airtankers by closely monitoring his speed and flight characteristics. There is an immense amount of confidence between the airtanker and lead plane pilots: Curl’s aspiration is to become one of the most highly trusted lead plane pilots among the airtanker community.
The challenges can sometimes go beyond the expected confusion of multiple firefighting aircraft operating in the dynamic conditions described above. Curl has had private aircraft fly right into the middle of the action, apparently unaware of the fire activity (which is usually outlined in pilot’s published Temporary Flight Restrictions). On one occasion, Curl was unable to contact the offending aircraft on any radio frequency he tried, so he resorted to physically “escorting” the other plane away from the fire activity.
Maybe the most interesting aspect of Curl’s flying background is that his original flight instructor was another BLM employee—a guy named Rusty—who happened to be the bulldozer operator. (For clarification, a bulldozer is NOT some type of little known aircraft…it’s that huge, usually ground-based, typically bright yellow piece of earth moving equipment.)
Ryan Curl said that Rusty was an excellent flight instructor (but made no mention of his ability to push dirt).
Click here for MAFFS retardant drop totals (7/12)
United States Northern Command
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