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Post by Dave Homewood on Apr 29, 2020 10:52:27 GMT 12
This thread can span wartime and postwar, but I just found an article that shows when the RNZAF first began flying fie spotting flyings. I thought it was a postwar thing as I had somehow thought the forestry industry began with planting in the mid-1930's and so the pine forests would have been mature in the 1950's. So I was surprised to see it began in 1944:
AIR PATROL
AFFORESTED TERRITORY
A start has now been made with an air patrol of the afforested areas of the North Island. The aeroplane engaged in this work is based upon Hamilton, so that (with radio connection) it will always be within a few minutes' flight of the whole of those areas between the Main Trunk line and the country east of Rotorua.
This patrol service from the air is linked up with a two-way radio system in the Kaingaroa district, that heavily planted country 30 miles east of Lake Rotorua. This radio telephone system has been installed since 1940, and is now being extended to permit the main look-out stations in the area to be linked up, so that intercommunication could be maintained, even if the ordinary telephone system broke down.
Another recent addition to the equipment that is being provided to help combat possible outbreaks of fire in these areas is the provision of transportable knapsack radio plants, by which headquarters at Kaingaroa may be kept advised of the progress of a fire. The transportable plants may be used at a spot perhaps 10 miles away from an ordinary telephone, and the information given by their use may be the means of effecting a considerable diminution of fire wastage. It is now proposed to extend the use of radio telephone plants to the afforested area at Tapanui, in the South Island.
EVENING POST, 11 DECEMBER 1944
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Post by Dave Homewood on Apr 29, 2020 10:59:27 GMT 12
So what was the aircraft used that was base at Rukuhia? I'm assuming a Harvard but I guess it could have been a lighter impressed type? This was of course before the RNZAF got Austers which I now were used for the role in the 1950's, alongside Harvards.
I wonder why they did not base it at Rotorua aerodrome, since the RNZAF used that airfield. Perhaps the fire spotting pilots were the No. 1 RD test pilots?
Were they only called in when a fire is spotted, and flew over the fire to help control the firemen on the ground? Or did they do regular patrols looking on the off-chance of spotting smoke?
When did the RNZAF fire patrols cease? And did civil contractors take over or was it decide it was a costly effort with little return?
Did they ever have any forest fires that the RNZAF fire patrol was actually involved in? Or did that never eventuate?
I cannot imagine how difficult it must have been to control a forest fire before the days of helicopters with buckets and topdressers with large hoppers.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Apr 30, 2020 10:47:50 GMT 12
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Post by camtech on Apr 30, 2020 12:05:52 GMT 12
He beat me to it. Great explanation and detail.
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Post by davidd on Apr 30, 2020 12:21:13 GMT 12
Very interesting Dave, but one type of RNZAF aircraft used for assisting with forest fires has been missed - the PV-1 Ventura, probably the most expensive type to operate in this role, ever! A very brief survey of this involvement can be found in an article I wrote for the AHSNZ, and was published in the Journal for May of 2015, page 23. An extended survey of this involvement appears in the Unit History of No. 2 BR Squadron (Ohakea). Essentially the RNZAF made five fire patrols over five days (probably 23 - 27/2/46), with a civilian observer from the "Forestry Department" (I presume this was the NZ Forest Service, if that indeed was its name at this time). However as early as 11/2/46, the CO of 2 Squadron (I think this was S/L G S A ["Farmer"] Stevenson, whose Ventura experience went back to about July 1943 with 1 Squadron), issued instructions to his unit in the eventuality of the numerous forest fires raging in the Taupo/Rotorua area at this time getting further out of hand. His squadron was also ordered to have six aircraft (presume all PV-1s) on standby for (fire) patrols and supply dropping operations from this time. Presumably the fire situation did get a lot more serious later that month, in the height of the summer season, and quite an area of the central North Island was wreathed in smoke for several days. However by the finish of the last patrol flown on the 27th, it was reported that nine new fires were still burning, "although all were small and considered not dangerous", plus "four old fires which were already out or just smouldering". On this flight, visibility over the area flown (by the Ventura) was considered to be good, with view (visibility) of from 10 - 15 miles, "and the intense smoke haze to the NE of Taumarunui seen on previous flights had all but disappeared." It was also pointed out that the NZ strip maps used by the RNZAF, "scale 8 miles to the inch, are totally inadequate for positioning fires in forest and valley areas, unable to give grid references from this map!", which is typical of cases where non-specialised maps are used for specialised purposes. Incidentally this echoed with me after a rather more serious map compatibility problem arose decades later - this at ChCh International Airport, when during the "hunt" for the crashed Navajo Chieftain aircraft which crashed into trees on a late evening approach following a flight south from Palmerston North in 1990s (?), and great confusion ensued as the system used by air traffic control was found to be totally incompatible with that used by the Fire Services. Fortunately intense and rapid "kiwi ingenuity" on the spot came to the fore to rig together the required match up, and the "lost" aircraft was found, although sadly many deaths involved.
David D
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Post by Dave Homewood on Apr 30, 2020 13:03:58 GMT 12
Thanks David. Interesting stuff.
I wonder if anyone ever thought about water bombing from Avengers when they were trialling the hoppers in them, since the Avenger had already been converted to spraying during wartime. It probably never occurred to anyone since it does not seem to have been trialled. I think water-bombers were being developed in the USA around that same time. The Venturas would have made a great water-bomber too I expect.
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Post by baz62 on Apr 30, 2020 13:43:01 GMT 12
The Venturas would have made a great water-bomber too I expect. Certainly some Harpoons were: Click here |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Apr 30, 2020 13:53:18 GMT 12
Yes.
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zkdex
Squadron Leader
Posts: 101
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Post by zkdex on Nov 27, 2023 18:24:34 GMT 12
State Forest Service until 1948,thereafter New Zealand Forest Service. The FRFANZ info is excellent, but fails to mention the first use of aircraft at NZ forest fire was actually in October 1937 at Atiamuri - civilian Desoutter ZK-ACJ. There is also an excellent article called "Firewatch" in AHSNZ Journal Vol 25 No 2 (1982), with a full history of RNZAF fire patrols from Jan 1944 to Feb 1952.
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Post by oj on Nov 27, 2023 19:44:27 GMT 12
James Aviation did some fire watch and patrolling duties in their Beaver at Rotorua in the late 1950's.
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zkdex
Squadron Leader
Posts: 101
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Post by zkdex on Nov 28, 2023 8:49:54 GMT 12
Further to my post, from the Firewatch article. First RNZAF patrols carried out January 1944 by Gisborne based aircraft. Numerous outbreaks of fire spotted and responded to. In 1944/45, Airspeed Oxford NZ2121 operated from Rukuhia. Following fire seasons saw smaller aircraft used.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jan 28, 2024 18:21:00 GMT 12
Very interesting Dave, but one type of RNZAF aircraft used for assisting with forest fires has been missed - the PV-1 Ventura, probably the most expensive type to operate in this role, ever! A very brief survey of this involvement can be found in an article I wrote for the AHSNZ, and was published in the Journal for May of 2015, page 23. An extended survey of this involvement appears in the Unit History of No. 2 BR Squadron (Ohakea). Essentially the RNZAF made five fire patrols over five days (probably 23 - 27/2/46), with a civilian observer from the "Forestry Department" (I presume this was the NZ Forest Service, if that indeed was its name at this time). David D The flights noted in the No. 2 (BR) Squadron Operations Record Book are thus: 23/2/1946 Ventura NZ4573 Crew F/O Reid, F/L Kidson, W/O McCarthy Take off time 1130hrs Landing Time 1300hrs Duty: Observation Fire Area TAUPO 24/2/1946 Ventura NZ4573 Crew F/O Reid, F/L Kidson, W/O McCarthy Take off time 1045hrs Landing Time 1310hrs Duty: Observation Fire Area TAUPO, TE KUITI 25/2/1946 Ventura NZ4555 Crew F/L Jacobs, F/L Langton, F/Sgt Devine Take off time 1130hrs Landing Time 1345hrs Duty: Fire Patrol 26/2/1946 Ventura NZ4610 Crew P/O Lamb, F/O Goss, F/Sgt Devine Take off time 1100hrs Landing Time 1125hrs Take off time 1350hrs Landing Time 1450hrs Duty: Fire Patrol - Landed and RUKUHIA 27/2/1946 Ventura NZ4555 Crew P/O Reid F/Sgt McFarlane Take off time 1430hrs Landing Time 1615hrs Duty: Fire Patrol On the 28th of February the squadron lost Ventura NZ4573 while on a Met Flight and all flights for the next several days were simply searches looking for the missing aircraft, so fire patrols were forgotten. The duty never came up again before the squadron was redesignated as No. 75 Squadron RNZAF. |
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Post by 30sqnatc on Jan 28, 2024 18:36:24 GMT 12
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