Federal agencies employ some aerial firefighter pilots, but most work under seasonal contracts for companies the agencies hire for fire protection. They provide vital eyes in the sky for firefighters on the ground, and ensure safe aviation operations. SCRATCHLINE2007 Issue 21 tom Wildland Fire Lessons Learned.page 8 would be what Matt is talkin about..I would imagine. What is the role of the lead plane when helicopters are being used? Today, Smokejumpers are a national resource. <> Leadplane Pilot (LPIL) Qualified Forms Leadplane Phase 1 Mission Evaluation Leadplane Phase 2 Mission Evaluation Leadplane Phase 3 Mission Evaluation and Final Evaluation Check Ride Course Materials Click the individual links to download material or download all materials in one zip file (not yet available). How long have you been a lead plane pilot? Facebook Example aircraft types: Lockheed P2V, Lockheed HC-130H, British Aerospace BAe-146, McDonnell Douglas MD-87, Lockheed C-130Q, Avro RJ85. All MAFFS units are requested through the commander of U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) to provide support to the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) in conducting wildland fire fighting operations within the United States. Fr den Reiter. For another article about a lead plane pilot, check out Bill Gabberts interview with Jamie Tackman in Chile when Mr. Tackman was leading the 747 Supertanker. The AT-802F Air Tractor is powered by a PT6A-67F engine that develops 1,425 SHP. Each of the aircraft can carry eight to ten Smokejumpers and their initial supply of gear. Mary continued to fly for pleasure until age 75. Example aircraft type: Air Tractor AT-802. Although aircraft are often used to fight wildfires, aircraft alone cannot put them out. But with demand for such services in the Southern Hemisphere growing, and the extended fire season in North America, its becoming a full-time job. Eric Page Lu . The paint for the C-130Hs was designed by a company in New Jersey,Scheme Designers. Yes! His position with the Forest Service is analogous to an airborne forward air controller, said Delmonte. usfs type 1 helicopter contracts 2022csusm academic advising email. Several air tanker pilots stated that for a while they had no idea Mr. Spliefthof lost his home because he was professional and never missed a beat. It was during this time that he found a posting on USAJobs for a USFS pilot in Ogden, Utah. The Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-52-powered 260, which offers a top cruise speed of 310 knots, 1720-NM range and useful load of 3760 pounds, added features including the Innovative Solutions & Support (IS&S) ThrustSense autothrottle and Collins Aerospace Multi-Scan RTA-4112 weather radar. The B200 is just fantastic. usfs lead plane pilot. Aircraft types: Beechcraft King Air 90 and Beechcraft King Air 200. We generally start out in the southwest and Texas in the April-May timeframe and then as the monsoons hit in early July, well move up into the Great Basin: Colorado, Nevada and southern Idaho. No one agency has enough resources to manage wildfires on their own, especially during peak season in July and August. Pilot backgrounds are diverse, including military, bush and airline flying, but tailwheel and low-level flying experience the latter over terrain are typical requisites. California just had its largest fire ever, and it was in the month of December, notes Hale, whose company has four pilots. That training begins with six days of Aircraft Systems instruction, which is then followed by simulator time. The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) manages and protects 154 national forests and 20 grasslands in 43 states and Puerto Rico. An official website of the United States government. Aircraft types:Twin Commander 500 and 600 are most common. The Chief of the U.S. Forest Service has approved the paint design for the seven C-130H aircraft the agency is receiving from the Coast Guard. Sometimes we cant drop retardant because theres just not a good exitit isnt safe. Also, we evaluate the direction of the linehow much it drifted one way or the other if we had a crosswindthe angles of the line. Used as a lead in for firefighter planes to drop fire retardant on forest fires. harbor freight pay rate california greene prairie press police beat greene prairie press police beat Weve used King Airs now for more than 10 years, and ultimately its because Textron Aviation and Beechcraft support the King Air in the lead plane mission. Aircraft types: Cessna 206, Aero Commander 500, King Air 200, DeHavilland DHC-2 Beaver, Piper Super Cub, and Cessna 185. https://www.fs.usda.gov/managing-land/fire/planes, Modular Airborne Fire Fighting Systems (MAFFS). EPLOs -- a group that includes close to 90 IMAs assigned to 1st Air Forces National Security Emergency Protection Directorate, Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida -- work closely with state and local emergency responders to coordinate federal military air support during natural and man-made disasters. usfs lead plane pilot. They communicate with firefighters on the ground and with airtankers, releasing white smoke to show where the retardant should go. Without a lead plane, tanker pilots would have to circle the fire themselves, avoiding . Firefighters rely on planes and helicopters to: https://www.fs.usda.gov/managing-land/fire/aviation, Aerial Firefighting Use and Effectiveness Study (AFUE), Forest Health Protection Aviation Program. While the majority of wildland fires occur in the western U.S., NIFC serves the entire country and in the past year has responded to major fires in Tennessee, Kansas and Oklahoma. On the rotary-wing side, Bell UH-1 Iroquois led the fleet, along with Sikorsky S-61s and S-64 Skycranes. In 1981, the first woman smokejumper in the nation successfully completed the training program at the McCall Smokejumper Base in Idaho. Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) have great potential for use on wildland fires and in natural resource management. A U.S. Forest Service forester first proposed smokejumping in 1934 as a means to quickly provide initial attack on forest fires. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. In this capacity, he acts as a sort of forward operator, directing other fire fighting aircraft where to drop fire retardant. Air tactical or air attack planes coordinate aerial firefighting aircraft over wildland fires. I agree entirely with your post Eric; an IC1 does not need to be a wildland firefighter. 106-887 DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2001 ========= Aircraft types: Bombardier CL-415 and Air Tractor Fire Boss. Barr was not the type to expect or court help from anyone. They are managed by Headquarters Individual Reservist Readiness and Integration Organization, located at Buckley Air Force Base, Colorado, and serve over 50 separate major commands, combatant commands and government agencies. Chp hnh Ngh nh s 105/2017/N-CP ca Chnh ph v lut qung co s 16/2012/QH13 v kinh doanh v bn hng qua mng. 2 0 obj usfs lead plane pilot. Bill jumped at Missoula 1963, 64 . Address. Col. Paul "Buster" Delmonte, the Emergency Preparedness Liaison Officer for Utah, is a lead plane pilot for the U.S. Forest Service as a civilian. Available for both RF and RM licensing. He was hired as a pilot in Albuquerque and trained as a transport and lead plane pilot. Note: Oblique low key view of the Flight Deck of US Department of Agriculture - Forest Service (USFS) Short C-23C Sherpa N161Z Cn . Suwakholi, Mussoorie UK (INDIA) Mon - Fri: 9:00 - 19:00. columbia trinity dual ba acceptance rate A lock ( He has worked off and on with the 747 air tankers since Evergreen converted the first one. Erickson Aero Tanker, 2050 Northeast 25th Avenue, Hillsboro, OR, 97124 (503) 640-3711 eatanker@aeroair.com. How to Become an Aerial Firefighter Pilot. The King Air is a very capable and pilot-friendly aircraft, which is important when youre flying at a lower level in mountainous terrain. The U.S. Forest Service had estimated there were as many as 150 of the unauthorized cows in an area along the Gila River. The Forest Service uses planes of many types and sizes to manage wildland fires. Over the past two and a half months, Delmonte has flown 51 missions, in seven states, on 29 different fires; and the season isnt over yet. The plane had two people on board and was flying from Iceland to Nairobi via . Click here. There is no cost, and in case you change your mind each email has an unsubscribe button. Fixed-wing aircraft used in wildland firefighting fill the roles of lead planes, smokejumper aircraft, air tactical platforms and airtankers (see sidebar for descriptions of these roles). are bellagio fountains open Uncategorized usfs lead plane pilot. Delmonte became a Forest Service pilot in 2004 after a stint in the airline business. uA]g)8vv7/u~j U:!D!:m>=Mt]%uL[+u~V{[_lPIM~~vb2i>_dRi~+?vTVQ}wN9u4~#||5]T={v0QxYGu?&U#nj[v,q>ec+hL +t:\bP|~Y|w/Qo?]i:`f{t1 Award-winning Senior Aerospace Marketing and Communications Strategist and media relations professional specializing in electric VTOL (eVTOL), Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), Regional Air Mobility (RAM), air traffic services (ATS) aerospace, airlines, helicopters, tourism development, content creation and special event management and museum development. Cha c sn phm trong gi hng. During the first quarter of each year, Aero-Flite's CL-415 pilots gather to begin their winter training. The exit is probably the most important part of the drop and the easiest to forget about. The aircraft has fully operational dual controls in its dual cockpit configuration. Whether managing a wildfire, earthquake, tsunami or Kardashian wedding, the command & control of any large incident demands the same skill sets. The candidates should note that this is with reference to CEN-01/2018. A lot of these pilots like their winters off, says Hale. I think youve hit on one of the inherent problems with our qualification system. endobj Fire fighting tools, food and water are dropped by parachute to the firefighters after they land near the fire, making them self-sufficient for the first 48 hours. We do two of the four phases of inspection so that we can try to get ahead of the maintenance and not have a bunch of downtime right in the middle of fire season.. Website: Ruouvangeco.com khng mua bn ru qua internet, y ch l mt trang website mang tnh cht gii thiu sn phm. On January 24, 2017 the 747 SuperTanker left its base in Colorado Springs, Colorado for an assignment in Chile. A plane that lost communication because of a malfunction was escorted to safety by RAF jets, police have said. Credit Solution Experts Incorporated offers quality business credit building services, which includes an easy step-by-step system designed for helping clients build their business credit effortlessly. The Forest Service uses a variety of aircraft and helicopters to help manage wildfires. After nearly eight years of writing and reviewing business cases, traveling to meetings, advocating, and developing contract specifications, the U.S. Forest Services Intermountain Region Fire and Aviation Staff accepted delivery of their brand new King Air 250 Twin Engine turboprop aircraft, N147Z, on December 26, 2018. Aerial supervision module/lead plane pilots and/or air tactical supervisors communicate with firefighters on the ground, other fire aircraft, and airtanker pilots. Public Affairs for the USDA Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit. Delmonte is pictured here in a tan flight suit in front of one of his aircraft, a DC-3. Other examples of their work can be found at Airliners.net. `_?^>l|_?_/>o_O_ "Ws/.Z+/hw?(^R2e7nYt} ^>f6,(p+4]yLz/cwK_"5JeD .BVu#:MW[' Helicopter pilots often perform bucket drops to assist in fire suppression, as in this National Park Service operation in the Grand Canyon. We find the firelines, we search out all the hazards, we scout the exit routes and we coordinate the air space. Its a good translation of the tactical flying I was doing in F-16s.. Their Fire and Aviation Management division owns and contracts aircraft primarily for wildfires, but also responds to incidents including floods, hurricanes and other disasters. Smokejumper aircraft deliver smokejumpers and cargo by parachute for initial attack and extended support of wildland fires. Lead planes are also responsible for the initial scouting of appropriate drop zones for airtankers. Likes. To learn more about the Individual Reserve, visit www.arpc.afrc.af.mil/home/HQRIO.aspx. Each year agency pilots fly these 15 contracted aircraft 3,500 hours. The average annual salary range for a Forest Service pilot is $73,600 to $113,800. Global SuperTanker Services employs four pilots to operate its 747, the worlds largest air tanker. Tweets. <>/Metadata 774 0 R/ViewerPreferences 775 0 R>> Q. The airplane had been sitting for awhile and needed maintenance and paint. BLM started flying the 1990 King Air B200 in 2015 after acquiring it through an interagency transfer from the Bureau of Reclamation. Some are owned by the Forest Service, many are leased or contracted and during times of high fire activity, military aircraft may be activated. Example aircraft types: Beechcraft King Air 90 and 200. Flying low in this role, theres different stressors that have to be supported by the manufacturer.. 4. Thomas J. Doscher). Media. These small airplanes can reload and operate in areas where larger airtankers cannot. They own a 1990 King Air B200 as a firefighting aircraft and are in the process of purchasing a second King Air B200. After being hired by the USFS, Delmonte also continued flying and advancing through the ranks as a traditional reservist. They release white smoke to show airtanker pilots where to drop fire retardant. Single Engine Airtankers (SEATs) can deliver up to 800 gallons of fire retardant to support firefighters on the ground. Federal agencies employ some aerial firefighter pilots, but most work under seasonal contracts for companies the agencies hire for fire protection. Well say things like, that was a half a load late, or, a wingspan to the left, or, you were off on the heading by ten degrees. Things like that. Click the individual linksto download material or download all materials in onezip file(not yet available). Provide reconnaissance of new fires, fire locations, and fire behavior. A: One of the principles we learn is to always have an exit and never take a loaded aircraft where you cant get it out of. What risks are involved in this type of low-level flying with an air tanker? cheap virtual office in st louis mo. All of the USFS lead planes will be able to produce smoke to mark the targets for the air tankers. As far as the training aspect, are you giving feedback to the air tankers on their drops? Click here. It could be from here to SoCal. Water Scoopers are amphibious aircraft that skim the surface of a body of water and scoop water into an onboard tank and then release it on a fire. Gary Johnson (RDD-69) said that Mary flew jumpers for a short time at Redding. Q. x}]"wbJ=KG3)a4Ko +qu/'bh@W_?^\/O?i.eZ-O?? Typos, let us know, and please keep in mind the commenting ground rules before you post a comment. Aircraft Type: DC-10. Since large airtankers are not as maneuverable, lead planes are usually paired up with large airtankers, and are required to be with VLATs and the MAFFS. We evaluate the start point, if were trying to tie into something, or the end point, if were trying to roll up to something. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. The lead planes are Beechcraft King Air 90GTs, all supplied by the Greenwood Corporation, while the ATGS aircraft areCessna 337 Skymasters and reciprocal and turbine engine twin Commanders. In addition to his normal duties as lead plane, Delmonte is also a certified smoke jumper pilot, flying firefighters into wildland areas where they parachute in to combat forest fires. We do that through flying a more nimble aircraft and being on-scene throughout the mission, so that we can observe the conditions as they change. However, the SEAT fleet has been evolving to a fee-per-season contract, with minor incentives for extra hours, providing more stable earnings. Not wanting to give up serving his country, Delmonte turned to the Individual Reserve to continue his career. Ruouvangeco.com ch gii thiu sn phm ru vang n i tng trn 18 tui. Over the past two and a half months, Delmonte has flown 51 missions, in seven states, on 29 different fires; and the season isn't over yet. We talked to two National Interagency Fire Center agencies that operate King Air fleets about the platforms use in aerial firefighting. The average annual salary range for a Forest Service pilot is $73,600 to $113,800. For safety, there is always a spotter on board communicating essential information about the wind, fire activity and terrain to the pilot and the jumpers. The tactical supervisor joins the lead plane pilot. Bill was also a MAFFS (Military Airborne Firefighting System) instructor for the Air National Guard and the Air Force Reserves. Once he has identified that, he returns to the tankers, which are in a holding pattern, and leads them, one-by-one, into the blaze. Aircraft types: P2V, HC-130H, BAe-146, MD-87, C-130Q, RJ85, C-130 H & J equipped with Modular Airborne Fire Fighting Systems (MAFFS). In 1964, Barr became one of the first four women to compete in the Reno Air Races. Very Large Airtankers (VLATs) are capable of delivering more than 8,000 gallons of fire retardant to support firefighters on the ground. Military flight crews spent the week training with their civilian counterparts in preparation for the upcoming wildland firefighting season. endobj Enter your email address to subscribe and receive notifications of new posts by email. Annually there are an average of 71,000 fires, which typically burn almost 7 million acres of private, state and federal land in the United States. 3 0 obj Lightboxes. There isnt a purpose-built lead plane available on the market, Baldwin said. National Park Service. The smokejumper program began in 1939 as an experiment in the Pacific Northwest and the first fire jump was made in 1940 on Idahos Nez Perce National Forest. In the off-season, well do training and quite a bit of maintenance, Bell said. OAS-60B Contractor's Verification of Individual Helicopter Pilot Requirements and Experience for Initial Agency Approval. Col. Paul "Buster" Delmonte, the Emergency Preparedness Liaison Officer for Utah, is a lead plane pilot for the U.S. National Forest Service. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. The Forest Service uses a variety of aircraft and helicopters to help manage wildfires. In 1964 she was one of the first four women to compete in the Reno Air Races. Theres no automation thats going to help you, so if youre the type of pilot who relies heavily on automation, its probably not the place for you., Hales company owns and operates Global Supertanker, a 747 converted in 2016 into the worlds largest fire bomber, with a 19,000-plus-gallon capacity. To prepare for a platform like this, Experience in underpowered, small airplanes is actually preferred, says Hale. "She said that pilots were the rock stars when she was growing up," Nevada Barr . She relied on adamantine nerves and decades of flying experience as the first woman lead pilot for the U.S. Forest Service. Weve used the King Air 90s and 200s for probably more than 20 years, and its a proven platform for us, Bell said. More than 600 employees from eight federal and state agencies work together to mobilize aircraft, firefighters, engines, equipment and intelligence to respond to wildfire. Experienced air transport market analyst . In a year that has seen nearly 9 million acres lost to forest fires, the most since 2006, one Air Force Reservist is playing a lead role in beating back the flames. Barr had a varied career including serving as a FAA Pilot Examiner and Accident Prevention Counselor, and in a variety of positions within the United States Forest Service, including the first woman pilot. Telecommunications Lawyers & Attorneys of Fletcher Heald & Hildreth Law Firm, offering services related to communications regulation, broadcasting law, broadcasting licensing, Internet, Communications Act, unlicensed devices, wireless and wireline telephony, cable television, satellite communications, broadcast transactions, equipment authorization, spectrum management, intellectual property . All of the USFS lead planes will be able to produce smoke to mark the targets for the air tankers. Then, we create checkpoints and routes to clear the flight paths of different aircraft away from one another. It's always a bonus fighting fires in Utah, knowing that this is my home and these are my friends," he said. If you dont start at the bottom, and come up through our system, youre not qualified. Airline Transport Pilot, and Flight instructor by the FAA. This was a woman unafraid to live her life exactly the way she saw fit. The Interagency Aviation Training (IAT) Education, Qualification, and Currency System contains established aviation training standards and records for natural resource and firefighting employees within the US Department of the Interior (DOI), USDA-Forest Service (USDA-FS) and recognized partners. He is pictured here with one of his aircraft, a DHC-6 Twin Otter. Before the aircraft and pilot can be used for a specific mission, the aircraft must be specifically listed on a valid and current contract for the type of work being performed. LOHMAN HELICOPTER LLC. This aircraft was the first new lead plane purchased since the early 1980s when the Forest Service acquired over 20 Beechcraft Baron Aircraft for lead planes. They provide vital eyes in the sky for firefighters on the ground, and ensure safe aviation operations. All of the Sherpas will all be maintained by private companies. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. With only 15 USFS lead pilots to help fight fires from Florida to Alaska, he said resources are stretched thin. Careers. Chile has no infrastructure for supervising, using, or refilling large or very large air tankers and they were unfamiliar with the concept of lead planes. As Flight Operations Manager, Bell oversees BLMs four pilots, is fleet manager and is a pilot in command on lead plane missions. Planes and helicopters are critical tools in managing wildland fire. Members please Login here to view the article. usfs lead plane pilot Operate aircraft controls and equipment. In addition, it uses Garmin GNC 650 and Garmin 796 navigation systems and has the Air Tractor Gen II Fire Retardant Delivery System (FRDS) fire gate built by Trotter Controls. Create an account. He added: The position that Im a part of as a pilot is the lead plane role. A: To me, its super unique, in that one second youre sitting here in Boise, like today, and dispatch could call and say, Hey, were sending over a resource order. We print out a piece of paper and its got the name of the fire, its coordinates, and frequenciesand we get in the plane and go. Here are the roles airplanes play in wildland firefighting: Lead Planes guide airtankers to their drop zone. Fire season, typically early April to mid-October, is getting longer each year and some of the fires are more intense. I suspect its just like you describe in aviation, folks with outstanding experience and skills, but because they didnt come up through the ranks in our world, they cant be qualified. usfs lead plane pilotgeorgia foraging laws. As Delmonte continues down the road of his two careers, he hopes his experiences on both sides of the fence will allow him to make a positive impact on the emergency response world. Until this year, the Forest Service had been using King Air 90s for its lead planes. Lisa Allen, lead plane pilot with the BLM (Bureau of Land Management), explains the role of a lead plane pilot during aerial firefighting operations during MAFFS (Modular Airborne. . These small airplanes can reload and operate in areas where larger airtankers cannot. If you dont have time to see the entire video, start at 15:30 where Jamie describes the benefits of having a lead plane work with an air tanker. [Senate Hearing 106-887] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] S. Hrg. It does require a natural ability at flying the airplane, says Cliff Hale, chief pilot and vice president of flight operations at Global SuperTanker Services. The Forest Service uses airplanes for a wide variety of other missions in managing public lands. An Air Attack aircraft is a small aircraft that assists with aerial fire suppression operations, coordination of aircraft on an incident, and is in direct contact with the Incident Commander on initial attackor largefires. Then, I turn and climb out of the way.. There are a lot of municipal fire chiefs, emergency management folks and others that could step into various trainee roles if wed just recognize that even though they didnt work X number of years on a hand crew, they still know something about the system. The C-130Hs will be owned by the USFS but will be operated and maintained by contractors. The larger aircraft will give USFS the speed, payload and performance they need for their missions, which typically last four to four-and-a-half hours for either firefighting role. Save up to 30% when you upgrade to an image pack. USFS photo by Paul Wade. This is a phased in approach, and by July we should have eight B200s operational along with seven 90s.. Safety is our main goal. Now retired from the U.S. Forest Service, he traveled to Chile to provide lead plane services for the huge aircraft operated by Global SuperTankers. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. Lead planes have only one pilot on board who is experienced in flying over fires in mountainous terrain. Aerial supervision modules/leadplanes coordinate, direct, and evaluate airtanker operations. Scheme Designers will not actually paint the C-130Hs; most of their work is done on computers, however sometimes the aircraft owner will pay them to be on site and monitor the painting as it is done. The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) manages and protects 154 national forests and 20 grasslands in 43 states and Puerto Rico. For the peak season, they get additional support by contracting two King Airs, which they operate with agency pilots. On December 12 David Spliethof received a 2018 Regional Foresters Honor Award for the work he did on the fire. I dont know the aviation side, but in other areas they are bemoaning lack of qualified folks to step up as higher overhead retires, yet it takes roughly 3 decades to become an ICT1 just in time to retire. Although aircraft are often used to fight wildfires, aircraft alone cannot put them out. He said he flies in over a scene, works with the ground commander to figure out what the priorities are, then connects with the tankers or helicopters and leads them onto the targets and de-conflicts the air traffic for safety. Mr. Spliethof continued to fly as a lead plane pilot for days after he knew he lost his home and all of his familys belongings. We just fly to wherever the fires are. Having a second B200 will allow that collaboration to happen more often, and it also gives the agency year-round access to the aircraft. Q. Fixed-wing platforms range from single-engine air tankers (SEATs) often adapted from crop-dusters, such as the Thrush 510 and Air Tractor 802 Fire Boss, to larger tankers (more than 3,000-gallon capacity), including jet transports repurposed for dropping massive firefighting loads. The industry is moving toward full-time [employment], with schedules of time on and off on a year-round basis.. Example aircraft types: Bombardier CL-415 and Air Tractor Fire Boss. However, when he was promoted to colonel last year, he had to find a new, non-flying position. Like the BLM, the Forest Service is starting to combine the missions on one aircraft, with an air tactical supervisor and an agency pilot on board. Fire officials on Sunday identified two people killed in a plane crash over the weekend while monitoring the Cedar Basin Fire near Wikieup in Mohave County. A U.S. Forest Service lead plane pilot whose home was destroyed in the Carr Fire near Redding, California earlier this year continued to work each day guiding large air tankers as they made their retardant drops on the fire. The State of Georgia Forestry Commission recently purchased two, How To Prepare for Your First Airline Training Program, Women in Aviation Conference Returns to Long Beach for 2023, Networking Strategies That Will Get You Noticed by the Airlines, Turboprop Upgrades: Blackhawks King Air 350 Engine Mod Wins Conversion Converts, How to Become a Corporate Aviation Maintenance Technician, How to Become a Repair and Test Technician, How to Become a Payload Integration Specialist. Aerial supervision module/lead plane pilots and/or air tactical supervisors communicate with firefighters on the ground, other fire aircraft, and airtanker pilots. What is the most unique aspect of your job? If someone is restoring an automobile that is at least 27 years old, as these C-130Hs are according to our research, paint is the very last step in the process. A lead plane is a small, twin-engine fixed-wing aircraft that assists and directs larger air tankers that drop retardant on wildfires. Many products featured on this site were editorially chosen. LEAD/ASM STATUS EVALUATOR WORKSHOP MAFFS RECURRENT TRAINING AIRCRAFT Region 1 Kevin Meekin 1-2 L-M-A-E 2020 2020 King Air 90/200 Dolan McDonald 1 -4 L M A E 2020 2018 King Air 90/200 Dustin Smith 1-6 T . Maybe try one of the links below or a search? Jumpers travel all over the country to provide highly-trained, experienced firefighters and leadership for quick initial attack on wildland fires in remote areas. Official websites use .gov Air Tactical Group Supervisor or Air Attack planes provide coordination of aerial resources over a wildland fire.