Copyright 2006 The Press Enterprise, Inc.
All Rights Reserved 
 
By SONJA BJELLAND
The Press Enterprise (Riverside, CA.)

CORONA, Calif. — The helicopter hovered off the ground after crews attached the giant orange sack.

The Bell 407 retrieved 1,680 pounds of water from near Prado Dam on Wednesday, returned to the Corona Municipal Airport and doused the yellowed grass.

This was spring training for the Corona Police Department and its pilots who help fight fires as the temperatures rise and hills turn brown.

"We anticipate this year we'll be busy and help out," said Sgt. Neil Reynolds.

This year, the ride comes with more bells and whistles. New infrared and mapping devices will help fire planners better see how a wildfire grew and pick out hot spots, Reynolds said.

As the group prepares, pilots from Heli-Flite, a Riverside-based company the department contracts for training, reacclimatize their flying with the added weight.

To counter that payload, the helicopter's doors and some of its police equipment are removed when it is on fire assignments.

For practice, ground crews monitor each other putting the bucket on and pulling it off to make sure everyone does it right.

Next month, the group will practice again, having pilots draw water from an inflatable pool at the airport.

The helicopter doesn't stray more than 120 miles from Corona through a contract with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, so it fights fires locally.

Tim West pilots and maintains the helicopters as a mechanic for Heli-Flite and is training Corona police officers to become pilots. He appreciates the practice before the big dance.

"That's swinging on a pendulum," he said about the bucket. "On top of flying the aircraft, you have to fly the load."

They also have to consider changing winds, smoke and terrain.

That's what pilot Mark Watters loves about it.

"It requires all of your skill and all of your attention," he said after completing his test runs. "I guess that's what makes it fun."