Helicopter 552

Duration:

5 minutes, 58 seconds

Helicopter-based firefighter crews, called "helitack," play a uniquely diverse role in supporting park operations.

 

Helicopter 552 has been an essential park of fire and search and rescue operations at Sequoia and Kings Canyon.

NPS Photo

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks have some of the steepest terrain found in North America. Because of this, the parks use an A Star (AS) 350 B3 helicopter to support fire as well as search and rescue missions. It is considered a high-altitude, high-performance aircraft.

The parks' Helitack crew is proficient in short haul, aerial firing, single skid, toe-in, and hover step exit/entry procedures.

For more information about working on our helitack crew, contact us.

Stats:
NWCG Type 3 Helicopter
Length: 42.45 feet (in service)
Height: 11 feet (in service)
Passengers: 5
Engine: Turbomeca Arriel 2 turbine engine
Take-off Power: 847 shp (shaft horsepower)
Weight Empty: 2,736 pounds
Standard Fuel Tank: 143 gallons
Water Bucket Capacity:144 gallons and 210 gallons
Cargo capacity extended with external cargo basket.