I ran across this photo that accompanied an article in The Examiner about a prescribed fire in Tasmania, Australia. The caption is as it appeared in the article. Can anyone explain what a “fire dragon” is? I’m thinking it must be an aerial ignition device, but I’m wondering why the helicopter is hovering instead of landing in order to apparently transfer a hand-held device between the two people in the photo.
It is a handheld control unit for the drip torch suspended beneath the helicopter. In the US, helitorches connect to the “nine pin” cannon plug beneath the helicopter. The Cannon plug is a contractual requirement and allows the pilot to operate the torch via a switch on the cyclic or collective.
Without a nine pin plug, the unit still requires power, but a separate operator must control the on/off function of the torch. The torch has such a short suspension line that the helicopter cannot land safely in uneven terrain without a high potential for damage to the torch or helicopter. Therefore, the ship must hover nearby and have the controller handed from the helicopter torch operator to a ground attendant to keep the fragile controller from being “jettisoned” out the door by the torch operator while refueling the torch.
I think that the rigging shown below the helo is attached to an unseen suspended mechanism that prevents a safe landing under the existing conditions. Perhaps it has been just clipped on for lofting prior to use.
Cameron sent us an email saying it might be this device, an aerial drip torch used in Victoria and Tasmainia. But I still wonder about the hovering maneuver.
And here is a link to a video shot in central Victoria that shows the aerial drip torch being attached to a very short lead line while the helicopter hovers. In this case the controller is hard-wired in the helicopter and does not have to be handed to a passenger while the ship hovers.
Likely this product: http://www.sei-ind.com/products/fire-ignition-products
Couldn’t hazard a guess on the second question, though.