Tagged: British Columbia

February 2, 2012

Sacramento’s 2012 Aerial Firefighting International Airshow and Conference

My lone encounter with a large “wildfire” occurred five years ago while I was visiting Southern California. Watching a steady stream of tanker aircraft shuttle to and from a huge unnatural-looking cloud on the horizon, their bellies red-stained and...

bombers / military / navy / post

January 17, 2012

The U.S. Navy’s Connection With Fixed Wing Air Tankers

After World War II ended, an abundance of surplus military aircraft found their way into the fledgling aerial firefighting industry. The combination of a large payload and the high performance of many bombers, attack aircraft, and transports allowed enterprising...

assignments / featured / friends / post

December 23, 2011

Santa Claus Makes Seattle Stop in Private Plane

The Jolly Christmas icon arrived at this city’s Museum of Flight aboard a restored single-prop aircraft dubbed “Santa One,” greeting eager children and their parents with Mrs. Claus on a visit from the North Pole.

Santa decided to travel by plane instead of his traditional sleigh because his reindeer are unavailable during daylight hours, he said, and also because they need to rest for next week’s midnight marathon around the world.