Helicopters and fires in south dakota and wyoming

[utahgyrocop]

This bad boy is currently at my base airport (KCUT) Custer South Dakota.

N795HT.

So big it almost does not fit on the taxiway!!!

Stay safe

[eddie]

ther were three of them at socorro,nm last week fighting fires,they will lift 26,500 lbs at sea level.here they were working at 10,000 ft. very impressive machines. best regards,eddie...

[Russ Hobbs]

Thought we might need one tonight. Fire started late afternoon when kids shooting an old metal bucket set off a brush fire. On arrival it was about 1.5 acres running. Good response and quick knockdown by dark. No rotors available, there on a 156 acre start North of us. Thankfully it's still pretty green here. The weather is supposed to change this week, mid 90.

[bryancobb]

LOL! LOOK at the size of the FUEL-TRUCK!!!

[Hueychief]

That is the only CH-54A model that HTSI owns, every other skycrane they own is a CH-54B. It was formerly owned by HeavyLift and was acquired when HTSI bought HeavyLift in 2007 along with acquiring the only CH-53D in civilian hands.
I've had the pleasure of having flown that aircraft before putting it in HTSI's colors.

[WaspAir]

Originally Posted by bryancobb

LOL! LOOK at the size of the FUEL-TRUCK!!!

At 500 gallons per hour, you need big trucks.

If it had the tanks from my Bell 47, you could just about get everything warmed up and pre-takeoff ground safety checks done before you ran out of fuel and had to start all over again.

[utahgyrocop]

Talked to the pilot. VNE 110 cruise at 100. Not a speed machine but a beast of a lifter!!!
Stay safe.

[GyroDoug]

Heath,

It's good to hear you are still hangin around these parts. How's life treating you and your new Bride up there in SD? Any progress lately on your Non Profit project?

[utahgyrocop]

Originally Posted by GyroDoug

Heath,

It's good to hear you are still hangin around these parts. How's life treating you and your new Bride up there in SD? Any progress lately on your Non Profit project?

Hi Doug.
The. Non profit is doa. No support. We opened a popcorn shop here and I am working full time as a deputy sheriff.

Probably gonna sell the sky arrow for take over payments so that I will be financially prepared to buy a Enclosed gyro later this year.

If anyone is interested in a great fixed wing with a n excellent payment arrangement pm me for details.

Stay safe.

[GyroDoug]

Heath,

Sorry to hear that you weren't able to get the support and funding to make your program work out. It would have been way cool (and probably still will be, when the rest of the world catches up to us) Someday...

That Sky Arrow is a sweet little plane, I suspect you won't have a hard time getting someone to take that over (especially with the right terms) that should go quickly. What model Gyro are you looking at now?

[utahgyrocop]

I am keeping my gyro plans to myself until the time is right. What I can tell you for certain is it will be a 2 place fully enclosed tandem configuration.

In the last 2 years I have flown in over 20 different gyros... a lot of makes and models currently available in one form or another. There are a couple of exceptions but they are ones I am not interested in anyway.

In no particular order here are some that are being considered:
Calidus (not a fan of the rear seat/seat belt configuration) but a great machine
Avio Exodus (Love the concept but not in production yet)
PAL-V (if they ever get into production and maybe if I win the lottery! LOL)
Arrow Copter (awesome but have yet to see one in person or fly one)

Whatever it will be, it will be light sport qualifying so that I dont have to continue fighting the FAA over my medical. (Kidney stones, last one 5 years ago, but they make me have special tests that my out of pocket is several hundred dollars every year and it is not worth keeping the medical as I can fly LSA without it since I have not been denied!!!)

Stay safe.

[utahgyrocop]

Now we also have an astar and a kmax. Busy fire season.

[skier]

nice Kmax in that last photo.