Shaft34

Never cared for the issued M9 during my time in. Much preferred my polymer 9s at the time (mostly SA XD or XDm). I ended up buying a new M9A3 about 6-9 years ago kind of on a whim. That gun completely changed my mind about the Beretta 92 in general. Straight Vertec grip, thinner grip panels, smoother trigger with lower weight hammer spring, extended mag release, dovetailed sights for more options, and the "G" version safety/decocker lever. Next 92 I got was a Langdon Tactical (LTT) modified M9 with most of those same improvements and then eventually my favorite version which is the LTT Elite 92. Night and day difference with a standard M9. Not going to argue it's the best pistol ever or should replace your favorite service or carry pistol, but it can be a damn good gun with the right upgrades. A lot of Beretta's more recent versions, such as the 92X, come standard with some of these upgrades. A few upgrades I'd recommend to make that M9 more enjoyable to shoot, similar to this Beretta Langdon M9 version that is no longer available, but provides good ideas to transform that M9 into a much better pistol: Beretta Langdon M9 9mm 15+1 Limited | SPEC0638A | 4.9" Barrel, 15+1 Rounds - Buds Gun Shop 1) LTT Ultra Thin VZ G10 grips or similar (helps with trigger reach and mag release use) VZ G10 Ultra-Thin LTT Grips - Langdon Tactical 2) 13 or 14 lb Chrome Silicon Hammer Spring from LTT (standard M9 is a 20# spring for example) Chrome Silicon Hammer Spring (12#, 13#, 14#, 16#) - Langdon Tactical 3) Beretta "G" Lever Safety/Decocker (The lever is spring loaded to return to the up, fire, position. No safety essentially, but allows the hammer to be decocked and treat it like a DA revolver) Beretta 92 G Model Conversion Kit - Langdon Tactical 4) Extended mag release 92 Oversized Steel Mag Button - Langdon Tactical For a bit more $$$ 5) LTT Trigger Job in a bag (it's about $180, but worth it) Trigger Job in a Bag - 92/96/M9 Series - Langdon Tactical The only pistols I shoot regularly these days are the 92s or Sig P320 Carry.

Coulson 737 Fireliner crashed in Western Australia yesterday during ops on a fire. Miraculously, both pilots survived with minor injuries. I know one of the pilots from being around the industry the past several years, so I’m especially glad it turned out this way, all things considered. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-02-07/wa-boeing-737-plane-crash/101939554

Not that I’m privy to or have heard about. It might be a topic with the higher up management, but they are pretty invested in the S-2 at this time. The 7 C-130s will supplement the S-2s once they get tanked. The S-2 fills a rather unique roll and I’m not sure if there is a comparable airframe out there. Either smaller and slower like a SEAT, or larger with a bigger footprint (2 crew, etc) like a Dash 8. Several of our bases are tight space wise and have short (4,000’) runways with DA issues.

I’ve become a real Beretta 92 fan over the past 5 years, but not in the classic factory configuration. My current favorite handgun is the 92 Elite LTT model with a trigger job. Essentially a M9A1 model with some key mods that make it awesome, but it probably won’t fill your desire for nostalgia if that’s your goal. I would recommend a few mods for any M9 to make it a much more pleasant shooting experience. LTT (Langdon Tactical) teamed with Beretta about five years ago to release a limited edition M9 LTT. This was a stock M9 commercial model with the following improvements: Florescent Orange Front Sight Dot Blacked out rear sight "G" Levers(De-cock only) "D" hammer spring(lighter trigger) LTT Exclusive slim VZ grips Steel trigger Oversize Mag Catch In addition, I’d add the LTT trigger job in a bag to the list of upgrades. These all turn a standard M9 into a much more enjoyable shooter without significantly changing the look of the pistol (pic attached). Just something to think about before buying a pistol you don’t really like and might not shoot much. It really changed my view of the 92. Link to the 92 Elite LTT https://langdontactical.com/92-elite-ltt-full-size/

Something to distract from the political discussions… https://fireaviation.com/2022/08/28/cal-fire-attaches-video-camera-to-air-tanker/ Mounted a GoPro to the bottom of my tanker this week and got a little fire yesterday to test it out. Just a short clip, but captures the essence of our Initial Attack mission here at CalFire. Direct and timely action to save structures and possibly lives!

They are definitely a big player in the industry and seem to be making a lot of moves in both fixed wing and rotary wing areas. The main large air tanker companies in no particular order are Coulson (C-130 & 737), Neptune (BAE-146), AeroFlite (RJ-85 & Scoopers), Erickson (MD-87), Bridger (Scoopers), and 10 Tanker (DC-10). There is also Airstrike with the P-3s and AirSpray possibly with a BAE 146, but both were in active this past season and I don't know their future status. Honestly, I'm a bit pigeon holed in my small CalFire world, so don't feel especially qualified to talk about the specifics of the other tanker outfits. Work with them on fires and meet people at bases during a big fire, but don't really have too much interaction outside of that. I've met several former mil pilots working in the industry and some might be lurking here, so they would be a better resource for specifics.

The CFPA has an Instagram account with some great pics and videos... CFPA (@californiafirepilotsassoc) • Instagram photos and videos

It varies from 10 min turns to up to an hour or more depending on how far the incident is from the nearest base. In the S-2, the basic pilot math is 1/3 the distance in minutes each way, so 30 miles away is 10 min or about 25 min turns including ground time. For state incidents, it's usually no more than 30 min due to the location of our bases, but for federal incidents the times can go way up if they are remote. Especially anything on the east side of the Sierras (i.e. Owens Valley) since we have to cross the Sierras for each trip. We had a couple fast moving fires within 5 miles of the base this year where it was straight up 10 min turn arounds including the 3 minutes to load. Think I did 19 drops in about 3.5 on the Hobbs. We had five S-2s on the first fire and pounded the shit out of it that afternoon. Next day, same thing on the second fire. Kept them both to reasonable size and they were done by the morning. We prefer to keep them under 10 acres, but sometimes that's just not in the cards, so beating them in one day with minimal structure loss is a win too. Now, the Scooper aircraft that use lakes can have extremely short turns if there's a useable water body nearby. But that's another subject... This pic is the first fire after only 20-25 minutes after initial report...explosive to say the least. Terrain and up canyon winds were fueling it. We held it on the ridge to the left and stopped it in the small valley center-right of the pic. View is basically from downwind leg at the airport. It's a fun and rewarding job when you get to make an impact and see results!

It’s never too early to start. There are several different options for work in the industry, such as being a Fed Lead Plane or Smokejumper pilot, Large Air Tanker companies, SEATs, and Air Attack. Flying for CalFire is just one part of this industry and honestly doesn’t work for everyone. When I retired early (15 years) I worked for a Pt 135 company flying Air Attack and charter for 3 years before I got on with CalFire. I learned a lot during those 3 years doing Air Attack about where I wanted to be long term.

Our maintainers at McClellan do a thorough inspection of the aircraft during the off season. Recently the state has installed a load monitoring sensor kit which should help find any issues early. I believe the Fed Contract tankers have been mandated to have a similar system for a number of years since the two wing failure incidents in 2002. I'm not sure of the specifics though. The state operated S-2s have the advantage of being designed from the start to operate entirely in the low altitude and carrier environment, so they are massively overbuilt. Also, The E and G models we fly now were all built in the '62 to '67 period and usually served only 5 years or so operationally before being parked at DM. That being said, they have been in use as air tankers for about 20 years now, so there are issues that pop up, but the state has been good about tackling those issues as they arise since they value the capability the S-2 brings in their model of wildland fire fighting. The S-2 has been the backbone of Californias tanker fleet since the mid 1970s, first with the radial S-2As and now with the converted turbine S-2Ts. Prior to that the mainstay was the TBM Avenger and a mix of Fed large tankers (DC-4, C-119, B-17, PB4Y, etc)

The California Fire Pilots Association (CFPA) has created an updated website with much more information than previously available. Some of which is the path to a career in fire aviation. Here is a link to the careers page: Careers | California Fire Pilots Association (calfirepilots.com) Also, this season a couple of our pilots participated in an episode of the Pilot to Pilot podcast. There is a wealth of knowledge for anyone interested in the topic. CalFire- Fighting Wild Fires by Air by Pilot to Pilot - Aviation Podcast (anchor.fm) Here's a badass photo of my fellow Columbia Air Attack Base tanker pilot Ken, saving some structures near Clear Lake last summer...

I forgot to mention the TruGlo TFX or TFO sights. These are fiber optic with tritium inserts. I have the TFOs on a couple pistols (green/yellow) and like them. The TFXs are improved TFOs and available for more models.

Target or Action shooting: Dawson Precision fiber optic front w/ serrated black rear Defensive shooting: Ameriglo Hackathorn or Spartan, Trijicon HDXR, or a fiber optic like above if you have a light mounted I’ve found I prefer a square notch rear, so I like the Ameriglos. The Trijicons have a u notch rear and are great sights. Might depend on what’s available for your particular handgun.

I really like shooting my SBRs in 5.56 and 300 AAC with suppressors. Still wear earpro, but eliminates the concussion. It is more complicated to get the correct barrel length and gas port size lined out. Subsonic 300 AAC or 9mm in an AR is awesome! If you’re doing shooting on private property with neighbors, I’d say it would be a good idea. Definitely reduces your noise signature. Even for super sonic rounds. Start with a rimfire and a multi use center fire, like an Omega 300 or Hybrid 46. Unless you want a pistol can, which I’d recommend something light and short. A .22 pistol is a blast to shoot suppressed. A 9mm with a 7”+ can is fun, but really changes the handling characteristics and isn’t practical for carrying.

This should get you started... http://wiki.calgunsfoundation.org/index.php?title=Moving_to_California_with_firearms I found Calguns.net to be very informative when I got stationed at Beale in ‘09. Things have changed quite a bit since I left though, so I don’t have current info to advise on.