I worked as a crewman for UH-1 .... these guys need to get a medal because I don't think people realize how dangerous and articulate a landing this was .... three vertical obstacles ....Pilots did an incredible job maneuvering the craft they should be commended
Close to Bingo fuel and they never hesitated to continue or give up, Wow!! YES the crew deserves a medal, and bill board thanks and commercial endorsements. I would rather see these guys on a TV commercial trying to sell me a soda or a pizza than the stupid kneeling NFL player's that big corp's think we want to see. Yes I love true American Hero's !!
Came here to post this. You forgot the wind conditions of landing on a peak. Also, the fire that will cause crazy wind effects on a peak. And Bingo coming up! Godlike landing.
@@QemeH - Im far, far away from your area of service (American), but still I must thank you for your duty. PLEASE stay safe out there whilst in the belly of the beast
People watching this don't realize the skill it takes to drop down into that area with obstructions and hazards everywhere, then add in the turbulence and crosswinds and down drafts from the hillside and hot air from the fire. Great work!👍👍
Wow! Low on fuel, no place to land, a one wheel down hover, more people (and dogs) than expected, a gate in the way, winds changed, fire and smoke creeping up, out just in time. Can’t make a movie more exciting than this!
That dog must've been completely freaked out. Fires everywhere. Then this big loud wind making monster falls from the sky and a creature with a funky looking head jumps out of it and starts pushing people inside of the monster.
@@philtripe Yet those deaths would still occur from fixed wing aircraft performing attacks on their enemies in those wars, but natural disasters have had greatly reduced death tolls since the 50s, and a lot of that is thanks to modern, rapid disaster relief developments, one of those being the helicopter, not to mention in other categories, like air ambulance, and coast guards, and even those "war helicopters" that most of them spend the vast majority of their time helping other people rather than waging war, so shut up.
Even the deaths caused by attack helicopters were mostly in defence of other, door gunners in UH - 1 helicopters held back enemy solder who where shooting at medical evacuation helicopters that were rescuing injured solders, all attack helicopters fall under a support category, defending troops on the ground, people like my cousins, uncles, and friends who all have fought for freedom and have been saved by the helicopter Not only all of this but more people are saved by air ambulances alone, (not to mention all that Don mentioned) than people have been killed by attack helicopters
2big 2fail theres been way more helicopter saves than gunship kills think of all the hospital helicopters & search and rescue there’s just way more helos dedicated to saving than stackin bodies
OMG. Low vis, obstructions in every direction, unknown, fire-generated wind gusts, that's both a skilled and gutsy move. Heroic. Bravo Zulu to the pilot/co-pilot. (And the dog said "you want me to do WHAT and go WHERE in that thingy?! H*ll no!")
@@dirtydave2691 YOU SAID IT, I ALLWAYS CATCH SOME SHIT, BUT FIREFIGHTERS , RESUE PEOPLE, HAVE HARDER JOBS THAN POLICE!!! THANKS FOR TELLING IT LIKE IT IS, JACK
@@bassbytes hit my line if you ever need a pilot for hire, im commercially licensed and ill let you smoke up and play tunes through the headsets 😂 happy halloween to ya peace
This is what RU-vid is all about. We get to see unique moments when talented individuals use their skills to the extreme while putting their lives at risk to help total strangers in hopeless situations.. Who cares what differences we have, when the shit hits the fan we need to stick together.. 🤝
“If you are in trouble anywhere in the world, an airplane can fly over and drop flowers, but a helicopter can land and save your life.” -- Igor Sikorsky
Wow! That is one of the most impressive things I think I've ever seen! A fire quickly approaching trapped civilians, the chopper flying towards a tower of smoke, trying to find somewhere to land and about to run out of fuel, The crew works the problem and calmly gets the civvies on board as the fire closes in. All it needed was a dramatic sound track, The Rock playing the part of Dave (or maybe Vin Diesel) and you've got a block buster movie. The pilot was so calm, I thought he was going to announce that the cabin crew would serve light refreshments after take off! Very, very impressive!
Nicolas Carnot LOL So true. Pilot Dave has that calm, commercial airlines pilot voice. I expected "Glad to have you all onboard today. Sit back, relax, and thank you for flying with LAFD." Amazing.
I'm curious........you see the rotor "downwash" in the trees and bushes all around the helo between 10:02 & 10:12. Well, can't they use that method for "blowing the fire out" in certain situations where they can hover close to the ground and "wait for the fire to get TO them". This way a helicopter can come into certain locations and "blow out" 300 YARDS of advancing fire wall in less than 20 seconds. This method is demonstrated by the videos entitled "leaf blower on grass fire" here in youtube. It's the same principle............just 200 times larger in scale. This way, a series of 10 helicopters all flying in one specific county can blow out more than 5,000 acres of uncontrolled fire in less than one hour. Using THIS method, Paradise California wouldn't have lost 7,200 structures in less than 6 days earlier this month.
"If a man is in need of rescue, an airplane can come in and throw flowers on him, and that's just about all. But a direct lift aircraft could come in and save his life." Igor Sikorsky.
David and Joel. You have nerves of steel. I hope you get an award for this rescue. I held my breath until I almost passed out just watching you try to land that thing safely.
You guys are my heroes...I flew 6 six years as a USCG Helicoper Rescue Swimmer, I been in some... but you guys sure got balls of steel!!! my adimration to an awesome crew, please do an old Coastie vet a solid favor; stay alive this country needs people like you. Thanks again for your sevice...
These guys are as good as it gets. Calm and professional is an understatement. The first landing attempt was unbelievable and should be shown to helo crews training as it was superhuman to get that bird in there. The second one he basically held on the wheels and balanced as the load changed, winds from the fire, updrafts from the cliff side... just unbelievable. Tight crew, top of their game. These are real hero’s kids.
Bingo fuel vs emergency fuel, it can be testy at times, for us In the ATC world. I always do my best to accommodate aircraft at bingo fuel, knowing they can’t accept any undue delay and hopefully preventing the aircrew having to declare an emergency for fuel.
ON RU-vid.. " JET FUEL HOAX "... THE ENGINES ARE FREE ENERGY... FUELING UP IS A VERY VERY CLEVER CRIMINAL FRAUD....INVESTIGATE...OR JUST KEEP IN THE DARK..
Have you finished high school Alan? It is theoretically and practically impossible to create energy. If you say you've found a way you will be a billionaire by tomorrow and more famous than our greats Newton, Einstein or Planck.
They risk there life to save someone else. This is the things we dont get to see everyday. He showed skill and calmness during the flight. Awesome job!!Respect do.
You hit the nail on the head !! You do not see the reality of the situation from regular news org's until it is safe for them to go in and film the aftermath, structure shells and burned up cars and tell you how bad it WAS. This is why youtube is way better for learning the real truth of the matter.
@@Sugarmountaincondo whats crazy the other day i thought the fires were all out.They leave news on at my work all day. Not one story on the fires been over a week (on U.S.News channel).
@@igotajopamerica3040 What's really funny is i came onto RU-vid tonight to listen to some music and i clicked on this video 1st. The amount of views it is getting is sick and shows how important this information is. The Governor of California should be pinning a medal on this crew !!
It's so impressive how chill they are, really inspirational. I'm more nervous finding a parking spot than those guys finding a place to land their helicopter in the middle of a fucking wildfire.
you do know they have a budget that if they dont burn through they wont get next year.. you know there is some question as to. the cause of many of. these recent 2019 fires coming from explosions that registered on weather radar? did you know firefighters in the past have been found (in recent years) to have been using arson to set fires for the expulsion of that funding (pretty sure it was a higher up ranking fireman which was coordinating a literal team of people to start. fires for money)? did you know this works in conjunction with forced relocations and the cleared land make for nice expensive rebuilds once the in insurance bones out the previous owners... so yeah.. there is that.. but... im sure they make $200k+ ... why. would we pay them. even More? isnt it a labor of heroism, honor, and service? if its for pay. then gttfo
I've always said that pilots are the coolest and friendliest guys there are, they love their job and are always willing to lend a helping hand when need it. Bless you guys !!!
HOLY MOLEY!!! I soiled my pants just watching this. I was an Navy F-4 RIO during Vietnam war and thought carrier ops was the height of scary. These guys changed everything I thought about scary flying. Love to meet these guys...
God was with them. Let's all remember to do a lot of praying for this and when other tragedies happen. It's in situations like this that our prayers are processed. Praise The LORD for this rescue!
The level of skill and experience when coming to Risk Assessment on this entire flight, was simply incredible. You're ability to stay 1,000% calm is incredible to listen to as well.
Not sure how ANYONE can keep their cool so well during a situation like this. I know for a fact those civilians were outright terrified, and immensely thankful once they realized they were being saved. Props to all involved.
Rotary-wing aircraft are NOT the same as fixed-wing. The amount of concentration it takes to keep one aloft is immense and learning and training to fly one builds in that calmness. I think a lot of it is not really having the time to be scared or agitated, but mostly it is the patience and control learned in making your decisions and constantly evaluating the space around you, along with the feel of the helo. Pilots in general are trained not to panic, because panic slows decisions and inhibits action. You may only have two seconds to evaluate a crisis and move the controls the proper way, and that IS the difference between the best odds of survival and the worst.
@@chrismaverick9828 For sure. It's always been a dream of mine to fly a helicopter. (since I was a kid building models, I adored Apache heli's) I only recently got into fixed wing aircraft. Been playing heaps of FS2020, and I can't even do that well as it involves so much muscle memory/thought/math/knowledge that I just can't do quickly. (god forbid it was a real plane and not a sim.) I like "smartereveryday's" video about hovering a helicopter. He does an amazing job at showing just how many things pilots are going through a pilots head while trying to just hover in one spot... It's definitely simplified in his video, but it shows the attention pilots have to pay even in the best and most calm of conditions. Major MAJOR props to the folks in this video. It's not a job for everyone, even your standard heli pilot, and they treated it like it was just another day at work, and there are TONS of people out there like them that don't get the respect they deserve.
Held my breath ! .... then unexpectedly burst into tears when I saw the animals and 3 people being loaded and then lift off to safety! The realization just hit so hard of just how thin the line was between “life and death” in those exact moments ! The heroics of the pilots decided the fate of those people, their “one” bag of personal possessions, and two animals ! WOW ... just ... wow ! We literally watched lives being saved ! Thank you for sharing this video! I’ve become very careful nowadays of “complaining” about things ... having that image in my head, of those grateful people waking into the safety of the helicopter, makes me truly give thanks for what I do have ! Thank you pilots ! Thank you to all first responders for ALL you did during that horrific fire ! 👍❤️
I'm a former CDF/Riverside County volunteer FFII.. I always admired you guys and what you do but after seeing this rescue I'm totally blown away. God Bless all of you, that was some amazing flying there!!
Wow, very impressive flying. I was so nervous watching you try the first attempt up top between the antenna poles. Total professionalism from both you and the co-pilot. Thank God there are brave souls like you and thank you for posting this most awesome video. Cheers
Just now seeing this, a year later. But wildfires rage on again this year on the West Coast. I must tell you, this is edge-of-your-seat stuff. And I’m not joking when I say I SMELLED SMOKE as you got closer to the fire. I don’t know how, right here in the comfort of my bed in the middle of the night watching this. And no, my house or anything in it or near it is not burning. The sensation dissipated at the end of your video. May I say a robust THANK YOU for the great job you did for these folks. You embody the American spirit we don’t ever want to lose - we run TO the fire, always, when you know people are in a dire situation. So again, thank you and may God bless you all!👍🙏💕
Another example of this happened in far worse conditions this year, even the HQ was saying it's too dangerous, you can't save them. Well, a Black Hawk and a Chinook in there and pulled 207 out. www.nytimes.com/2020/09/08/us/california-wildfires-helicopter-rescue.html
A: that's some amazing flying and professionalism! B: play it safe and avoid needing a rescue. Look at the risk people will take to save your butt? Appreciate these pilots by doing everything possible not to ask this of them.
@@tubemankiwi Actually these people are probably supposed to be there... and thier escape route got cut off. Note these is not just some random people's house its like a forestry station etc... and there are radio towers also.
What beautiful communication between Pilots. Wonderful communication of risks and keeping each other informed. Couldn't wish for a better crew to perform a rescue. A medal is in order for both of these men.
No doubt these are incredible but one bit just made me laugh: "How about if we just uh land uh sorta here...?" "What about right there on the dirt?" "Yeah that's what I'm thinking"
That’s how it is...You work as a team and the crew you fly with is almost like family so it’s usually very casual sounding to outsiders...WATOP....Where are the winds W what’s the Area look like A What kind of terrain is the landing spot T any Obstacles and always have a Path to come in and a Path to leave or abort to if the landing is called off.
sure, if you want to spark up a cigarette lighter or match to light that cigarette with jet fuel around, go ahead. your funeral. i was in army aviation for my whole career and you'd be surprised how many people would walk up while smoking to my huey when we were off the airfield and in the public.
Had a job rebuilding UH-1Hs out of the bone yard for a bit. I'd always check the ashtrays to see what odd stuff may be inside still. Yes they were built with ashtrays. Pulled out a few old coins, random parts and generally a few cigarette butts. No smoking on aircraft is a relatively new idea.
You gotta love how calm & cool these ace-pilots are in spite of the riskiness of the situation! Pilots Dave & Joel are talking so chill, I'd swear I was listening to a couple of gamers playing a flight-sim or something. They must have ice in their veins & balls of steel. Great job on putting out the fire near the homes & rescuing the elderly couple!
Man hats off to you guys! I love how you guys work through the problem and accept input from others. You both contribute to how to solve the problem instead of saying im the pilot and i say what we do. No ego or anything getting in the way
A "can do" attitude is a hazardous attitude, so I wouldn't say it's a "can do" attitude more than it is a motivated but cautious attitude based on risk assessment
Great piloting... Staying cool while navigating through thick smoke and landing into a tight spot where you cannot even park your lawnmower. I tip my hat to the pilots! Greetings and much respect from Germany.
Fantastic airmanship. Holding the collective and balancing the cyclic on a slope like that is hard enough. Not to mention the mental stress of being almost bingo fuel and while a blaze is working its way to you and knowing you may be going IIMC. Excellent crew resource management as well as solid hover work in and out of ground effect. Outstanding job gentleman. Very professional and well executed.
Ordinary men with incredible skills doing fantastic things, all in the way of preserving life and risking their lives in the process. What a crazy world we live in when mollycoddled film stars get so highly rewarded for minimum effort at no risk to themselves, yet these guys are just doing their job. Well done guys, this will be a day you’ll never forget.
Incredible job. My butt puckered when you guys dropped down into the smoke. I've never been in a wild fire or needed heli rescue, but if I ever need it I hope the pilots got the skill and bravery you do!!
Holy crap...my heart was racing... that's too close to comfort. I was afraid the fire would creep up near chopper. WOW!! VERY DRAMATIC AND REAL!!! EXCELLENT WORK TO THOSE OFFICERS rescuing those individuals & pups!!! Thanks for posting.
Fantastic job gentlemen. Impressive showing of true professionalism and selfless bravery. You earned the respect of this seasoned firefighter. God speed.
I heard hovering in a helicopter is actually very challenging. Doing it with limited visibility, obstacles, and people depending on you for rescue is testament to his skill! This pilot has got ice in his veins!
Omg people cant fully comprehend this hes almost Bingo fuel... Seeing this from outside must look like madness... This was pretty tight. Those rotors so much as touch anything its over...
NO SMOKING sticker... Flying around fire.. I'm not a pilot but I've flown in and landed many military helicopters internationally and this was a quality operation. I miss the days under the rotor. Excellent job. Great crew. Shout out to the door man. "Tail clear".
I want say thank you guys for showing us a inside view of you doing a good job in putting out those fires and may you all stay safe flying around. This is why me and others love you firefighters! You are always there to help and save us. GOD BLESS YOU ALL!
These are heroic pilots. The recent fires in 2020 led several crews to disobey orders and save the lives of dozens of people who otherwise would have died after being surrounded by flames and smoke. Well done!
I have pictures of my dad ,who was afraid of heights, harnessed at the back of a C130 shooting pictures of fire out goo at tree top level on a fire 30 years ago. Hats off to the folks who "Go in." Miss you dad!
WE LOVE THIS. Great work. Such a small landing zone, but you guys are pros. Thanks for helping those people AND pooches. Love from Riverside County Animal Services.
You guys are truly heroes!! I know it would've broke your hearts to leave them just as much as it would've broken theirs. To risk your life to save strangers is truly amazing! I wish I was articulate enough to express how thankful I am that people like you exist. And I'm soooo happy those dogs have good caring humans around they can depend on. This video gives me some hope for humanity.
Those people were in an incredibly dangerous situation, fire moves even more rapidly up hill and the flames were so close. Well done guys, a neat rescue.
Man, the hairs were standing up on MY neck when you came up on that smokey peak and all those towers started popping out. Then you flew in between those stanchions and I was wanting to be clearing your tail and main lol. In the H-1 community our pilots rely on us quite a bit for those CALs and here you guys are doing everything on your own, very impressive.
That moment when the pilot threaded the needle between those towers had my ass puckered too! Imagine if there's support cables extending out from those towers, rotor blades probably only feet away Eeeeek
As a combat Veteran, having experienced numerous drops, THIS one would've had me sh!tt!ng my pants, praying to get INTO combat! Fyi, we (So Cal, No Cal) had variable wind conditions, unpredictable gusts making this even more of a challenge (if that was possible!). Folks have to realize also that, despite that those massive flames may've seemed pretty far off, the direction of wildfires is unpredictable, unable to tell if they'll surround you, jump large distances, etc. and quickly. Adding to the extreme complications of this landing, there are no rear view mirrors for the tail rotor, calculating that element of the landing using guesswork at best, under such tight landing conditions. On another note, it would've been nice if the rescues could've "Isoge'd!" a little more. I would've been at least trotting! A real steel set on this guy (pilot). A credit to LAFD. Amazing job boys, positively amazing...WOW!
I wasn't sure if they were LAFD or not. Yes this was just incredible. They truly risked their lives to save these people and their pets. They could have and maybe should have bailed on this mission for their own safety but chose to stick it out. I hope they receive some kind of recognition for this true act of heroism.
@@illbeyourstumbleine - yup, extremely risky landing conditions (narrow approach, narrow landing, smoke, excessive dust from wash and the list goes on). Rescues have been avoided with more favorable conditions. Their recognition? Personal pride in an amazing job (the best form of "recognition"), comments of appreciation on these forums, videos like this for the world to see and the memorial posterity of this video. OH, and I neglected to add... THANKS "PILOT DAVE" for publishing this!
My ambition in life is to become a pilot of helicopter and plane,this kind of actions really up the admiration I have for all pilots and rescue people.Fantastic job guys!
Amazing talent and compassion in a horrific situation!!! Absolutely unbelievable rescue!!! Your video was posted by a friend of mine, Craig Doolittle! Sounds like "Officer Rob" was in the rescue with you! God Bless You both!!! 💙💙
All of you that work these fires, rescue humans & animals, you are amazing. You always stay so focused and precise. You never cease to amaze me. Thank you ALL for what you do. You are INCREDIBLE PEOPLE! Much love, respect & many prayers for your safety. ❤🇺🇲❤💯🇺🇲
