438 



Canadian Forestry Journal, November, 1919 



the speed of the machine in the air, but enables 

 the pilot to attain or maintain a given height. 

 The flying boats loaned by the Department 

 of Marine and Fisheries for the carrying out of 

 experiments by the St. Maurice Forest Protec- 



tive Association m co-operation with the De- 

 partment of Lands of the Province of Quebec, 

 have completed their season's work, and a full 

 report of the work will be available for the next 

 issue of the Canadian Forestry Journal. 



745 FIRE-FLIGHTS MADE IN U.S. THIS YEAR 



At the conclusion of the first season in which 

 aviators have maintained an organized fire pa- 

 trol in the United States, the officials of the For- 

 est Service state that the record made by the 

 airplane has proved beyond question its effec- 

 tiveness as an aid in discovering and locating 

 forest fires. 



This new flying undertaking was performed 

 by the Air Service of the War Department, with 

 its personnel and equipment, and at the expense 

 of that organization. For three months unin- 

 terrupted service was maintained, and a total 

 of 745 flights covering 92,605 miles were niade. 

 Many fires were discovered, located, and re- 

 'ported in advance of the regular Forest Service 

 detection organization. 



Six patrol routes covering National Forest 

 areas of high value in California were followed, 

 and twice each day six Curtiss airplanes cov- 

 ered the better part of 9,000,000 acres of 

 rough, mountainous, heavily timbered country. 

 The average non-stop run was 160 miles; the 

 average round trip, 320 miles. 



CRITICAL PERIOD. 



With the opening of the hunting season in 

 the middle of the second month of daily flying 

 above the forests, the fire situation in northern 

 California became critical and an extension of 

 the principal factors necessitating a complete 

 reorganization of the whole air patrol in 

 California. De Haviland planes were sub- 

 stituted fur the slower planes of smaller gaso- 

 line capacity and less climbing power. Two 

 new bases were established. New daily routes 

 were laid out, one of which covered 560 miles, 

 and the service was extended from the original 

 five to fifteen National Forests in California. 



Beginning Sept. 1, eight airplanes covered 

 twice each day more than 16,000,000 acres of 

 National Forest, and incidentally, 5,000,000 

 acres of privately owned timberlands. Eight 

 additional airplanes were used on alternate days 

 to allow for necessary repairs and relief of 

 pilots. Sixteen pilots and 22 mechanics were 

 assigned to the work. Up to the first of October 

 only six forced landings, with one fatality and 

 no injuries to pilots or observers occurred. Dam- 



age to the airplanes, considering the number 

 of miles covered and the rough country patrol- 

 led, was negliglible. No figures as to the cost 

 of the experiment have been made available. 



In the discovery of fires the air patrol showed 

 itself 85 per cent efficient, and it is declared that 

 it can be made practically 100 per cent efficient 

 either by providing for a longer period in the 

 air or possibly by making the time of flight 

 correspond more closely to the hours of the day 

 whe.'i the largest percentage of fires start. 



Experience shows that while the effective 

 "discovery radius" varies with atmospheric con- 

 ditions and the height of the observer, an ob- 

 server at an altitude of 5,000 feet can detect 

 a fire at least 30 miles distant. 



Though experience and familiarity with the 

 country are important factors in accurately de- 

 termining the exact location of fires, wonderful 

 results were obtained by pilots entirely new to 

 the region, but equipped with such maps as 

 were available. One lieutenant, flying a De 

 Haviland over an entirely new route, placed 

 within one-half mile of its actual location a 

 200-acre fire that was 35 miles away. To see 

 it he had to look almost directly into the sun. 



REPORTING FIRES. 



On the whole, the reporting of fires — as dis- 

 tinguished from discovering and locating them 

 - -was not so satisfactory. Parachutes with 

 messages attached, which were occasionally 

 used, proved to be uncertain. Carrier pigeons 

 released in the air and reports made by tele- 

 phone and telegraph after landing were found 

 to be too slow to ensure best results. 



It IS believed that the wireless, preferably the 

 wireless telephone, offers the solution of this 

 difficulty in the air-service fire patrol. 



Without wireless or some other method of 

 hastening the reports, the airplanes can never 

 function as efficiently as the present lookout 

 system, say the Forest Service officials. In the 

 matter of procuring reports of the progress of 

 fires already known to be in progress, it has 

 been found entirely practicable to get quicker, 

 more complete, and more satisfactory reports by 



