FAIRBANKS – Bureau of Land Management Alaska Fire Service (BLM AFS) Smokejumpers will take to the sky starting Thursday, April 5 in preparation for the upcoming fire season. Training jumps will occur through April and May, primarily between 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The tempo will increase May 9-11 with the addition of parachuted cargo drops, known as paracargo, at the Chena River Lakes Flood Control Project.

The Smokejumpers will be parachuting in four primary areas:
• Near Birch Hill on Fort Wainwright
• Chena River Lakes Flood Control Project
• 2.8 Mile Chena Hot Springs Road
• Nordale Road just north of Chena River Bridge

Smokejumpers will continue to use these jump spots for ongoing proficiency training through mid-September.

Pilots should check the Notices to Airmen (NOTAM) for information about smokejumper aircraft, and avoid flying over these areas while jumps and paracargo drops are taking place.[xyz-ihs snippet=”Adsense-responsive”]

  Alaska, blm, fairbanks, fire, service, smokejumper, training