DEPARTMENT OF LANDS AND FORESTS FOR 1932 99 



General Position Regarding the Preparedness for the Coming Year: 



Due to the fact that the fleet now consists of up-to-date machines and 

 engines, it is held that at no cime has the Air Service been better able to handle 

 the work for the coming year at practically every station. This position is not 

 entirely secure however, in that four obsolete machines have been written off 

 the strength, and as yet no additional equipment has been procured to do the 

 work at the stations they occupied in the past. When these machines have been 

 replaced with suitable modern flying equipment, however, it can be considered 

 that the Service will be better able to handle the present areas under ranger 

 supervision during periods of normal fire hazard. 



Obsolescent Flying Equipment: 



At the end of the 1932 season, the remaining H.S.2.L's.— G-CAOA, G-CAOK 

 and G-CAOQ were written off the strength. Machine G-CAPF was written 

 off during the summer, as was mentioned in a previous paragraph. Considering 

 the fact that these machines are of an early type and construction, and the fact 

 that they were built of wood and fabric, it is a remarkable tribute to the skill of 

 the Air Service staff, both in the air and on the ground, that they have been 

 maintained in service for over eight seasons. 



The Need for Building Up the Transport Section of the Service: 



Past experience makes it an obvious necessity that the number of machines 

 in the transport section should be such that in seasons of normal hazard, it will 

 not be necessary for any ranger district to purchase flying from commercial 

 flying concerns. 



The Importance of Winter Transport Flying: 



Such flying as is done by the transport division during the winter is of a 

 highly organized nature, concentrating upon work that cannot readily be 

 performed by ground transport, either because of lack of trails or lack of large 

 quantities to any one base. The transport section performs an important 

 service under such conditions, especially in the placing of gas caches at strategic 

 positions in remote parts of the large ranger districts. This work is done on the 

 best days during the winter so that the machines may be operated at the greatest 

 possible standard of efficiency, thus cutting to a minimum the cost of gas at 

 remote locations. In most instances, such caches cannot be placed except at 

 prohibitive expense, if only ground transport had to be relied on. 



The Value of Specialized Equipment: 



The present fleet of the Air Service is comprised of special types of machines 

 which are as nearly suited to the two main divisions of work to be done, as is 

 practical, namely, detection and suppression of fires. This has been brought 

 about by the careful application of the general administration of the Service, 

 according to a well considered policy. Many elements enter into the acquirement 

 of an ideal fleet in the Air Service, not the least of which is the necessity of using 

 up old types of equipment to the fullest extent, before replacement can be made. 

 Nor has it always been possible to get a replacement machine which would 

 exactly suit the needs of the Service in years past, which, of course, resulted in 

 certain expense in adapting such equipment to the requirements of the Air 

 Service. 



