Misplaced Pages

#633366

32-917: The impetus for this unit occurred on July 9, 1953, when fifteen men were killed while fighting the Rattlesnake Fire , in the Alder Springs area of the Mendocino National Forest. The tragedy prompted forester to look for better ways of fighting fires. Joseph Ely was fighting a fire in the Angeles National Forest at the time of the Rattlesnake Fire. According to his son Frank, Joe became passionate about making firefighting safer for his men. The idea of dropping water from airplanes had been considered for many years and but no experiments had led to

64-475: A silicate in which some [SiO 4 ] units are replaced by [BO 4 ] centers, together with additional cations to compensate for the difference in valence states of Si(IV) and B(III). Because this substitution leads to imperfections, the material is slow to crystallise and forms a glass with low coefficient of thermal expansion , thus resistant to cracking when heated, unlike soda glass . Common borate salts include sodium metaborate (NaBO 2 ) and borax. Borax

96-496: A wood preservative or fungicide. Zinc borate is used as a flame retardant . Some borates with large anions and multiple cations, like K 2 Al 2 B 2 O 7 and Cs 3 Zn 6 B 9 O 21 have been considered for applications in nonlinear optics . Borate esters are organic compounds , which are conveniently prepared by the stoichiometric condensation reaction of boric acid with alcohols (or their chalcogen analogs ). Metal borate thin films have been grown by

128-417: A clay that swelled up and stuck better, and sometimes came down in a chunk instead of a spray. By the 1960s, a diammonium phosphate retardant was preferred. The thick slurry of water and retardants were slow to load into the planes, so Joe Ely found another solution with Wim Lely of Orland who manufactured specialized machinery. Lely built a machine that could mix 1000 gallons of retardant and pump it into

160-413: A definite factor is assisting ground crews in four fires, did not affect control in four, and were detrimental in one when a back fire was accidentally extinguished. In 1957, Forest Service aerial assets increased from seven air tankers to twenty-six, including eight surplus Forest Service-owned Grumman TBM Avenger torpedo bombers fitted with 400-gallon tanks. Larger and larger airplane models soon joined

192-952: A mixture of B(OH) 3 , [B(OH) 4 ] , [B 3 O 3 (OH) 4 ] , and [B 5 O 6 (OH) 4 ] . These ions, similarly to the complexed borates mentioned above, are more acidic than boric acid itself. As a result of this, the pH of a concentrated polyborate solution will increase more than expected when diluted with water. A number of metal borates are known. They can be obtained by treating boric acid or boron oxides with metal oxides. Some chemicals contain another anion in addition to borate. These include borate chlorides , borate carbonates , borate nitrates , borate sulfates , borate phosphates . More complex anions can be formed by condensing borate triangles or tetrahedra with other oxyanions to yield materials such as borosulfates , boroselenates , borotellurates , boroantimonates , borophosphates , or boroselenites . Borosilicate glass , also known as pyrex , can be viewed as

224-402: A mixture of both, can be used in borate fusion sample preparation of various samples for analysis by XRF , AAS , ICP-OES and ICP-MS . Borate fusion and energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry with polarized excitation have been used in the analysis of contaminated soils. Disodium octaborate tetrahydrate Na 2 B 8 O 13 ·4H 2 O (commonly abbreviated DOT) is used as

256-457: A series of fatal accidents. The California Division of Forestry took advantage of the Service’s offer to use the aerial tankers, before establishing their own squadrons in 1958. The U.S. Forest Service based their regional operations at Willows Airport until 1982. Larger aircraft required a longer runway, so operations were moved to Chico Municipal Airport ( Butte County ). On October 6, 2023

288-422: A series of tests comparing the effectiveness of water and retardant drops, utilizing Willows Airport and a location in the mountains of the Mendocino National Forest as the drop zones.  Ely used that study to establish the parameters of deploying those substances for fighting fires. Advances in logistics and techniques came quickly. The Forest Service learned to stage a water tender at a gravel or dirt strip near

320-399: A variety of techniques, including liquid-phase epitaxy (e.g. FeBO 3 , β-BaB 2 O 4 ), electron-beam evaporation (e.g. CrBO 3 , β-BaB 2 O 4 ), pulsed laser deposition (e.g. β-BaB 2 O 4 ,  Eu(BO 2 ) 3 ), and atomic layer deposition (ALD). Growth by ALD was achieved using precursors composed of the tris(pyrazolyl)borate ligand and either ozone or water as

352-403: A weak Brønsted acid , that is, a proton donor, with p K a ~ 9 . However, it more often acts as a Lewis acid , accepting an electron pair from a hydroxide ion produced by the water autoprotolysis : This reaction is very fast, with characteristic time less than 10 μs . Polymeric boron oxoanions are formed in aqueous solution of boric acid at pH 7–10 if the boron concentration

SECTION 10

#1732782531634

384-526: Is higher than about 0.025 mol/L. The best known of these is the tetraborate ion [B 4 O 7 ] , found in the mineral borax: Other anions observed in solution are triborate(1−) and pentaborate(1−), in equilibrium with boric acid and tetrahydroxyborate according to the following overall reactions: In the pH range 6.8 to 8.0, any alkali salts of "boric oxide" anions with general formula [B x O y (OH) z ](( q ) where 3 x + q = 2 y + z will eventually equilibrate in solution to

416-578: Is soluble in water, so mineral deposits only occur in places with very low rainfall. Extensive deposits were found in Death Valley and shipped with twenty-mule teams from 1883 to 1889. In 1925, deposits were found at Boron , California on the edge of the Mojave Desert . The Atacama Desert in Chile also contains mineable borate concentrations. Lithium metaborate , lithium tetraborate, or

448-620: The oxidant to deposit CaB 2 O 4 , SrB 2 O 4 , BaB 2 O 4 , Mn 3 (BO 3 ) 2 , and CoB 2 O 4 films. Borate anions are largely in the form of the undissociated acid in aqueous solution at physiological pH. No further metabolism occurs in either animals or plants. In animals, boric acid/borate salts are essentially completely absorbed following oral ingestion. Absorption occurs via inhalation, although quantitative data are unavailable. Limited data indicate that boric acid/salts are not absorbed through intact skin to any significant extent, although absorption occurs through skin that

480-637: The Inaja Fire in the Cleveland National Forest . Eleven firefighters were lost in that fire before the team was dispatched. Not completely trusting their aircraft compasses, flying to southern California meant visually following U.S. Highway 99 . In a study at the end of 1956, the MATS were found to have assisted in twenty-three Forest Service fires. Of those incidents, aircraft were a deciding factor in assuring control in fourteen fires,

512-1052: The Wikimedia System Administrators, please include the details below. Request from 172.68.168.226 via cp1108 cp1108, Varnish XID 228693231 Upstream caches: cp1108 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Thu, 28 Nov 2024 08:28:51 GMT Borate A borate is any of a range of boron oxyanions , anions containing boron and oxygen , such as orthoborate BO 3− 3 , metaborate BO − 2 , or tetraborate B 4 O 2− 7 ; or any salt of such anions, such as sodium metaborate , Na [BO 2 ] and borax (Na ) 2 [B 4 O 7 ] . The name also refers to esters of such anions, such as trimethyl borate B(OCH 3 ) 3 but they are alkoxides. Borate ions occur, alone or with other anions, in many borate and borosilicate minerals such as borax , boracite , ulexite (boronatrocalcite) and colemanite . Borates also occur in seawater, where they make an important contribution to

544-702: The Willows Airport was added to the National Register of Historic Places in recognition of the airport being the location of the first air tanker squadron in the United States. [REDACTED]  This article incorporates public domain material from National Register of Historic Places Registration Form (PDF) . United States Department of the Interior . Rattlesnake Fire Too Many Requests If you report this error to

576-615: The Willows area formed the Mendocino Air Tanker Squadron (MATS). In addition to Floyd,Vance and Dale Nolta, other early pilots were Harold Hendrickson and Frank Prentice of Willows, Ray Varney of Artois (Glenn County), L. H. McCurley of Corning ( Tehama County ), and Warren Bullock of Red Bluff (Tehama County). Willows Airport manager Lee Sherwood, who also owned an ag flying service, flew Ely or other Forest Service officers in an observation plane, referred to as

608-1152: The absorption of low frequency sound in seawater. Borates also occur in plants, including almost all fruits. The main borate anions are: In 1905, Burgess and Holt observed that fusing mixtures of boric oxide B 2 O 3 and sodium carbonate Na 2 CO 3 yielded on cooling two crystalline compounds with definite compositions, consistent with anhydrous borax Na 2 B 4 O 7 (which can be written Na 2 O·2B 2 O 3 ) and sodium octaborate Na 2 B 8 O 13 (which can be written Na 2 O·4B 2 O 3 ). Borate anions (and functional groups) consist of trigonal planar BO 3 and/or tetrahedral BO 4 structural units, joined together via shared oxygen atoms (corners) or atom pairs (edges) into larger clusters so as to construct various ions such as [B 2 O 5 ] , [B 3 O 8 ] , [B 4 O 12 ] , [B 5 O 6 (OH) 5 ] , [B 6 O 13 ] , etc. These anions may be cyclic or linear in structure, and can further polymerize into infinite chains, layers, and tridimensional frameworks. The terminal (unshared) oxygen atoms in

640-714: The borate anions may be capped with hydrogen atoms ( −OH ) or may carry a negative charge ( −O ). The planar BO 3 units may be stacked in the crystal lattice so as to have π-conjugated molecular orbitals , which often results in useful optical properties such as strong harmonics generation, birefringence , and UV transmission . Polymeric borate anions may have linear chains of 2, 3 or 4 trigonal BO 3 structural units, each sharing oxygen atoms with adjacent unit(s). as in LiBO 2 , contain chains of trigonal BO 3 structural units. Other anions contain cycles; for instance, NaBO 2 and KBO 2 contain

672-587: The cyclic [B 3 O 6 ] ion, consisting of a six-membered ring of alternating boron and oxygen atoms with one extra oxygen atom attached to each boron atom. The thermal expansion of crystalline borates is dominated by the fact that BO 3 and BO 4 polyhedra and rigid groups consisting of these polyhedra practically do not change their configuration and size upon heating, but sometimes rotate like hinges, which results in greatly anisotropic thermal expansion including linear negative expansion. In aqueous solution, boric acid B(OH) 3 can act as

SECTION 20

#1732782531634

704-704: The deadly Rattlesnake Fire, a letter was sent to the sixteen other national forests in California, as well as the California Division of Forestry ( CalFire ) stating, “Seven air tankers will be available for aerial assistance in fire control in the Northern California area during the months of August and September 1956… They will operate out of home airports at Willows, Corning and Red Bluff and are available to any fire control unit that wants them.” Ag flying involves accurate flying low over

736-409: The fight, including Grumman F7F Tigercat (800 gallons), Consolidated PBY Catalina (1000 gallons) and Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer (2000 gallons), Douglas DC-6 (2800 gallons) and Douglas B-26 Invader (1200 gallons), and Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress (1200 gallons) and Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter (5000 gallons.) North American B-25 Mitchell bombers, The latter was removed from the fleet after

768-595: The fire so the planes could quickly reload. Other pilots expressed an interest in becoming aerial firefighters. Ely later recalled, “Local pilots were quick to respond. Ag pilots were the last of the silk-scarf and leather-helmet boys and they would try anything that was exciting.” During the winter of 1955-56, Ely garnered support from the Forest Service regional office in San Francisco, including $ 4,000 to pay pilots for stand-by time. Eight ag pilots from

800-487: The plane over a controlled burn in a demonstration with Ely later documenting the moment, “…Vance came over low and pulled the rope and put out the fire. The air tanker was born." On August 13, 1955, Nolta dropped water to assist a crew on the Mendenhall Fire in the Mendocino National Forest. The Noltas, along with their brother Dale, assisted the Forest Service with other fires that season. In August, Ely conducted

832-483: The planes in minutes. Ely provided mixing machines and services to the Forest Service for many years. Ely later related that water drops were not sufficient in the arid California climate and credited the use of retardants as key to the effectiveness of aerial firefighting. The MATS fought twelve fires during their first month of operation and were soon flying all over California. Some of the biggest fires they fought in that first year were in southern California, including

864-412: The regular use of airplanes to drop water. Ely had the idea to use agriculture pilots who were adept at spraying liquids over crops. He approached Floyd H. Nolta , already an experienced and innovative agriculture and stunt pilot. Within one week, Nolta cut a hole in the bottom of his Boeing-Stearman 75 bi-plane and installed a 160-gallon tank with a hinged gate, a snap, and a pull. His brother Vance flew

896-415: The terrain to properly disperse seed or liquid in large flat areas where the only obstacles are trees and power lines. Drops over forest fires requires passes deep in canyons or above high ridges, everchanging treetop heights, smoke-filled air, and rapidly changing air currents. An N3N weighs about 2000 pounds, so dropping a load of water results in an immediate fifty percent decrease in weight. The rapid rise

928-400: The trees. The solution was to mix water with sodium calcium borate , producing a compound that made it to the ground with a melting point twice as high as the 900 degree ignition point of a forest fire. The white material stuck to brush and reflected heat, so it was employed on the flanks of fires to control spread. Sodium calcium borate was only utilized for a short time because, although it

960-508: The “Bird Dog.” The “Aerial Firewagons” were Boeing-Stearman Model 75 and Navy N3N biplanes. The squadron was based at the Willows-Glenn County Airport and operated out of Corning and Red Bluff as well to shorten the initial response times. At times, planes were dispatched to remote airfields to stand by during the day and returned to Willows in the evening. On July 12, 1956, three years and three days after

992-404: Was used to clear an approaching ridge or tree line. The original pilots learned how to fly in these conditions. Water drops were used to make it safer for ground crews. On hot days, even dropped at fifty feet, much of the water evaporated before it hit the ground, so the pilots chose to fly at five to ten feet above the treetops. The Forest Service wanted a safety margin of seventy-five feet above

Mendocino Air Tanker Squad - Misplaced Pages Continue

1024-522: Was white when it dropped, it quickly blended in with the vegetation so they could not see where it had been deployed. Borate also sterilized the soil so other compounds were found. The “Borate Bombers” nickname stuck. The Forest Service required that retardants, “had to be viscous and bright colored in order to use prior drops as a reference point, still provide fireproofing up to three days after being dropped and contain fertilizer to promote regrowth.” Those requirements led to compounds such as bentonite ,

#633366