Late on Sunday night, October 8, 2017, CHP officer/pilot Jan Sears was returning from a routine patrol in one of the department’s GippsAero GA-8 Airvan airplanes, when he spotted a faint flicker in the dark hills above the Napa Valley. He told his partner, Flight Officer Todd Labadie, that it might not be anything, but that they should fly over and take a look. Five minutes later, they were over the first flames of the massive northern California wildfires that California Gov. Brown called “one of the greatest tragedies California has ever faced.” Ten days later, the fires are still burning, 41 people have died, and over 5700 structures, mostly homes, have been destroyed.
In an interview on the Aviation News Talk podcast, Officer Sears describes the early hours of the fires and the work he and his partner and other CHP officers did in the air and on the ground to save lives. He also talks about the California Highway Patrol’s Air Operations Unit, the GippsAero GA-8 Airvan plane he was flying, and the sophisticated camera system onboard that sees through smoke and can identify addresses and license plates on the ground. He also talks about his career path, and the requirements for getting a job flying for CHP.
If you’ve never listened to the podcast before, this is the episode to start listening to! You can listen to Aviation News Talk in a variety of ways including from a desktop PC, an Apple iPhone or iPad, or an Android phone. Just click on any of these links to start listening to the show.
Afterwards, if you enjoy listening to the Aviation News Talk podcast and would like to help support the show, please visit the show’s Patreon page. On it, you’ll find many stories you can read about general aviation, including ones related to the current wildfires. Then, look along the right column of the page, choose a monthly dollar level of support, and sign up to become a supporting member of the show by contributing as little as $2/month by credit card.
And as always, if you're thinking of buying a Cirrus SR20 or SR22, or need training in one, please contact me! In mean time, fly safely, have fun and keep the blue side up!
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