Tanker 47 rears up as helicopter pilot Darren Davies settles it to hover over the Encino Reservoir, a half-mile-wide artificial lake perched on the shoulder of a hill overlooking the San Fernando ...

Quick calculations, coordination, communication and feedback were key in helping helicopter pilots hit their spots.

A California National Guard pilot describes how flyers perform a firefighting mission in the battle against Los Angeles’ ...

SACRAMENTO -- Stepping into a virtual world to stay safe in the real one, Cal Fire is using augmented reality technology to ...

Reduced visibility from thick smoke, coupled with turbulence created by the fire's heat, can create perilous flying conditions.

Michele Gile speaks to Orange County Fire Authority helicopter crews to understand how they operate during wildfires.

Interviews with pilots paint a graphic picture of the struggle to maintain control of their ships amid one of the most intense and complicated airborne firefights in U.S. history.

With more than 60 fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft under its aegis, Cal Fire has the largest ... water sources nearby, the pilot of a firefighting helicopter can even fill up its water tank ...

By that point, helicopter pilots had been dropping water on the ... according to the latest Cal Fire numbers. Wind speeds factor in when deciding whether to ground aircraft. For the LAFD, the ...

Cal Fire’s fleet of tankers then drops fire ... According to Hillsboro Aero Academy, an Oregon-based flight school, becoming a helicopter pilot involves accumulating between 1,500 and 4,000 ...