POV: At the controls of a Fireboss fighting a wildfire.

[@Aeronca11]

Makes it evident how they can fly into a hillside very easily if the lighting is poor and smoke is thicker. Am in awe of the planning for the flight paths they use to get the water where it needs to go.

[@SimonButler]

@@Aeronca11 even though I know they completed the flight safely, I get anxiety when they're going through the smoke and the viz drops.

[@travisbaker782]

My dream job!! Worked with several fire bosses in Northern Michigan 2023 wildfire season. Amazing work they Dow, definitely happy to see them when they show up. #217 and #212 I think was here for a few weeks.

[@SimonButler]

@@travisbaker782 I believe those are both Dauntless Air aircraft. I saw them working in Washington as well!

[@leftcoastcorrie]

That was a fun ride along, with some incredible flying! Grateful for what these skilled pilots do for work. You could almost feel every move and turn. The lake is a stunning colour. Thanks for sharing Simon. Best...Corrie

[@SimonButler]

@@leftcoastcorrie Thank you for the supportive comment, I appreciate it!

[@downc212]

Thank you for sharing this. I fly float planes in Alaska but still dream of a job like this. Being able to see the stick and rudder work required during the different phases, don’t think I’ve seen a more informative video in that regard.

[@SimonButler]

@@downc212 You're welcome, I'm glad you liked it!

[@HoldTheLine1990]

There are some really cool jobs in aviation. Aviation is inherently dangerous, but on a scale this is one of those near the top. Longline rotor ops and EMS are up there too. Not every future pilot gets the job that “enter the door and turn left”

[@bernardanderson3758]

Simon this looks amazing job

[@bernardanderson3758]

Now this would be something to consider for flying the Air Tractor Fire Boss water Scooper

[@neomatrix3612]

That's his ILS approach chart into the fire on his knee.

[@SimonButler]

@@neomatrix3612 the fire lookout towers are actually VORs.

[@neomatrix3612]

@@SimonButler Are they really? Wow.

[@SimonButler]

@@neomatrix3612 no, sorry, I was just joking!

[@neomatrix3612]

@@SimonButler haha you got me.

[@PacTheOne]

thanks for the upload.. this looks insane

[@blufireice]

My life would be very different if I knew this job existed 30 years ago. New dream job unlocked.

[@goobernoodles]

I'm no pilot, but I thought it was crazy the amount of aileron input you give it at 5:38 with not a huge response from the plane. That seems like it could put you in a bad situation quick if you're not careful.

[@SimonButler]

@@goobernoodles I've never flown these planes, but the roll rate must be low enough where that full deflection isn't going to get him in trouble. He's also slowed down with flaps out, so his ailerons will be less touchy. But yeah, that part and while scooping surprised me with how much control movement there was.

[@goobernoodles]

@@SimonButler Yeah, gotcha. As far as getting in trouble, I was referring to getting into a situation where the bank angle is too high. If the roll rate is that low, seems like you could lose lift on the side with your wing down and have a bad day. Especially when flying that low around terrain.

[@SimonButler]

@@goobernoodles You're dead on with that. When you bank you lose some of your vertical component of lift, and usually you'd pull back on the stick to use the elevator to bring the nose up to compensate. But in the video he's banking hard and pushing forward on the stick, pushing the nose down. That's because he's also just released the water, and the sudden 6000lb weight change is trying to make the nose come up really hard. There's a lot going on, even as a pilot it's hard to understand everything they're doing to fly these dangerous missions.

[@hairy8184]

"just like beggar's canyon back home"

[@SimonButler]

@@hairy8184 those canyon runs are pretty cool!

[@hairy8184]

@@SimonButler can't beat real life

[@Josh-xr1xu]

Thank you for sharing a glimpse into a world most of us will never experience. This, in my opinion, is one of the coolest jobs in the world!! What is your left hand doing? Is that throttle control?

[@SimonButler]

@@Josh-xr1xu The left hand is the throttle, propeller control and fuel condition lever. The flap controls are also over there.

[@gmcl2780]

R.I.P Juliana.

[@SimonButler]

@@gmcl2780 ❤️ support Wildland Firefighters Foundation to help the families of those lost while battling the fires.

[@markholm7050]

Why does the pilot jam in full left aileron partway through the water scooping run?

[@SimonButler]

@@markholm7050 they've retracted the scoops and they're trying to roll the right float off the water to decrease their drag by 50% and get off the water easier.

[@KeyFut]

Great video! I'm just wondering what camera are you using on this video.

[@SimonButler]

@@KeyFut I believe that the pilot was using a GoPro Max.

[@JavierChiappa]

Where is the "release the water" button? on the stick?

[@SimonButler]

@@JavierChiappa yes, it's on the front, usually operated with the index finger.

[@christianagren1032]

Very cool! Does it tend to gallop when scooping water?

[@SimonButler]

@@christianagren1032 my friend provides this footage to me, the description I hear him use is bucking. So still a horse term, but it's pretty rough. I like being able to see the pilots control movement in this video, it shows you how extreme the control inputs are when scooping and dropping.

[@Its.Berdan]

The longer you've been in the plane the smoother your scooping is, but every body of water and wind condition is still a little different.

[@kennyfloyd4801]

You are one bad dude😳

[@SimonButler]

@@kennyfloyd4801 I'll pass that along to the pilot!

[@Aviation488]

Cool

[@ChoclateMinecraft]

Man, how do you even get a job doing this?

[@SimonButler]

@@ChoclateMinecraft usually people come from military aviation or crop dusting.

[@tommylynch7887]

What does the career path to do this look like? Did you start with AG aviation? What kinds of skills do you need to fly the fire boss?

[@SimonButler]

@@tommylynch7887 my friend flies it, not me. He actually started with the forest service doing other flying jobs, he eventually got on flying Smokejumpers, then moved to the Fireboss from that. A lot of the firefighting pilots come from AG work and the military.

[@SimonButler]

@@tommylynch7887 the important skills are the low level experience. Many pilots start off flying Air Attack, flying the aerial coordinator over the fire, then transition into the lower flying aircraft from there.

[@Kamanya]

Knowing nothing of these things, why is so much left left stick needed once you're trying to get air born again?

[@SimonButler]

@@Kamanya He's rolling the aircraft to the left to lift the right float off the water first. After picking up water they're pretty heavy, and the surface tension of the water they're skimming on tries to stick the plane to the surface. If you can roll one float up, it halves the surface tension and makes it easier to get off the water.

[@Kamanya]

Is there not the danger of digging in the left wing then?

[@SimonButler]

@@Kamanya there is, you need to make sure you bank just enough to separate the right float, then hold it until the other one leaves the water, then fly like normal off the water. You definitely have you be careful.

[@coldsamon]

I refuse to watch any video with Horizon Leveling and or Horizon Lock. Looks ridiculous. Cheap gimmick.

[@SimonButler]

@@coldsamon cool, this was neither. This is me manually seeing key frames. I wish go pro had camera lock like insta360, but if it does, I couldn't figure it out.

[@JavierChiappa]

Lol the poor guy is trying to put out a wildfire and there you are complaining about camera settings xD