Did I hear the news correctly?

Today (Wednesday 29) I was watching the news.

It was going on about the people from Canada coming over and looking at the crash near Braidwood.

Somewhere near there I saw/heard an article about a helicopter landing somewhere and having to take off quickly ...... "Because the heat from the lights started another fire"

WTF!!??

(Excuse that, but seriously.....)

The lights on the helicopter started another fire?

I'm not sure if they said:

THELIGHTS

or

THE HEAT FROM THE LIGHTS.....

Fire near Canberra

Its actually the big fire outside of Canberra. Started by a military chopper landing with search light on.

Long grass, dead dry, massive heat from light......bingo fire.

Ok, so I'm not going stupid.   (Too late.  I'm already there.)

WHY on earth wouldn't you turn off the lights before landing?

I get it that it is usually done.  But isn't that why we still have pilots and not computers?

COMPUTER

Landing:

1 - make sure landing lights on.

HUMAN

Landing:  in dry grass etc etc etc.

TURN THE LIGHTS OFF AND DON'T START ANOTHER FIRE.

Sheesh!

Ain't rocket science.

They'll turn it into rocket science! Somebody will develop a system that that does some image processing and moisture measurements and feeds that data into some 'AI' processing neural network thingo that determines if the light should be off or on. Far better than a pilot operating a switch on the dash.

Its actually the big fire outside of Canberra. Started by a military chopper landing with search light on.

 

Long grass, dead dry, massive heat from light......bingo fire.

 

Agree, the 'night sun' search lights were known to be able to start a grass fire.

Well, I guess typical military.

Go in, "hot and fast, and make a mess of the place."

Sorry, but it just seems so mindless.   EVERYONE knows there is a SEVERE BUSHFIRE alert.   (EXTREME?)   they land a helicopter with a HOT search light in the middle of a DRY GRASS FIELD.

WHY on earth wouldn't you turn off the lights before landing?

 

They might have been off for the landing but were still extremely hot....

I guess it is academic now.

But I hope people will learn for future benefit.

It's simply a lack of understanding and training in the risks. Apparently the lights were turned on to assist with landing because of poor visibility.

But to not understand that the heat from those lights will set fire to dry grass is simply inexperience and a lack of education.

Just as people using angle grinders in the open, set fire to dry grass - and inside buildings, set fire to flammable items such as rags, inside workshops.

In my neck of the woods, if you use a gas axe or a grinder during repairs in a paddock, you're obliged to have a 1000L water tanker and pump on standby.

They must've had an onboard extinguisher on the chopper, surely? Why didn't they spray the fire with that as soon as it flared up? Those dry powder extinguishers are the ducks gonads, they'll snuff out decent-size fires.

Climate change

Military pilots turn on the landing light and anti-cols just prior to engine start and turn them off just after shutdown unless they are on NVGs.

It's a checklist thing, if they don't follow the checklist without prior approval they will get their arxe kicked.

On a flight line full of noisy things it's an indication that they are about to start up or are already running.

Some helis like Blackhawks can have both engines running and the rotor not yet turning, but will spool up real fast as soon as they release the rotor brake.

I'm actually quite surprised it would start a fire, they're just not that powerful.

These are not ordinary landing lights. Much more powerful to see through" whatever." Fog, smoke.  (as I understand it.). I'm used to NOT using strong white light for fog situations. Glare . Many landing lights get hot if you aren't moving much to cool them.  Nev

These are not ordinary landing lights. Much more powerful to see through" whatever." Fog, smoke.  (as I understand it.). I'm used to NOT using strong white light for fog situations. Glare . Many landing lights get hot if you aren't moving much to cool them.  Nev

 

I know what they are, most of the military helicopter light assemblies are almost identical.  They are operated using a button on the collective lever and have controllable direction.

The lense may get hot, which I guess may start a fire if the grass is up against it, but I would consider it unlikely.

Wondering if perhaps the pilot had his IR light (part of the same assembly) on inadvertently, I think it may get hotter and it is turned on and off by toggling the same switch.

Anyhow they have admitted to causing the fire. I can't see the direct light causing anything unless it's magnified (concentrated ) somehow.  Nev

I cringe when i see people pull of the road in their cars straight into long dry grass with a hot catalytic converter. In the current conditions it is risky. It seems too hard to find a gravel pull off or driveway when the phone rings.

 Very spot on Clinton. The convertor is red hot when you're on a highway. . Nev

I cringe when i see people pull of the road in their cars straight into long dry grass with a hot catalytic converter. In the current conditions it is risky. It seems too hard to find a gravel pull off or driveway when the phone rings.

 

I read about a cop a while ago that burned his patrol car that he left running over long dry grass while he was busy handing out tickets.

We've had some rain which has improved things somewhat, but I'm still seeing people ashing and flicking butts while driving around here. Morons.

I know what they are, most of the military helicopter light assemblies are almost identical.  They are operated using a button on the collective lever and have controllable direction.

 

The lense may get hot, which I guess may start a fire if the grass is up against it, but I would consider it unlikely.

 

Wondering if perhaps the pilot had his IR light (part of the same assembly) on inadvertently, I think it may get hotter and it is turned on and off by toggling the same switch.

 

My experience with IR suggests the opposite - IR systems need to be cool as possible because the heat would swamp the signal. The IR systems I have played with at work use nitrogen to cool the detectors to -200° C 

My experience with IR suggests the opposite - IR systems need to be cool as possible because the heat would swamp the signal. The IR systems I have played with at work use nitrogen to cool the detectors to -200° C 

 

The landing light on most of these helicopters has 3 segments. Two of them are normal white light, the third is an IR flood light. When doing a functional check, you can’t see whether or not it’s on, you stick your hand under it to feel the heat. 

I don’t think we are talking about the same thing. 

Would not a large military heli have fire suppressing gear on board and crew trained in its use.?

Sure take immediate action to save the machine.

but that fire must have started very small.

I posted this weeks ago. The military is great for blowing stuff up and killing people anything else and you ask them to do is something that is not in their job description. 

Would not a large military heli have fire suppressing gear on board and crew trained in its use.?

 

Sure take immediate action to save the machine.

 

but that fire must have started very small.

 

You might expect that someone might have noticed. 

That said, the pilots are also a cross section of society, and some of them aren’t as bright as you might hope. 

The main fire suppression is plumbed to the engine bays and there is one possibly two small handheld extinguishers on board. Perhaps by the time they pulled their head out of their checklist and noticed it, it was a bit bigger than ideal for small extinguisher. 

Apparently it burned the bottom of the chopper as well.

Defence has not admitted fault at all. They have said possibly. ie possibly done by the tooth fairy.

Typical weasel words to deflect liability. Same as live firing exercises that cause fires. Never ever admit actual blame.

Defence are a law to themselves and are never ever to blame, just ask them.

The wording used, is (the fire) "was likely caused by a landing light from an Army MRH-90 helicopter, while the aircraft was on the ground".

That wording, and the fact the underside of the chopper was damaged by fire, doesn't seem to leave much room to weasel out of anything.

The media is reporting on a widespread basis, "Defence admits to starting Namadji Park bushfire".

https://news.defence.gov.au/media/media-releases/orroral-valley-bushfire-update

"Operation Bushfire Relief's Lieutenant General Greg Bilton told reporters on Tuesday evening a Defence reconnaissance helicopter was believed to have started the fire.

He said the heat of the landing light likely started a grass fire under the chopper when it landed in the park, with the fire growing rapidly, and damaging the craft before it took off.

Lt Gen Bilton said Defence would be further investigating the cause of the fire, but had ceased use of that type of landing light in the meantime."