Aviation Week 2024 Photo Contest: Fighting Fires From The Air
December 16, 2024
Cal Fire's S-2 does one of its last drops of the day at the Jack Fire in Beaumont, California.
Erickson Aero Tanker's MD-87 drops retardant on the Sierra Fire in Jurupa Valley, California, to prevent the fire from moving in the direction of houses on the bottom of the mountain. Photographer Marty Wolin said this location was perfect for capturing both the helicopters picking up water and the aircraft dropping retardant.
A Los Angeles County Fire Sikorsky S-76 Firehawk helicopter drops water through the smoke to combat a wildfire.
A CalFire Grumman/Marsh S-2F3AT Turbo Tracker makes an early departure from the Truckee Tahoe Airshow.
Neptune's BAe-146 drops Phos-Chek, a brand of fire retardant, onto the Elm Fire around Cabazon, California, battling windspeeds between 35 and 40 mph.
Neptune's BAe-146 drops retardant at the Nixon fire in Anza, California, with a massive smoke cloud behind it. "In order to get to this location, my son and I had to drive on numerous rough, dirt roads and at the same time, keep out of the way of all the firetrucks. On big fires like this one, it is so difficult to get to the right location to get aircraft dropping and maintaining a safe distance from the fire," photographer Marty Wolin says.
Photographer Marty Wolin explains his process for this photo: "The most difficult thing with this photograph was trying to get to the location where Cal Fire's S-2 was dropping retardant before the sunset. My son navigated as we drove down multiple rough dirt roads. When we got to the right location, we had to climb a small hill so that we had a clear view and waited for, hopefully, another Phos-Chek drop. We got this photograph within seconds before the Sun was obscured by a mountain. There was only a very small opening to get a clear view because of all the trees and brush."
During wildfires in the Santa Maria, California, area, a Cal Fire S-2T Turbo Tracker lands to refuel and load more fire retardant.
AeroFlite's BAe Avro RJ85 drops Phos-Chek on the Columbia Fire in Riverside, California. "Many times when you go to a fire, there is normally only one side you can photograph from, for a variety of reasons," photographer Marty Wolin says. "When you get to the correct location to capture a drop and the light is perfect, the retardant and aircraft are very vivid and clear."
A pair of Coastal Air Service Air Tractors on the ramp at Columbia Gorge Regional Airport in The Dalles, Oregon, after several days of providing firefighting support.
10 Tanker's DC-10 drops Phos-Chek at the Highland Fire near Aguanga, California.
10 Tanker's DC-10 does a high-altitude drop to lay a thin layer of retardant across the Lytle Fire in Lytle Creek, California. "In all the fires I've been to," Wolin says, "this is first time I've seen 10 Tanker drop this high. I also think that they dropped high because there were a lot of firefighters below."
Two CL-415 Quebec Super Scoopers fly in to pick up water at a lake. A helicopter and smoke from the fire are visible in the distance.
Siller's S-64 Skycrane lifts off at Redlands Municipal Airport, California. The fire in the background is the Line Fire in the San Bernardino National Forest.
Cal Fire's S-2 does one of its last drops of the day at the Jack Fire in Beaumont, California.
Erickson Aero Tanker's MD-87 drops retardant on the Sierra Fire in Jurupa Valley, California, to prevent the fire from moving in the direction of houses on the bottom of the mountain. Photographer Marty Wolin said this location was perfect for capturing both the helicopters picking up water and the aircraft dropping retardant.
A Los Angeles County Fire Sikorsky S-76 Firehawk helicopter drops water through the smoke to combat a wildfire.
A CalFire Grumman/Marsh S-2F3AT Turbo Tracker makes an early departure from the Truckee Tahoe Airshow.
Neptune's BAe-146 drops Phos-Chek, a brand of fire retardant, onto the Elm Fire around Cabazon, California, battling windspeeds between 35 and 40 mph.
Neptune's BAe-146 drops retardant at the Nixon fire in Anza, California, with a massive smoke cloud behind it. "In order to get to this location, my son and I had to drive on numerous rough, dirt roads and at the same time, keep out of the way of all the firetrucks. On big fires like this one, it is so difficult to get to the right location to get aircraft dropping and maintaining a safe distance from the fire," photographer Marty Wolin says.
Photographer Marty Wolin explains his process for this photo: "The most difficult thing with this photograph was trying to get to the location where Cal Fire's S-2 was dropping retardant before the sunset. My son navigated as we drove down multiple rough dirt roads. When we got to the right location, we had to climb a small hill so that we had a clear view and waited for, hopefully, another Phos-Chek drop. We got this photograph within seconds before the Sun was obscured by a mountain. There was only a very small opening to get a clear view because of all the trees and brush."
During wildfires in the Santa Maria, California, area, a Cal Fire S-2T Turbo Tracker lands to refuel and load more fire retardant.
AeroFlite's BAe Avro RJ85 drops Phos-Chek on the Columbia Fire in Riverside, California. "Many times when you go to a fire, there is normally only one side you can photograph from, for a variety of reasons," photographer Marty Wolin says. "When you get to the correct location to capture a drop and the light is perfect, the retardant and aircraft are very vivid and clear."
A pair of Coastal Air Service Air Tractors on the ramp at Columbia Gorge Regional Airport in The Dalles, Oregon, after several days of providing firefighting support.
10 Tanker's DC-10 drops Phos-Chek at the Highland Fire near Aguanga, California.
10 Tanker's DC-10 does a high-altitude drop to lay a thin layer of retardant across the Lytle Fire in Lytle Creek, California. "In all the fires I've been to," Wolin says, "this is first time I've seen 10 Tanker drop this high. I also think that they dropped high because there were a lot of firefighters below."
Two CL-415 Quebec Super Scoopers fly in to pick up water at a lake. A helicopter and smoke from the fire are visible in the distance.
Siller's S-64 Skycrane lifts off at Redlands Municipal Airport, California. The fire in the background is the Line Fire in the San Bernardino National Forest.
Cal Fire's S-2 does one of its last drops of the day at the Jack Fire in Beaumont, California.
Climate change is leading to warmer temperatures that mean longer fire seasons and more forest fires in many countries—and increased use of a wide variety of firefighting aircraft in many areas.
Taking photos like the ones here while staying safe can mean donning full fire gear while enduring temperatures of 100F and lugging camera gear over challenging terrain.
Aerospace photographers entered these photos in the 2024 Aviation Week Photo Contest. As the fire season stretches into December, we wanted to share them here.
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