Recorded from the cockpit of a 146th Airlift Wing’s C-130J on Aug. 22, 2013, at 5.50PM, the following video provides a stunning view of California’s Rim Fire near Yosemite National Park from the California Air National Guard‘s firefighter pilot’s point of view.
The C-130J equipped with MAFFS (Modular Airborne FireFighting System) hence the callsign MAFFS 6 is “vectored” by an operator on the ground to airdrop the fire retardant onto a specific place more or less in the same way an attack plane is described the target to hit with its bombs by a JTAC (Joint Terminal Air Controller).
Noteworthy, as MAFFS 6 slows down to 150 Kts to perform the drop of the retardant you can clearly hear the computer in the background warning about the landing gear: since the aircraft is flying at low altitude and speed, the system assumes that it is about to land and reminds the aircrew to extend the landing gear.
More from The Aviationist
The Incredible Armada of Aircraft Behind 1969’s Battle of Britain Film
On Sept. 15, 1969, cinema audiences were treated to a dramatic portrayal…
US Approves Possible Sale of Nine KC-46A Pegasus Tankers for Japan
The latest deal would take the number of KC-46As in Japan’s inventory…
U.S. State Department Approves $7.2B Sale Of F-35 Jets To Romania
The Foreign Military Sale’s approval comes after Romania announced the plan to…
Wooden Avengers, Target Kites, and Draftees: How America’s First New Deal Community Took the Fight to the Axis
Situated in the quiet hills of West Virginia, the small town of…
DARPA Awards BAE Systems $4 Million for Autonomous Beyond Visual Range Air Combat Program
Autonomy solutions for BVR combat will initially be developed and demonstrated on…
H/T to Bjorn Broten and Shawn Piess for the heads-up
Related articles
