Learn
Aerial firefighting, explained
How helicopters and planes really fight wildfires, in plain English, and how Dip & Drop turns it into a game.
- 1
How firefighting helicopters fight wildfires
A plain-English guide to wildfire helicopters, from the light, medium and heavy types to buckets, tanks, snorkels and where they drop the water.
- 2
Snorkel vs. bucket: how helicopters fill with water
How firefighting helicopters take on water with a hover snorkel and internal tank or a bucket on a long line, and the trade-offs between the two.
- 3
How scooper planes and airtankers work
How water bomber planes like the CL-415 scoop a lake on the run, how land-based airtankers reload at a base, and when each is used on a wildfire.
- 4
Why drop height and speed matter
Why aerial firefighters drop water from a few hundred feet, how speed stretches a drop into a line, why you lead the target, and how wind moves the water.
Learn by flying
The Training Fire walks you through a fill and a drop in about two minutes.