Giant chopper arrives for fire duty
<p><strong>The CH-47</strong> helicopter can haul as much as 2,500 gallons of water for aerial firefighting. (Matt Hudson/Daily Inter Lake)</p>
<p><strong>Kalispell native</strong> Ryan Gembala stands next to a CH-47 helicopter Tuesday at Glacier Park International Airport. He and the rest of the helicopter crew have been contracted to battle the Thompson Fire in Glacier National Park. (Matt Hudson/Daily Inter Lake)</p>
A private contractor has been part the firefighting effort in Northwest Montana attacking fires from above.
On Tuesday, the black, red and white CH-47 helicopter was on standby at Glacier Park International Airport. The massive twin-engine helicopter belongs to Billings Flying Service, a company that has been contracted to help fight fires.
Coming off of work in Idaho and, earlier Glacier Park’s Reynolds Creek Fire, the craft was headed to the Thompson Fire, a newest fire in Glacier.
Billings Flying Service contracts with the U.S. Forest Service and is dispatched on a “call when needed” basis, according to company pilot Jesse Naiman.
Naiman described the CH-47 as an old military bird.
He said that the stability and maneuverability of the twin-prop helicopter is superior to the more commonly used heavy-lift helicopter, the Skycrane.
“As far as firefighting helis go, there’s nothing that comes close any more,” Naiman said.
A pilot who used to fly Skycranes, Naiman said that the CH-47 can haul more weight with better fuel efficiency.
The helicopter carries a water bucket that can hold as much as 2,500 gallons of water, coming in at about 20,000 pounds.
The eight-person crew waited on Tuesday morning for the call to be repositioned closer to the fire, which blew up in impressive fashion Tuesday afternoon.
When the crew members move, they drive a pickup truck into the long cabin of the helicopter for ground trips.
Among the crew members was Ryan Gembala, a Kalispell native who joined the company two years ago.
“I love this company,” Gembala said. “It couldn’t be better.”
With some flight hours under his belt, Gembala normally works on the crew as a co-pilot for Billings Flying Service.
He said they were in Babb during the Reynolds Creek Fire.
Now on the Kalispell tarmac, he said that it’s nice to work from his hometown.
This article was updated to more accurately reflect Gembala's crew status. Reporter Matt Hudson may be reached at 758-4459 or by email at mhudson@dailyinterlake.com.