The Adventures of Chopper Chick!: Crazy Weather in L.A.

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Crazy Weather in L.A.

I'm back from Mammoth! That was fun. Busy with tons of flying this week over the thousand oaks fire and other stories. It's busy as usual. Not much down time. Mammoth was great even though I was really sick. I'm better now. Wow, it went from freezing cold last week to using the A/C in the chopper this week. It's still cold at night, but what a difference. Also, today, crazy smog. Took some photos. Will get those up soon.

10 comments:

TartanGolfGrips DotCom said...: Hi Dez,
I live and work nearby the site of the Westlake Village/Thousand Oaks fire, and stopped by the upper parking lot at Westlake High School to get a good look, without getting in the way...

As I mentioned in MY blog at http://timeforetee.blogspot.com/2007/01/
ive-seen-fire-and-ive-seen-snowbut-not.html
I SALUTE the helicopter pilots that knocked that blaze down (and ALL fires for that matter) in quick order...

Every so often a big flare-up would occur here and there, and in would swoop one of the choppers, just NAIL the flames with a drop, and ten seconds later, that big flare-up was dark and dying down...

If those pilots hadn't been on-scene, and willing to keep flying missions until late in the night, those homes probably would have gone up...

I'm new to your site, and I'm wondering, what speical techniques or considerations do the pilots who fly those bombing missions have to use to counteract the updrafts from the flames, combined with the sudden change in weight/lift from the weight of the water when they release it?

I've been fascinated by helicopters and especially their firefighting applications, ever since I was a kid and LAFD was using choppers to fight a brusher that broke out at Valley Circle Blvd and the 101, right by Treeland. They landed in the dirt lot that USED to be at the interchange, refilled and dumped almost on takeoff..it was the COOLEST thing...I was hooked...

Then there was the time during college when I was working as a pharmacy delivery guy, and had to take a patient's Nitroglycerin up to her during a brushfire along Woolsey Canyon Road in Chatsworth, up by Rocketdyne. I was buzzing up Woolsey Canyon in the pharmacy's Fiat 126 that always REEKED of gasoline fumes (due to a leaky fuel line connection), FLAMES burning on the hillside, and another LAFD bird swooped down and just UNLOADED a bullseye RIGHT on me and the delivery car... I don't know what scared my more...the sudden appearance of a large Huey from downhill on my left, or being hit full-force by I don't know HOW many hundred gallons of water...the car literally shifted to the right!

The pilot and observer musta peed their pants laughing - it's funny now, but I remember being a bit TENSE at the time....I had gotten through the police line at the bottom of the hill because of the medical need nature of my trip, but I got up there, flipped the pills at the woman, and told her that she needed to get outta Dodge! And then I DID...

Loved your pics of the recent snow along Kanan Road on the 17th - we only got hail down in the flats of Agoura Hills, but that was a COLD day...; 11:49 PM
Desiree said...: tartangolfgrips, yeah, pretty cool those fire pilots huh? well, it's a combined effort with the ground crews as well. you see the results of the helicopters immediately and not the ground guys so everyone always thinks how cool and amazing the pilots are, which they are. one without the other could not battle the blaze. it's tough to explain how the pilots deal with the winds created by the fires along with the terrain winds from santa anas and other wind driven fires. we just get in there and give ourselves enough room between the fire and the terrain so as to not get ourselves caught. the helicopters do pretty well in some pretty tough winds. when your on the ground would wouldn't think that we can fly in those winds, but they are not as bad as you think sometimes. it's one of the most rewarding jobs in flying helicopters, almost more rewarding than saving lives, is saving property and putting out those flames.; 3:57 PM
Richard Gutmann said...: Hi Desiree,

I talked to Bryan from "People" this morning. He said he has now gotten in touch with you. While I really would like to see you get an article in the magazine, I'm sorry to have involved you in so much uncertainty. If you are tired of this, I wouldn't blame you.

Surely they can get a good story out of your accomplishments: I'm pretty sure you are the only female helicopter pilot/on-camera TV reporter in the history of Los Angeles television (where the Telecopter was invented); one of only about 20 women certified by the USFS to fight fires by helicopter; one of just a handful of female Screen Actors Guild (SAG) helicopter pilots. Besides you would make for a very pretty picture in the magazine.

And how many women (or men, for that matter) had to report the deaths of four USFS firefighters (later a fifth would succumb) as a helicopter pilot/reporter covering the Esperanza fire, and were then called on the next day to fight that fire as a USFS helicopter firefighter?

Richard; 1:40 PM
Phil said...: Air conditioning..........the luxury, best I get to do in the hairdriers I fly in is take the doors off.; 2:01 PM
dougle said...: Hey Dez, 28Jan07
I'm glad you have a blog.
I miss watching you on TV and hope to meet in person someday....
Map Acorn Way in Yucaipa and fly over... We have a fountain in front, guest house with tennis court, and big canyons on both sides of our tract...
Fire in the canyon is always a concern in high winds....hope you don't have to save us!
I fly too and understand how beautiful life is when viewed regularly from the air. My view is from a 777.
Best always,
Dougle; 4:31 PM
Richard Gutmann said...: When Desiree was at KABC:
Desiree Flys AIR7 over VNY; 11:30 AM
Desiree said...: richard, no worries, i'm really honored that people might have been interested in doing a piece on me. i have not heard back from him. i didn't even think of what an interesting story angle that would have been about flying and reporting for nbc the day of the esparanza fire and then fighting it the next day until it ended. lol. maybe you can tell bryan that. thanks for the compliments. always very appreciated!

phil, i know what you mean. not all of our helis have a/c. last summer on fires it felt like i was flying an oven around. lol.

dougle, thanks so much! :)

richard, that was cool! where'd you find that! i usually can't stand listening to my own reports but that was cool to see the old days of me in air7.; 9:18 PM
Richard Gutmann said...: Hi Desiree,

Very nice pictures of you in the snow. Always enjoy seeing Jasper too.

Desiree, when you say, "I have not heard back from him," do you mean that Bryan has NEVER contacted you? When I talked to him in late Jan. and said you hadn't heard from him, he said he had received "another" email from you just the night before, and had sent you a reply. I hope he wouldn't be so crass as to just make that up! Please let me know if he has contacted you at all, and if so, what he said.

My original suggestion for a story DID include that you reported the firefighters' deaths in the Esperanza fire one day, and then fought the fire yourself the next day.

I sure don't see why this guy would keep telling me how "very interested" he is in your story, but not contact you.

If there is any real chance this guy is on the level, I will keep trying--I know there is a very good story in what you have been able to accomplish and you deserve to be in People.

Richard; 10:47 PM
scottielew said...: This post has been removed by the author.; 12:10 PM
Desiree said...: hey richard, yes he did contact me once after i wrote him first. thanks so much for your concern regarding this matter. he just said he didn't have any ideas and what angle so to speak he was going to be able to sell the story as. who knows why he would have said he wanted to do a story without having a story. it would be cool if he did contact me again soon with an idea and an interview. lol. thanks again so much.; 1:23 PM

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How I got started..........

For those of you who are looking at a life of flying helicopters or just curious how I started and got where I am today, read on.......................

I have been flying helicopters for over 18 years and mostly here in Los Angeles until recently in 2005 when I started fighting fire as a contract pilot all over the U.S. during the summer and in the off season on occasion. Currently I fly for about six different companies as a free lance contract pilot. My main company that I work for is Heli-Flite/Aris Helicopters in Riverside, CA, where I do Aerial Construction flying, fly for Corona Police Department, and fly fires during fire season. In the off months outside of fire season I fly some news and photo and movie production flights for various other companies which some of them I have been working with for over ten years. Since I have received many emails in regards to how does one become a helicopter pilot.....I am giving a little insight to those of you who ask how I got started and how much it costs to become a pilot, well it's a long story and everyone has a different story as to how they got their start. Some people had it easy, some people had it tough, some joined the military, others did the civilian route. There are so many different ways to do it and no one has the same story. As far as cost, well it was alot less 18 years ago, so you will have to check with a flight school on that one. I started flying when I was 19 years old and at the time I couldn't get a loan, so I worked two jobs 7 days a week and after two years, finally got my private. If you can get loan, it will not take you that long as I could only afford a couple of lessons a month. I never got my CFI as I found other ways to build time. Even 18 years ago being a CFI did not pay the bills, so I worked other jobs and flew part time over the years to build my time. I washed helicopters in exchange for flight time. I even paid for left seat time for quite some time to build hours. I jumped on any chance I could get for free flight time riding along with other pilots in an empty seat. I made lots of sacrafices and had no time to myself. It was all about flying, kinda how it still is today. hahaha. Anyway, I started a dba and made brochures and brought myself my own flight business doing tours and photo flights out of a Hughes 269 and an R22. Eventually I had some money to put myself through Bell Factory School which enabled me to fly a Jetranger early in my career with very little time. Back then insurance companies did not require massive amounts of flight time. With just 300 hours and factory school, I now had a jetranger to run my tours in. It eventually led to flying for other companies. Sending myself to Bell school opened up opportunities and possibilities for me. It was also my reputation that opened doors. Attitude is everything. You will not suceed in this business with a poor attitude. Keep that in mind. Trust me, I'm not perfect. We all don't have perfect attitudes, but you know what I mean. My job offers took off from there. I was doing tours for various small tour companies and flight schools and then started flying traffic watch, then soon I was flying news in a 206 which later led to an astar. When I got into fire, I sent myself to long line and mountain flying school. Sometimes if you want something, you will have to pay for it to get ahead and open doors for yourself. I found a company that hired me with no fire experience. With my training I had paid for and experience from flying over the years I was on my way to do what I had always dreamed of doing, fighting fire from a helicopter. I was patient as it took time to get where I am today. You have to be patient sometimes. I still get impatient on occasion and want it all now, but it just doesn't work that way. So my advice to up and coming pilots who ask how to do it? Find a good school, find some money, stick with it, don't ever stop, don't make excuses, don't let others discourage you as that will happen your entire career, and you will suceed and get what you want eventually. Good luck!

By the way, some pilots never stop paying their dues. Sometimes if you want certain things to happen in your career you will find yourself making the same sacrafices later on, but the sacrafices seem even greater because with time, comes more responsibility and more to lose when sacrafices are made. But sometimes the gain is worth it!