Matt invited us to visit him at work yesterday and tour the facility before it gets too busy when fire season really gets underway.

According to the website “the Redding Air Attack Base is an interagency base operated by the U.S. Forest Service and hosting CAL FIRE firefighting resources, located at the north end of the Redding Municipal Airport.” Matt works for the Forest Service as an Air Attack Specialist (or something like that). Last summer he was usually based in S. CA and flew in an airplane. This year he is with a helicopter and although he reported to Redding this week, he will go wherever the helicopter goes.

The part of the base used by the Forest Service is a World War 2 era building that was built and used elsewhere and moved to Redding sometime after the war.

When we got to the base the mechanics and pilot were putting one of the Cobra helicopters through its paces after doing maintenance work on it.

There were other aircraft in the hangar. The King Air in the foreground is used as a lead plane when large tankers drop retardant.

The Sherpa flies smokejumpers to remote sites. (That is what my other son is doing in Idaho.)

This is the other side of the Sherpa where they are working on one of the propellers.

This view is from the back when it is open for loading. The jumpers have seats on the right and the gear is stowed on the left.

This view is at the far end of the hangar. There are helicopter rotor blades in those long green boxes and other parts in the crates. The bikes reminded me of touring the base where Chris works. There are random cruiser bikes around that can be used when people need to get from one place to another on the base.

We sat and ate lunch at that end of the building while they were still working on the Cobra helicopter outside and this was in view. I’m not sure if it’s part of the training for the new hires.

After eating we took a closer look at where Matt will spend a lot of time during fire season. The Cobra helicopters were developed as attack helicopters in the 1960’s, and these are retired from the military. The one they were working on outside was used in Vietnam. Wikipedia says the Cobra features “a tandem cockpit, stub wings for weapons, and a chin-mounted gun turret”. Weapons were mounted on those little wings and there is a compartment that opens under the windows that was loaded with ammunition for the gun that was mounted in front. When they are flying Matt sits in the front and the pilot is behind him.

From the side view you have no idea how narrow this is.

Those windows are like a bubble that flares out so the pilot and person in front can have a better perspective of the terrain below.

This is where Matt rides. He has the computer screen on and directs the image from one of five or six cameras mounted where there used to be a gun mounted in front. Those controls on the left are for all the radio channels he monitors while in the air. He is in contact with ground crews and other aircraft and has the job of directing traffic from the air and keeping them all safe. Whew!

The bulk of the helicopter is taken up by its engine.

When it is dispatched to a fire it takes with it a whole entourage. Each helicopter has a dedicated truck and trailer with a mechanic and all his tools, a fuel truck, and one of those vans that contains is set up with electronics and communications systems. We saw a big monitor that can swing into view so that ground personnel can see the image that Matt views on his screen while over the fire in the air.

Cal Fire (the state fire fighting agency that people confuse with Forest Service, which is federal) uses the north end of this air field and there were a couple of planes refueling and filling with retardant. Those tanks at the top left are filled with retardant.

We stayed out of the way while they were filling and then walked over.

The retardant comes as a phosphorus based powder in large bags.

This is the mixing station. Now I can’t remember but I think that each bag mixes with water to make 2000 gallons of retardant.

The retardant is stored in these 24,000 gallon tanks.

This is one of the Cobras. That’s the mechanic’s truck and trailer to the left.

A view of the cameras that have replaced front mounted guns. This swivels in all directions and Matt controls which camera has the active view.

I can’t help but remember Matt in this same position with the TV and Nintendo controller 25 years ago. I guess that experience has paid off.

This is a view through the infrared camera of the proud parents.

Great job, Matt!