Fire Bombers in Action

Whether watching the images on TV or in real life, nearly everyone has witnessed the riveting scene of a fast, low-flying aircraft dropping torrents of water or retardant on a blazing wildfire. Fire Bombers in Action takes the reader inside the gritty world of aerial firefighting using both still photographs and dramatic video footage of these amazing aircraft and the men who fly them. Covering more than four decades of study and exposure to aerial firefighting in many regions of the United States, this book tells the story from the earliest attempts to combat dangerous and sometimes deadly wildfires with the use of aircraft. From primitive aerial operations in the 1920s to the use of converted World War II bombers in the 1950s and even jet transports today, author Frederick A. Johnsen covers it all. Noted for his life-long interest in this subject, Johnsen documents vintage and modern aircraft alike, and includes detailed appendices giving every possible detail of the aircraft types and specific airplanes used as fire bombers. Includes a 60-minute video with full narration and dramatic color footage of both vintage and modern fire bombers, including an actual vintage Fire Bomber training film used in the 1960s by the U.S. Forest Service.