Neptune Aviation P2 down near Tooele, UT

[flyingwildfires]

Wow, this is more fun than shoveling horse********************.

I know what I've seen and done for over 30 years in this industry. Accidents are bad enough, but STUPID ones are just a sad, sad shame. FAMILIES are left behind.

And hey, my laundry's pilin' up out here on contract.... anyone??

 

[414Flyer]

Mine starts in about a week or two, so any laundry of mine is just piling up in my VW camper. Just camping in NM and CO and watching fires and seeing conditions get really bad in terms of fire behavior with winds and temps

 

[AvroJockey]

It is a reality that we face in aerial firefighting, you can make good decisions 99,000 times out of 10,000, but that one time can result in you being in a pile of wreckage on a hillside.

Its also a reality that people who enter this field, can be a bit more fiercely independent and strong willed, if we just wanted to be a faceless number on a seniority list we have chosen something else to do with our lives.

That being said however, getting acrimonious about this does no good at all, and probably not what Tom and Mike would be wanting out of fellow aerial firefighters. I would much rather honor what they did, learn from what happened, and endeavor to not repeat that kind of event, which has unfortunately happened much too often and cost the lives of some great people.

We are all human and we will sometimes have lapses in judgement. It can be tempting to give in to pressure from dispatchers, or maybe someone in ones personal life is going on. There was another crash a few years ago (mentioned in this thread I think) where a P-2 crashed into mountains. I am flying with someone who was a good friend of CD (no not Captain Dad) and said that CD was in the midst of a really nasty divorce, and he came this close to suggesting to him to sit on the ground for a while until its all done, over all all the personal issues from it. He still has some guilt over never getting around to making that suggestion.

All I can do, is just hope to learn from their mistakes, and not find a new one of my own to make.

Very well said...maybe you should coach avbug.

 

[AvroJockey]

Yeah avbug, put me on your ignore list too....whatever.

It is becoming evident that every poster that dares to contradict your exalted expertise on everything is at risk of the scorn of your ignore list! ooooohhhh! Not to mention, the ones that call you out on your borderline sociopathic conduct will be ignored too.

Ah!!! Blessed are those whom occupy the coveted Avbug Ignore List.