Mission
The official mission of the NDF is to conserve Nevada’s natural resources and communities through wildfire management and natural resource stewardship on public and private lands. The NDF aviation services area of responsibility is therefore the whole state of Nevada, encompassing most of the arid Great Basin that stretches east from the Sierra Nevada Mountains and on south to the edge of Las Vegas amid the Mohave Desert. There is always at least one helicopter on 10-minute standby, 24/7 all year long.
The NDF aviation services operates out of the Minden-Tahoe Airport south of Carson City in western Nevada. Currently the NDF has four full-time pilots, one “helitack” supervisor (the helicopter manager) and three full-time assistants. During the annual fire season that normally runs from June 1 through September, approximately 22 seasonal helitack crews join on. These crews are transported by helicopter to a wildfire to build fire lines and clear landing areas so rotorcraft can deliver firefighting supplies. These 22 crews also include two to four helicopter manager trainees. A helitack crew normally consists of one pilot, a helitack manager, and around six helitack firefighters, but it may vary depending on the nature of the mission.
Super Hueys
The backbone of the fleet consists of two UH-1H Hueys that have been drastically modified since 2006 to meet stringent requirements. The original Lycoming T53-L-13B (1,400 shp) turboshaft engines were replaced by the more powerful Lycoming T53-L-703 (1,800 shp) turboshaft engine that is also used in the Bell AH-1 Cobra gunship helicopter. Other modifications include BLR Aerospace’s “FastFin’” tail rotor enhancement and stability system to provide more stability during hover operations. This, together with tail boom strike kits and new composite main rotor blades, contributed to impressive improvements in control, fuel efficiency and safety. Other aircraft additions: GPS, a Garmin moving-map system, new gauges, and NAT NPX136 and Bendix King radios. Bubble windows allow a better view for dropping water. The UH-1Hs are affectionately called Super Hueys. One UH-1H Huey (403) left NDF service in 2019 to serve as a spare-part source and to make way for a new helicopter in the fleet.
68 Mar/Apr 2025
The backbone of the current fleet consists of two UH-1H Hueys that have been drastically modified since 2006 to meet stringent requirements. The original Lycoming T53-L-13B 1,400 shp turboshaft engines were replaced by the more powerful Lycoming T53-L-703 1,800 shp turboshaft engines, also used in the Bell AH-1 Cobra gunship helicopter.
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