[Fitzcarraldo]

These guys can hit anything...a few days at the fire near Rancho Cucamonga stories pilots were making drops and were returning "with branches on their wings".

[PhiKapMom]

The problem here they are explaining is the sheer drop that is on the south side of Rt 18 and their flying into that smoke -- we are not talking about a flat area at all. They need to come in from the south to north to drop their load that would throw it against the mountainside. They cannot come in from the south. Coming in from the north makes their loads overshoot the flames.

Have you been on Rim of the World drive? One side it is populated with small towns and the High School. On the south side, it goes almost straight down with very little shoulder on the side of HW 18 on the south.

They are able to drop fire retardent on the repeaters and area north of HW 18 which they are doing. The backfires seem to be taking care of the fires for now south of HW 18 at Rim of the World High School.