Re: FYI article: Forest Servicece eyes night flying agsinst fires

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: Chuck; : I don't pretend to have the answers---I'm not even sure of all the proper questions---but I firmly believe we should be actively studying the possibilities, with a reasonable "report date" in mind. Maybe Rand will cover it in their report next November. I assume night flying would involve double crewing those tankers involved. : Dispatch, and IA, is without a doubt the top priority on my list, above restricted-vis ops. The best gear and crews in the world don't do squat sitting on the ramp watching a header blossom. : Cost? What is an American home or a life worth? Who will pay? Who pays for new gear or training in Iraq/Afganistan? We probably won't get everything we could put to good use, but it would be nice if our leaders could move our needs a bit higher on the food chain, and have the intestinal fortitude to make some hard decisions and fight for them. : Insurance? I thought most everyone self-insured? : Upgrading technology? Like the old Nike ad said: "There is no finish line". : The base lunch situation will be addressed as soon as morale improves (trust me---). : Walt : : 1. The utilization of tankers in the most effective manner. IA, initial attack, is still mentioned a lot on this and other boards as a big problem. WHY? Is it that difficult to understand? Tankers are worthless sitting on the ground. Pre-planning can save acres and lives. Don't wait till the line calls in and says it blew up and got away. : : 2. Some questions on the night flying program .. Will the planes need to be double crewed for the coverage? How often will the night vision equipment need to be replaced with the fast pace of technology in the field. There will be times when the system can not be used. What provisions are there and do all understand why? How many hours of actual night flying will it take to get each pilot up to speed and comfortable. Will the agency cover the cost? : : 3. What is the long range plan for a new flying platform? This may be something that can be built into the plans. : : 4. How adaptable will the ROV to converting into a tanker when the war is over and they are parked in DM? That will open a big can of worms. Maybe use a DC-7 for a command ship! : : 5. What will the insurance rates do if flying a fire at night comes about? : : 6. Last and assuredly not least, when is the tanker base lunch situation going to get settled? This should be a priority item on everyone's list. : : Just a thought or two.... any ideas? Got to go, I hear footsteps in the hall! Nurse Cratchett on a roll tonight! Bye!

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