CENTENNIAL AIRPORT and CARTER LAKE, Colo. — Bright red and yellow airplanes with chunky wings and water tanks are helping fight the wildfires burning across Colorado’s Front Range, scooping up water from places like Horsetooth Reservoir and Carter Lake and dropping it over the flames to help firefighters on the ground.
“One of the things about this job is uncertainty,” said Ryan Cleveland, a scooper pilot with Bridger Aerospace, an aerial firefighting company based out of Montana.
“Fire is very dynamic, and so you don't necessarily know what's going to happen until about 15 minutes before you launch,” Cleveland said.
But he’s ready for the challenge.
“I actually did a career in the military,” he said. “So this was a natural fit, as I retired.”
Cleveland’s mission remains the same: “It's protecting lives and property, and helping the men and women on the ground,” he said.
On Thursday, Cleveland and other Bridger Aerospace pilots helped fly two “Super Scooper” airplanes into Colorado from Arizona. Cleveland’s plane is called “Devil's Brigade,” a nod to the brotherhood between the United States and Canada during World War II, which honors the fact that Bridger Aerospace has half of its pilots and mechanics in Canada.
“It's been a very busy summer,” Cleveland said. “I've been in Montana, Washington, Oregon,” fighting more than 15 different fires so far this year, he said.
Wildfire
Multiple wildfires rage in Colorado amid hot, dry conditions. Here's the latest
On Friday, one of the Scoopers has been helping fight the Alexander Mountain Fire. And Cleveland said the Front Range is an ideal spot to fight fires this way.
“We have great lakes here,” he said. Something he knows firsthand. “I went to Colorado State. Go Rams! I used to run around Horsetooth when I was in college.”
Now, Horsetooth Reservoir and Carter Lake are providing water for the firefight.
Still, it’s challenging to use these Scoopers in Colorado because the weather changes at an instant — the winds change, there’s high density altitude and other complications, according to Cleveland.
“But luckily, the designers of the aircraft took that all into account and so it's very safe for this environment,” he said.
Watch the below video of the aircrafts' path, via FlightAware.
Keeping the Scoopers airworthy is up to mechanics like Charlie Busha, who gave Denver7 a tour inside an airplane.
“It's basically a boat with wings,” Busha said. “Everything is very heavy duty, tough, very strong.”
The water tanks hold 1,400 gallons, and they can scoop that up within 10 to 12 seconds, he said.
Water probes on the bottom of the airplane ensure it is at the right water level while collecting.
“The hull of the aircraft is just sticking into the water a little bit, just enough for the probes to get in and scoop up the water,” he said.
Located in the cockpit is the water drop button that opens the water doors beneath the airplane. Releasing the water to aid the firefight is Cleveland’s favorite part of the job.
“I love the satisfaction of completing a mission and making sure that the men and women on the ground have what they need to get the fire under control, save lives potentially and property,” he said.
Wildfires are now a year-round threat in Colorado. Denver7 is committed to covering their impact and the people working to find solutions to the threat.
