Aerial firefighting: 48 hours at the Los Angeles fires

It is Sunday, January 12th, 02:22 hours local time in Los Angeles. The Palisades and Eaton fires are still raging. All weekend all kinds of aircraft have been flying missions dropping water and fire retardants on the raging fires. 

S-70i N482DF at McClellan on May 6th, 2022

So this is a different blog post than most. I've been monitoring the aerial firefighting response this weekend via the ADS-B website whilst listening to SOCAL airspace traffic via LiveATC.net. Combining data from both I've managed to list some of the deployed aircraft, their callsigns and the airfields they operate from. As you can imagine, this is quite a big operation and I'm sure there are many more aircraft deployed than the ones I noted this weekend. If a callsign is between brackets than it is shown on ADS-B but I haven't been able to confirm it via LiveATC.

The photographs I've used to illustrate this blog post are all mine, taken in California between 2018 and 2022. The maps are courtesy of Cal Fire.

The Palisades fire

The Palisades fire, image courtesy of Cal Fire

Camarillo Airport

Camarillo Airport is the airfield most helicopters and light aircraft operate from. I've noted the following aircraft:

A.139 N302FD (FIRE2) to Van Nuys night operations

A.139 N303FD (FIRE3) to Van Nuys night operations

AT-602 N609TA tanking water at Encino Reservoir

B.407 N407GH Helicopter 407GH operating from Santa Monica by the 14th

B.407 N447GH

B.407 N484AS

B.407 N707AH Helicopter 7AH relocating to Santa Ynez 13th

B.412 N412VC

B.429 N491NC Helicopter 1NC night operations

EH-1H N491DF at Hemet Ryan Airport on July 21st, 2018

EH-1H N491DF/620 Cal Fire 914 flight 13th

EH-1H N497DF being worked on at McClellan on February 6th, 2018

EH-1H N497DF/914 Cal Fire 914 flight 13th arrival from Porterville Municipal Airport 11 January 

CH-47F 10-08079 (Guard 801) 11th Schoener 16 13th

CH-47 N238PJ tanking water at Encino Reservoir and Stone Canyon Reservoir

UH-60 N116 Helicopter 116

UH-60M 17-20931 (Guard 831) single mission, departed for Los Alamitos. Returned on the 12th.

UH-60M 17-20933 Guard 833 single mission, departed for Los Alamitos. Returned on the 12th.

UH-60M 20-21168 Guard 830 departed for Los Alamitos. Returned on the 12th.

S-70A N190LA/19 at Whiteman Airport on May 9th, 2022

S-70A N190LA possibly based elsewhere

S-70i N451DF/613 Cal Fire 605 flight 13th to Santa Monica

S-70i N478DF/605 Cal Fire 605 flight 13th to Santa Monica tanking water at Encino Reservoir 11th

S-70i N479DF/602 Cal Fire 602 relocating to Santa Ynez 13th tanking water at Encino Reservoir 11th

S-70i N482DF at McClellan on May 6th, 2022

S-70i N482DF/601 (Cal Fire 601) day and night operations

UH-60 N534VG Helicopter 534VG

UH-60 N60VC

UH-60 N603PG tanking water at Stone Canyon Reservoir

UH-60 N604PG tanking water at Stone Canyon Reservoir

UH-60 N605CK Helicopter 605CK

UH-60 N70VC

UH-60 N80BH Helicopter 80BH tanking water at Encino Reservoir

UH-60 N82BH Helicopter 82BH

UH-60 N83BH Helicopter 83BH tanking water at Encino Reservoir

S-70i N822LA/22 at Whiteman Airport on May 9th, 2022

S-70i N822LA possibly based elsewhere

UH-72A 11-72200 Guard 72200 to Santa Monica 13th 

K-Max N674TH Helicopter 674TH

S-61 N161CG tanking water at Encino Reservoir, from Van Nuys

S-64 N7095B/95B

OV-10A N414DF/140 at McClellan on February 6th, 2018

OV-10A N414DF/140 Cal Fire 140 12th  from Palisades, from Hemet for fuel

Channel Islands ANGS

Channel Islands ANGS is the home base of the 146th Air Wing of the California Air National Guard. One of the missions of the 146th AW is fire fighting, for this they are equipped with the second  generation Modular Aerial Fire Fighting System (MAFFS II). If a Hercules is fitted with a MAFFS II unit it carries the number of that unit as a code in dayglow orange on the fuselage and tail of the aircraft. 

January 11th saw the arrival of several C-130H Hercules aircraft from other ANG units fitted with the MAFFS II fire fighting system plus support aircraft, augmenting the fleet at Channel Islands. 

C-130H 92-0548 coded 8 at Reno-Tahoe on May 5th, 2022

C-130H 92-0548 (MAFFS8) arrival from Reno-Tahoe on January 11th, 2025

C-130H 92-0553 (MAFFS9) arrival from Reno-Tahoe on January 11th, 2025

C-130H 92-1531 (MAFFS2) arrival from Cheyenne Regional Airport on January 11th, 2025

C-130H 92-1537 (TETON37) arrival from Cheyenne Regional Airport on January 11th, 2025

C-130H 92-1538 (MAFFS3)

C-130H 92-3021 (SUMIT21) arrival from Cheyenne Regional Airport and departed on January 11th, 2025

C-130H 93-7311 (ROLER11) arrival from Reno-Tahoe on January 11th, 2025

C-130H 94-7315 (MAFFS5)

C-130J-30 01-1461 MAFFS4

C-130J-30 06-1467 coded 4 at Channel Islands ANGB on May 8th, 2022

C-130J-30 06-1467 MAFFS6

Edwards AFB

Be.200 N801NA (NASA801) 13th pattern work over the Palisades fire area at 20,000 feet, afterwards to Eaton fire and RTB Edwards

General William J. Fox Field Airport

AC.690 N108SA

BAe-146 N471NA/41 Tanker 41

C-130 N462DF/122 Cal Fire 122 to Ramona Airport

DHC-8 N988AC/182 Tanker 182 to Santa Maria Public Airport

DHC-8 N989AC/181 Tanker 181

S-2T N424DF/83 Tanker 83

S-2T N426DF/88 taking off from McClellan at February 6th, 2018

S-2T N426DF/88 to San Bernardino and back to Fox 

S-2T N439DF/74 hangared at McClellan on May 6th, 2022

S-2T N439DF/74 Tanker 83 flight

S-2T N442DF/94 at McClellan on May 6th, 2022

S-2T N442DF/94

S-2T N444DF/75 hangared at McClellan on May 6th, 2022

S-2T N444DF/75 Tanker 95 flight

S-2T N448DF/95 departing McClellan on May 6th, 2022

S-2T N448DF/95 Tanker 95

S-64 N600HX/0HK

Hemet Ryan Airport

OV-10A N414DF/140 being washed at McClellan on May 6th, 2022

OV-10A N414DF/140 Cal Fire 140 on 11th RTB Palisades to Hemet. On 12th from Hemet to Palisades to Camarillo for fuel

OV-10A N418DF/340 at McClellan on February 6th, 2018

OV-10A N418DF/340 (Cal Fire 340) in holding pattern at San Bernardino and RTB

S-2T N431DF/78 at McClellan on February 6th, 2018

S-2T N431DF/78 RTB just after take off

Ramona Airport

S-2T N428DF/91 testing an engine at McClellan on February 6th, 2018

S-2T N428DF/91

San Bernardino

Operating from San Bernardino were the large tankers. These only flew missions on the 11th.

Beech 200 N600ML (Lead 78)

BAe-146 N476NA/12 Tanker 12

CH-47 N950CH no missions

DC-9-87 N293EA/103 Tanker 103

DC-9-87 N294EA/104 Tanker 104

DC-9-87 N297EA/107 Tanker 107

DC-10 N522AX/912 Tanker 912

DC-10 N603AX/914 Tanker 914

S-2T N426DF/88 (Cal Fire 88) from and to Fox Field on January 11th

Santa Monica Municipal Airport

In use from January 13th

B.407 N407GH Helicopter 407GH operating from Santa Monica by the 14th

S-70i N451DF/613 Cal Fire 605 flight 13th to Santa Monica from Camarillo

S-70i N478DF/605 Cal Fire 605 flight 13th to Santa Monica from Camarillo

Santa Ynez Airport

In use from January 13th

S-70i N479DF/602 Cal Fire 602 relocating from Camarillo 13th tanking water at Encino Reservoir 11th

S-70i N487DF/603 (Cal Fire 603)

Van Nuys Airport

Van Nuys also houses helicopters to cover the Palisades fire. Some just visit to top up their tanks, others are TDY. A sizable fleet of TV helicopters also operates from Van Nuys, however these were not logged at this time.

A.139 N302FD (FIRE2) from Camarillo

A.139 N303FD (FIRE3) from Camarillo

A.139 N304FD (FIRE4)

B.505 N307FD night operations

CH-47 N42CU/47 tanking water at Encino Reservoir and night operations

CH-47 N43CU/55 tanking water at Encino Reservoir

UH-60 N412FA tanking water at Encino Reservoir

S-61 N161CG tanking water at Encino Reservoir, to Camarillo

S-76 N76CG night operations, to Fullerton Municipal Airport

The Eaton fire near Sierra Madre

The Eaton fire, image courtesy of Cal Fire

Aircraft seen in action at the Eaton fire. Again, just helicopters on Sunday.

Brackett Field

Brackett Field is the main base for helicopters covering the Eaton fire.

B.407 N41HX from Brackett Field

CH-47 N227AJ 

CH-47 N404AJ

UH-1 N534HQ from Brackett Field

UH-1 N703NP from Brackett Field

S-70i N476DF/608 tanking water at Santa Fe Lake from Brackett Field

S-70i N478DF tanking water at Santa Fe Lake possibly based elsewhere, based at Camarillo 11th and 13th

S-70i N484DF/609 (Cal Fire 609) 11th Palisades, 13th Eaton

S-70i N485DF/606 (Cal Fire 606) 13th Eaton

SH-3H N612CK/702 at Fox Field on February 3rd, 2018

SH-3H N612CK/702 from Brackett Field

S-64 N722HT/2HT tanking water at Santa Fe Lake 

Edwards AFB

Be.200 N801NA (NASA801) 13th pattern work over the Palisades fire area at 20,000 feet, afterwards to Eaton fire

General William J. Fox Field Airport

AC.690 N3NT 

S-2T N426DF/88 from Fox Field on the 11th

S-64 N600HX tanking water at Santa Fe Lake 11th

S-64 N9125M at the Siller base near Yuba, California on May 5th, 2022

S-64 N9125M from Fox Field on the 12th

Hemet Ryan Airport

The Cal Fire firebase at Hemet supplied a Bronco and Tracker to fight the Eaton Fire on the 11th.

S-2T N431DF/78 at McClellan on February 6th, 2018

S-2T N431DF/78 from Hemet Ryan Airport

OV-10A N418DF/340 at Paso Robles on May 8th, 2022

OV-10 N418DF/340 from Hemet Ryan Airport

San Bernardino

BAe-146 N476NA/12 Tanker 12 on the 11th

DC-9-87 N293EA/103 Tanker 103 on the 11th

As I said, this is probably just part of what is deployed in the Los Angeles area to cover these wildfires. 

What if... the Canon EOS 5DsR was released one year earlier?

The Canon EOS 5DsR never made the shortlist of possible replacements for my then EOS-1D Mark II/Ds setup simply because it wasn't announced, let alone produced, at that time. Neither did de Pentax 645Z, which was announced by then but not yet in production.

Me and my Canon EOS 5DsR. Image: Joeri van Veen.

The holy grail: a large-resolution image sensor without anti-alias filter

By then, several brands offered cameras with large megapixel image sensors without an anti-alias filter for optimum sharpness and I decided that my next camera would have such a sensor. After evaluating the Phase One P45+ and P65+, the Pentax 645D, the Sony A-7R and the Nikon D800E I in the end went for a Pentax 645D augmented with a second-hand Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II for my aviation photography. 

All selected cameras had what I considered to be the holy grail, a large megapixel image sensor without an anti-alias filter. Superb machines as they are, both Phase One options were just too expensive for me to be considered as a replacement for my then-current cameras. The introduction price for the Pentax 645Z was expected to be quite high - although significantly lower than the Phase One options - but going for the Z version of the Pentax 645 digital camera meant waiting at a time when the D version was getting an attractive price because of the announcement of its successor and was readily available. 

In the end, my choice for the Pentax 645D was partly explained because I already owned a number of lenses for it. At that time, I had already invested in Canon EOS and Pentax 645/67 cameras and lenses. All other options meant I had to obtain new lenses too, adding to the cost of such a purchase. That choice however also meant that I had now de facto two digital setups as the Pentax 645D wasn't able to take over the action part of aviation photography. I had to keep my Canon gear and ending up buying the EOS 1Ds Mark II to gain resolution there. Don't get me wrong, I was quite happy with this arrangement and it worked quite well for me. I briefly considered the then new EOS-1DX too but as that wasn't adding enough improvement on the sensor front it didn't make the selection.

Enter the Canon EOS 5DsR

And then, a year after the purchase of my Pentax 645D, the Canon EOS 5DsR was introduced. What a contender that would have been. It ticked all the boxes: a huge 50,6 full frame megapixel sensor, no anti-alias filter, compatible with all my Canon EF glass and thus usable for not only my landscape photography but also my aviation photography. In other words, very hard to resist!

Upgrading from the 1D series to a 5D series would have had a few drawbacks too. I really love the way the 1D series cameras work, feel and fit in my hands. That built quality had to be given up. I would also lose my 10 frames per second shooting ability as the 5DsR only manages 5 frames per second. Being able to shoot 10 frames per second is very useful when shooting fast jets. But that sensor...

So, what if...

The Canon EOS 5DsR has a lot going for it. Really a lot. The only thing it isn't, is a medium format camera. With a medium format camera you win a lot of extra sensor space and that means a lot more detail. So I guess that had I been forced to choose between the Pentax 645D and the Canon EOS 5DsR that would have been the deciding factor in favor of the 645D. As I said earlier I already owned lenses for both cameras so no issues there. The prices would have been comparable at that time. So there you have it. Option number one: The Pentax 645D, optimum image quality but at the same time the need to operate two systems or option number two: The Canon EOS 5DsR, no need for two sets and an increase in megapixels but not that lovely big medium format image sensor. My guess is that I would have gone with the 'sane' choice of the EOS 5DsR and that I would have continued to work with medium format 120 film cameras as well until I could obtain a 645D at a later date.

In real life

As you know, I bought the Pentax 645D and that really made an impression on me. Those gorgeous photos full of detail. That was something I wanted but lacked in my aviation photography so when the Canon EOS 5DsR was introduced a year later I did the only 'sane' thing I could do. I bought one...

The Pentax remained my go-to camera for land- and cityscapes and I used both as a set for my aviation photography. Despite the lower megapixel count I found I preferred the Pentax images for the 'slower' aviation shots and being able to use the EOS 5DsR for the fast aviation stuff I really had the best from both worlds.

Oh, and did I really buy that EOS 5DsR on a whim? Well, not exactly. At the same time Canon introduced their second installment of the EF 100-400mm L lens which I had been saving for and in the end I was able to make a good deal on the 5DsR and 100-400 combo.

Interestingly, the Canon EOS 5DsR has never been replaced with an updated model. With its 50,6 megapixel sensor without anti-alias filter it still reigns supreme in Canons line-up in 2024. Although Canon has introduced its R5 mirrorless model as sort of a replacement that model "only" packs a 45 megapixel sensor and is still equipped with an anti-alias filter. That means that I will be happily using the EOS 5DsR in the years to come, now in combination with my Pentax 645Z. 

Wait, is that a Fujifilm GFX 100MP camera? Oehhhhhhh... ;-)

[I actually wrote this post in July 2021 but for some reason never published it. Now, with my quest for a new digital camera it suddenly seems relevant again so I finally pushed that 'publish' button.]

Lens review: The Mir-38 65mm f/3.5

This review is about the Mir-38 65mm f/3.5 lens. This is a medium format lens built by Arsenal for their medium format cameras. As a medium format lens, the 65mm falls between the 80mm standard lens and the 45mm wide angle lens. Not quite a wide angle, but certainly wider than a standard lens. Sort of a 40mm lens in 135 film parlance. The Mir-38 supplemented and later replaced the Mir-3 65mm f/3.5 in the Arsenal line-up and was built in an early and late version. The early version can be recognized by the 'Takumar-style' focusing ring and was replaced in the 1980s by the late version pictured below. The specifications below apply to both versions, however the two Mir-38s I own are both later versions so my findings are limited to the late model only.

The Mir-38V 65mm f/3.5 (late model)

Specifications:

Focal length:                        65mm

Minimal focus distance:        0.5 meters

Aperture:                             f/3.5 - f/22

Aperture blades:                  6

Lens elements:                    6 elements in 5 groups

Diameter:                            72mm

Mount:                                Salyut/Kiev and Pentacon six

Manufacturer:                     Arsenal

Built:                                  1972-1993

Use

Both the early and late versions of this lens were built by Arsenal in Kiev with two different camera mounts: A screw mount for their Salyut/Salyut-C/Kiev 88 series cameras called the Mir-38V and the Pentacon six mount for their Kiev 6S/Kiev 60 series cameras plus the Kiev 88CM called the Mir-38B. For this review I used lenses with both mounts, a 1984 Mir-38B and a 1990 Mir-38V. 

My Kiev 88 with the 1990 Mir-38V

My Pentax 645D with the 1984 Mir-38B

The biggest difference between these two lenses is of course the lens mount, but the 1990 Mir-38V also has a Depth of Field (DoF) preview button, something the 1984 Mir-38B lacks. Both lenses focus fine although the focusing rings from both lenses feel a bit "heavy" in use. Both stop down from f/3.5 to f/22 without issue. I also noted that the 1990 Mir-38V has a rather loose aperture ring.

In the field

I used the Mir-38V on my Kiev 88 and the Mir-38B with a P6-Pentax 645 adapter on my Pentax 645D. The DoF preview button on the Mir-38V is said to be a potential light leak so I used a bit of gaffer tape to cover it up. The loose aperture ring on the 1990 Mir-38V was a bit of a pain in the lower regions, it meant constantly checking if the aperture hadn't changed accidentally. Other than that, both lenses were a joy to use and the heavy focusing didn't bother me at all once in the field.

The images below were shot with my Kiev 88 fitted with a 645 back and loaded with Fomapan Profi Line Classic 100 120 film, the negatives scanned by an Epson V850 Pro and resized in Adobe Photoshop from 9,968 x 7,247 pixels to 1,000 x 727 pixels.

The color images were shot with my Pentax 645D, converted from RAW to JPEG and resized in Adobe Photoshop from 7,264 x 5,440 pixels to 1,000 x 749 pixels.

I am really pleased with the images the Mir-38 65mm f/3.5 produces. Clean crisp images with a lovely color rendering. 

Wide open, 100% crop

Bokeh, left upper area of the image, 100% crop

Wide open this lens produces nice sharp images and as can be seen on both 100% crops the out-of-focus bokeh is smooth and not distracting at all. On a full frame medium format camera this 65mm lens provides a very good semi-wide angle lens and on a digital medium format camera with a crop sensor an excellent standard lens. It is not the fastest medium format lens around but its performance is good all across the board. Recommended.

A tribute to the Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum

Located at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar the Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum showcases the history of US Marine Corps aviation. A few days ago it was announced that the museum would close its doors on April 1st, 2021 permanently due to 'financial costs'. I have been lucky enough to visit the museum twice while at El Toro end more recently whilst at Miramar. It was on my itinerary for my March 2020 west coast trip but then COVID-19 intervened...

Origins

The Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum opened in 1989 at MCAS El Toro and remained there until the base closed in 1999. Since then, it had been located at MCAS Miramar. It boosts an impressive collection of aircraft, ranging from World War Two Wildcat and Corsair fighters to modern-day F/A-18 Hornets. 

The end..?

For the museum itself? Yes. MCAS Miramar is no longer prepared to spend money on the museum, choosing instead to invest in 'higher priority missions' such as safety gear. However, museum staff are appealing this decision. As for the collection, the museum has stated that they wish to redistribute their aircraft, with the nearby San Diego Air and Space Museum and the USS Midway Museum mentioned as possible recipients. So hopefully this will not be the end of the 40+ aircraft currently in the hands of the museum.

The exhibits

I thought I'd celebrate the museum by showing some of the photos I've made there over the years as a tribute. Enjoy!

1993

1997

2018