Valour comes in many forms.....

[muffett.2008]

...........and is often unnoticed and unrewarded.

It's hot and dry on the Eastern Seaboard here in OZ, weeks on end over 40 degrees C. and fires, 55 seperate ones this last week, a fair few of them deliberately lit.

The local lads have been waterbombing different blazes in the Hunter Valley since Tuesday, a constant stream of modified Cropdusters and Specialist Fire Fighting Aircraft doing 15 minute turnarounds to select fire fronts from dawn until well after dark non stop for a week.

Now I don't know what renumeration or benefits available to the Companies owning these aircraft are, or what consideration is given to the pilots who give the time, paid or unpaid, but I do know the costs related to fuel and Aircraft Maintainance are very high.

Spending hours in a Spotter, recording and relaying hotspot co-ordinates is no fun, stinking hot and buffetted by updrafts tends to upset the old tummy, but to watch the precision that these local Ag. Pilots show in their work, makes you realise that everyone of them is an Ace.

To be in the air with that sort of payload, dump it with accuracy, return to base, refill both fuel and retardant and be back to drop again in such a short time shows incredible co-operation between both pilots and very skilled groundcrew, who would normally be pottering around doing their daily grind at a fraction of the speed shown over the last week.

These blokes will probably just get a pat on the back and a 'well done', but in my book they epitomise the real Aussie spirit........and every one of them is a hero.

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[browningautorifle]

To watch them operate, specially back when they flew warbirds, was like seeing a bomb run going in. Flat approach, delivery, snap out to look over the shoulder to observe strike...all done at treetop where it's most dangerous. It was quite something.

[Paul S.]

Some 30+ years ago, I was on a country road approaching the crest of a hill. There was smoke from a bushfire blowing across the road from left to right but I couldn't see any flame or where the fire was because of the lay of the land. Suddenly, I heard the roar of radial engines and out of the smoke, coming UP the side of the hill, through the smoke, came an old, ex-Navy Grumman dropping red dust fire retardant on the hill side, the road and me. I doubt he was more than 150-200 feet AGL.

[browningautorifle]

an old, ex-Navy Grumman

We had a full squadron of them down in the east in Fredricton NB. We had at least 20 Grumman Avenger dive bombers, hard to count when they were clustered on the ground. There's so much immature bush in that province, during the summer it goes up like tinder. They allow it to grow way too close to population so when the fire starts these start doing runs. Their sorties were bringing them right over my house one day and I watched one after another growling overhead. Perfect for the job, they can do exactly what's needed and it would be exactly like a torpedo run...still had the rear turrets too...

[Paul S.]

The one that 'bombed' me was a converted Grumman Tracker.

[muffett.2008]

Paul S, your initials remind me of a National Parks mate of mine who was up a couple of weeks ago spotting Hotspots.
He had a very bushy Beard, remember my comment about nausea and heat in these spotter planes.
Now he is clean shaven, a few hours air time with your lunch in your beard is just no fun.