Over a month after departing from the USA, two of Coulson Aviation’s S-61T’s and the company’s CH-47, on its first international firefighting assignment departed Bolivia on October 17th.
Global Super Tanker Services LLC’s B747 also departed Bolivia on October 15th arriving back in the United States later the same day.
Coulson’s two aerial firefighting S-61T’s however, will move on directly to their next assignment. Both aircraft flying to Panama where they were loaded on a ship heading to Melbourne, Australia to begin work for the fire season in Victoria as Australia heads into its summer fire danger period.
Coulson, in a statement on the company’s facebook page said “A big thank you to the Bolivia Government for their support and professionalism in extinguishing the wildfires. This was humbling experience as we have made so many great friends within the communities we worked and value the friendship with the hard working Military and firefighters from around the world.”
On October 17th, Erickson Aircrane also posted on their social media accounts, images of three of the company’s S-64 Skycranes being loaded on a ship in Greece that will join Coulson’s assets, arriving in Melbourne, Australia to begin the company’s yearly contract of aerial firefighting.
One aircraft will then head to New South Wales, while the remaining two aircraft will operate in Victoria where the company last year lost an aircraft that crashed into a reservoir during firefighting operations. All crew in that incident escaped uninjured.
