Returning for a refill
The aircraft in this picture (taken a few hours ago from our cabin) is working a fire that, in my estimation, is less that 5 miles West of Trouthaven (mile marker 20 on Rock Creek).
The pilot takes on water from Rock Creek, flies to the fire site, dumps the bucket, and then returns for another fill up. The round trip time is less that 5 minutes and the sound of the Helicopter fades as it gets further away, but never goes away entirely.
When I used to fly these beasts, we never flew faster than about 80 knots when carrying a sling load. If this practice holds, then this puts the fire about 3 miles away.
I have not smelled any smoke, nor has a fire incident been logged (as far as I can tell).
