Effective use of a helicopter with a Bambi bucket firefighting system in Bulgaria

Abstract

The present paper studies the effectiveness of the use of the Mi-17 helicopter with a Bambi bucket firefighting system in operations against mountain and forest fires in the Republic of Bulgaria. It makes an analysis of the conditions under which it is used, on the basis of numerous publications about theoretical and experimental studies, including ones aimed at increasing the efficiency of using helicopters with other external hanging firefighting systems. The preparation and conduct of flying experiments with a Bambi bucket system have been made. They take into account the specifics of this system, the characteristics of the firefighting methods used in the Republic of Bulgaria, and the of country specific external factors. On the basis of the results of these studies, and by taking into consideration the flight safety requirements, recommendations have been made to improve the effectiveness of using a Bambi bucket firefighting system in Bulgaria.