Captain Al Haynes was the Pilot in Charge of United Flight 232 on July
19, 1989 when the crew notified Minneapolis Center that their number two
engine had failed and the DC-10 aircraft was only marginally controllable...
This was the beginning of the story related by Captain Al Haynes to start
the 2008 National Aerial Firefighting Academy held at NAFRI, January 15
- 18, 2008. There were 65 participants from 11 western states, and from
Florida, Minnesota, Maryland, and Texas. Pilots from the U. S. Air Force,
two units of the U. S. Air National Guard, and from as far away as Italy
and Brazil were in attendance.
Right: Classroom
simulation with visual presentation and multiple audio inputs.
Firefighting pilots work together over a fire
to meet the objectives of Incident personnel on the ground. This Academy
provides them a means to better understand what the other does, and provides
a common terminology for getting the job done. Instead of figuring this
all out while circling over a fire while listening to two or three radio
frequencies, the participants break into groups and run fire simulations
doing the "other pilots" job.
In
the end, pilots go out the door with a knowledge of each other’s
job and with a better understanding on how to communicate and work together
in a common job; Safely put the fire out.
Left: Instructor Kenny Chapman simulates
radio input.
The NAFA course was the first NAFRI course of the 2008 season.
.