N GA/E TN wildfires

FastEddieB

FastEddieB

Touchdown! Greaser!
Joined
Oct 14, 2013
Messages
11,865
Location
Lenoir City, TN/Mineral Bluff, GA
Display Name
Fast Eddie B
Home Airfield
Big T Airport (80TN)
I went up yesterday afternoon, mainly to make sure cleaning the terminals on my voltage regulator had taken care of my GEN light being on last time I went to fly - good news is it apparently has for now.

Since I was up, I flew over to where some wildfires are nearby - just west of Blue Ridge, GA. There are wildfires all over E TN and W NC as well - we have not had a substantial rain in ages and things are dry as a bone:

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The TFR for firefighting just went up to 6,800' msl, so I thought an overflight at 7,500' would be kosher.

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View to the southwest shortly after taking off from Copperhill:

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Approaching from the NW:

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From 7,500':

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Looking west towards Chattanooga, more fires over there:

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For those familiar with the area, that's US64 running along Parkersville Lake on the left.

In the photo, you might make out a small column of smoke on the ridge. Here's a better view:

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After landing, I called the fire dispatcher and advised them of its location.

Anyway, a beautiful flight and now we just need some rain - desperately!
 
It's very dry, were 20" below normal in rain for the year so far, and nothing in the 10 day forecast. We've had varying degrees of smoke in the city area, smells like a campfire most of the time.
 
Alabama the same. Been at least 2 months since rain in my area, just south of BHM. Someone lit three fires along interstate 65N just NW of BHM, closing it. Last I read one of the fires was out. Witnesses saw someone in a gray truck going back and forth setting them off. Too bad a hunter wasn't in the area.
 
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I guess the fishing sucks now?


Nice pictures! Thank you for posting them. You win a beer!
 
It is legal, but not very smart, to overfly a fire TFR. Air tankers tend to drop in from the top, in a shockingly rapid pace. Most of them are turbines and will perform better at higher altitude when transitioning from base. They don't spend much time inside.
 
ANG has been stationed at 1A0. A TFR issued just west of the airport has made operations a bit slower. The early evening hours look like Los Angeles in parts of the city, I've never seen it so dry.

Thanks for the photos Ed!
 
MAKG1 said:
It is legal, but not very smart, to overfly a fire TFR. Air tankers tend to drop in from the top, in a shockingly rapid pace. Most of them are turbines and will perform better at higher altitude when transitioning from base. They don't spend much time inside.
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I'll keep that in mind. I just assumed they protected all the airspace they felt needed protecting.
 
They had a big fire near Colorado Springs and it was threatening the Air Force Academy. Air Force came in with 12 air tankers and put it out in ONE DAY! Throw enough air tankers at a fire and it can be PUT OUT!
 
Go Air Force! Airpower baby!
 
coloradobluesky said:
They had a big fire near Colorado Springs and it was threatening the Air Force Academy. Air Force came in with 12 air tankers and put it out in ONE DAY! Throw enough air tankers at a fire and it can be PUT OUT!
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They need to do the same in the SE. We're blanketed in smoke and the efforts of the ANG hasn't seemed to improve matters.
 
The 2002 Colorado Hayman fire was 30 miles by 10 miles big. Biggest one in recorded history.
 
Home field (KLZU) was IFR yesterday afternoon due to visibility.
 
We had several helicopters stop in last night on their way to the fires. The guys were coming from Phoenix.
 
FastEddieB said:
I'll keep that in mind. I just assumed they protected all the airspace they felt needed protecting.
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That was my thought as well. Besides, if they're working the fire, they'll probably be coming from nearby. I can't imagine that climbing up to higher altitudes for 20-30 miles would be that beneficial.
 
I flew over the area last night. Truly spectacular to see at night, but incredibly sad.
 
Those are some nasty fires, even by California standards. Made the national news with pictures of a very smoky Atlanta skyline.
 
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