MAFFS Mission Report

July 16th, 2008

Today’s Topic: One Million Gallons Served

What a difference a few days make: it wasn’t that long ago when headlines might have read, “California Burning Up.”

And for many people, it surely seemed like that, with more than two thousand fires destroying 100 homes and scorching almost a million acres of land.

Our eight MAFFS-equipped C-130 Hercules aircraft have provided tremendous aerial support to supplement agency and commercial airtankers in dropping fire retardant to quell fervent fire behavior across the state of California. The fleet of imposing gray cargo planes has already made more than 400 flight sorties and has dropped well over a million gallons of the bright red retardant.

Friday, July 11 th marked a MAFFS milestone for the current California activation when MAFFS 1, dropping fire retardant on the Motion Fire in Shasta County, hit the 1,000,000 Gallons Served in less than three weeks of the mission. That is an impressive accomplishment which was only possible due to the diligent efforts of many people, from the flight crews to the maintainers to everyone working behind the scenes to ensure the planes fly effectively and safely.

MAFFS 1 was piloted that day by Maj. Justin Walrath with the Wyoming Air National Guard with Captain Drew Judkins as his co-pilot. MAFFS 1 was one of three C-130s dropping on that fire that day and Maj. Walrath was not really aware that his plane had dropped that one particular gallon of note, which is not surprising given all the mission-critical criteria that must be considered while on a flight.

If Major Walrath was not aware of his status while in flight, he certainly figured it out after he landed when approached—almost aggressively— by a small horde of public affairs folks from the military, CAL FIRE and even a film crew from the local network ABC-affiliate television station, Channel 10 in Sacramento, along with their clicking cameras and digital voice recorders.

While lack of preparation time and severe logistical hurdles precluded a more festive reception replete with balloons and multi-colored streamers cascading from the ceiling—assuming we even had a ceiling on the ramp, which of course we don’t—an impromptu presentation was made to provide at least a modicum of mention of the event. (The rumor that the special award looked a lot like a peppermint patty could not be confirmed or denied as the evidence has apparently been eaten.)

As to insightful quotes from the inspirational aircraft commander, Maj. Walrath said in all sincerity that the MAFFS activation is “our most exciting mission.”