The Goldfield news and weekly tribune. [volume] (Goldfield, Nev.) 1911-1947, 1919-12-06
AIRPLANE FIRE
PATROL IS
VALUABLE
MACHINES TRAVEL THOUSANDS
OF MILES LOOKING FOR
FOREST FIRES

United States which aviators haze
maintained under the direction of
the forest service of the department
of agriculture during the past season
has proved beyond question the eff
fectiveness of the airplane as an aid
in discovering and locating forest
fires, according to officia.s of the
department.
This new flying undertaking. was
performed by the air service OF the
wal department, with its personnel
and equipment, and at the expense
of hat organization. For three
months uninterrupted servic, was
maintained and a total of e45
flights covering 92,605 miles were
made. Many fires were discovered,
located and reported in advance of
the regular forest service detection
organization.
Six patrol routes covering national
forest areas of high value in Calls
fornia were followed, and twice each
day six Curtis airplanes covered the
better part of s,OOO,O GOD acres of
rough, mountainous, heavily tim
bered country. The average on
stop run was $50 miles; the average
round trip, 800 miles.
With the opening of the hunting
season the fire situation in northern
California became critical and an ex-
tension of the air patrol was asked.
This was one of the principal fac
tors necessitating a complete reor-
g%anization of the whole air patrol
in California. De Haviland planes
were substituted for the slower
planes of smaller gasoline capacity
and less climbing power. Two new
bases were established. New daily
routes were laid out, One of which
covered 500 miles, and the service
was extended from the original five
to 15 national forests in California.
Beginning September 1, eight air
planes covered twice each day more
than 46,O0C0OO acres of national
forest, and 5000, 600 acres of pri-
vately owned timber lands. Eight
additional airplanes were used on
alternate days to allow for neces-
sary repairs and relief of pilots. Six
teen pilots and % machines were
assigned to the work. Up to the
first of October only six forced land
ings, with one fatality, and no in
juries to-. pilots or observers oc-
Cured. Damage to the airplanes,
considering the number of miles
covered and the rough country pa
trolled was negligible. No figures
as to the cost of the experiment have
been made available.
In the. discovery of fires the air
patrol showed itself S5 per cent eff
ficient end it is declared that it can
be made practically 100 per cent eff
ficient, either by providing for a
longer period in the air or possibly
by making the time of flight cor
respond more closely to the hours
of the day when the largest percent
age of fires start.
Experience show. ynat while the
effective discovery radius varies
with atmospheric conditions, and the
height of the observer, an observer
at an altitude of 5000 feet can de-
tect a fire at least 80 miles distant.
Though experience and familiarity
with the country are important fac
tors in accurately determining the
exact location of fires, wonderful re-
suits were obtained by pilots en-
tirely new to the region, but
equipped with such maps as were
available. One lieutenant flying a
De Haviland over an entirely new
route, placed within one-half mile
of it's actual location a 200-acre
fire that was 35 miles away. To
see it he had to look almost directly
into the sun.
On Nthe whole, the reporting or
fires-as distinguished from discov-
ering and locating them-was not
so satisfactory.
Parachutes with messages ct
tached, which were occasionally
used, proved to be uncertain. Car
rier pigeons released in the air and
reports made by telephone and tele-
graph after landing were found to
be too slow to insure best results.
1t is believed that the wireless,
preferably the wireless telephone.
offers the solution of this difficulty
in the air service fire patrol.
AS a result of this seasons rec
ord a request has been made for
continuous daily airplane patrol of