A fire suppression aircraft battling a wildland fire in northern Minnesota on Friday was reportedly struck by a bullet while scooping water from a lake.
“Battle” is usually meant figuratively when fighting wildfires.
Well, as far as damage locations go, it’s about as innocuous as you could hope for… Rear rudder, thankfully missing the actual control linkages. It just tore some aluminum, that’s all.
I wonder if the pilot was ex-military, I don’t think I’d recognize the sound of a bullet striking the plane. Though I would certainly also return to the airfield after a birdstrike, any impact is a hazard.
Sure was a dick move though… I mean to shoot at emergency response workers, they’re trying to save lives and homes.
Well, as far as damage locations go, it’s about as innocuous as you could hope for… Rear rudder, thankfully missing the actual control linkages. It just tore some aluminum, that’s all.
I wonder if the pilot was ex-military, I don’t think I’d recognize the sound of a bullet striking the plane. Though I would certainly also return to the airfield after a birdstrike, any impact is a hazard.
Sure was a dick move though… I mean to shoot at emergency response workers, they’re trying to save lives and homes.
It’s not even the first time. There was that time a year ago when a far right nutjob ambushed some firefighters and killed two of them.
Funny how the magats and their allies in the media didn’t make a big hoopla about that.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_Coeur_d'Alene_shooting
These water bomber pilots are flying some of the most precise manouvers on earth. It would be fairly safe to bet all have flown in the service.