Coulson Aviation's Chinook CH-47s Leaving Chile After Fire Season 2020/21
2021 forest fires ravage the Chilean countryside
Coulson Aviation aerial firefighting aircraft in Chile
Coulson Aviation’s four Chinook CH-47s have completed their summer contracts in Chile and are making their way home to North America.
Coulson Aviation teams were based in four air bases, providing support to several key regions within Chile impacted by wildfires. “This was an opportunity to integrate large aircraft into major fire operations within Chile and we look forward to continuing work collaboratively with our Chilean partners and customers in the coming seasons,” Mr. Coulson said.
Pesco’s senior management with one of Coulson Aviation’s Chinook CH-47 Aerial Firefighting Helicopters
Coulson partnered with Chile-based PESCO, which provided local management, logistics and facilities support to our teams.
“Coulson Aviation somos dueños de la flota de aviones privados más grande del mundo, lo que implica un enorme beneficio para nuestro país, y un avance muy significativo en lo que respecta a la lucha contra incendios aéreos en Chile.” - Administración PESCO
Paraphrased English translation:
Coulson Aviation operates one of the largest aerial firefighting fleets in the world, which provides a huge benefit for our country, and dramatically enhances our aerial fire fighting teams in Chile. - PESCO Management
This is the second Chilean firefighting season in a row for Coulson Aviation — helping their overseas partners conquer the massive challenges they face on a day-to-day basis during their summer firefighting seasons.
Various bases were used to fight the wildfires in Chile this 2020/2021 summer season.
English Translation: THANK YOU FOR PUTTING OUT THE FIRES
Coulson operated two separate contracts with Chilean plantation companies ARAUCO and CMPC. For the inaugural season, Coulson Aviation had four Chinook helitankers, a UH-60 Blackhawk, and a Citation 550 working in Chile’s major fire operations.
CMPC contracted two of the CH-47D Chinooks as part of their fire operations response capability, which were based in two air bases near Los Angeles, Chile.
ARAUCO contracted two CH-47D Chinooks and a Citation based in Concepcion and Talca. ARAUCO also sponsored an aerial night fire suppression (NVG) trial. The NVG trial was rescheduled due to Chile’s national COVID-19 restrictions.
Coulson Aviation was proud to support local employment in Chile, as many local pilots had lost their jobs domestically due to COVID 19. As a result, all missions were flown with an onboard Spanish-English pilot translator in the cockpit(s).
Coulson Aviation also established a strong COVID 19 protocol/plan to ensure teams could operate safely together in all operations, abiding by Chile’s regulations and lockdown rules.
Coulson Aviation would like to thank all of our Chilean partners for their ongoing commitment to safety-first firefighting missions. We are proud to bring our teams and technology to bear against the fires that threaten the Chilean people and their vibrant communities.
