![A Blistering Inferno. A Whirling Tornado. A Shocking Crash](https://cdn.magzter.com/1357655529/1718864087/articles/x1ID2DCDF1720075921118/Aerial-firefighters-Wildfires-US-Forest-Service-FS3D.jpg)
BRAD BLOIS CAN VIVIDLY RECALL THE FIRST time he fought a wildfire from the air. He remembers the thick stench of smoke, the sound of chatter crackling through his radio, the physical vibrations of the other tankers nearby-a total sensory overload. "It was like drinking from a firehose," he says.
But he knew he'd made the right decision.
It was the spring of 2014, and a fire-likely ignited by sparks flung from railroad tracks-was tearing through a forest in Alberta, Canada. Blois had never worked as an aerial firefighter before.
Typically, on top of their training, new hires will fly as a copilot for their first few flights. Because Blois had significant flight experience, he started off as a captain immediately.
Blois, 49, began flying professionally in 1999. He spent the early years of his career picking up whatever seasonal flying opportunities came his way. First, he worked as a minnow trapper, which entailed flying a little Piper PA-8 Super Cub float plane-a "flying aquarium"-to small lakes dotted across northern Ontario, collecting bait fish that had been caught in traps overnight. He then became a pilot for commercial seaplane operators that primarily served sport-fishing lodges and Indigenous communities in the remote north. Later, he booked gigs flying to and from the Arctic and the Antarctic.
He first took up aerial firefighting a decade ago on the suggestion of his best friend, a fellow pilot named William Hilts. "It's the most fun you can have with your clothes on," Hilts had told him.
Pilot Brad Blois first began training as aerial firefighter in 2014.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der July - August 2024-Ausgabe von Popular Mechanics US.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der July - August 2024-Ausgabe von Popular Mechanics US.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
![The Obelisk– Lifeforms hiding in humans](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/2250/1739318/f7UcRuybi1720079239568/crp_Lifeforms-humans-anatomy-science-Stanford-University-RNA-guts-bacteria-obelisks-biological-entity-Mark-Peifer.jpg)
The Obelisk– Lifeforms hiding in humans
Scientists have just discovered new "lifeforms" inside our bodies. Tiny bits of RNA, smaller than a virus, colonize bacteria inside our mouths and guts and have the power to transfer information that can be read by a cell.
![After You Die, a Universe Eats Your Body](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/2250/1739318/UMkLBYMvz1720077923798/crp_Necrobiome-University-of-Tennessee-Forensic-Anthropology-Research-Facility-The-body-farm-Human-decomposition.jpg)
After You Die, a Universe Eats Your Body
Scientists are unraveling the secrets of the necrobiome the ecosystem that takes over our corpses after death.
![A Blistering Inferno. A Whirling Tornado. A Shocking Crash](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/2250/1739318/x1ID2DCDF1720075921118/crp_Aerial-firefighters-Wildfires-US-Forest-Service-FS3D.jpg)
A Blistering Inferno. A Whirling Tornado. A Shocking Crash
Aerial firefighters have always been a critical line of defense against raging wildfires. But increasingly extreme blazes and a horrific accident have many wondering how we'll adapt to fires of the future.
![Our New Moon Epoch](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/2250/1739318/9cYENwpph1720079873361/OUR-NEW-MOON-EPOCH.jpg)
Our New Moon Epoch
WHEN HUMANS GET INVOLVED IN places they weren't invited, things start to change. The Moon is no different.
![The Surprising Drama Behind the Decimal Point](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/2250/1739318/tKrVTqVym1720079694471/THE-SURPRISING-DRAMA-BEHIND-THE-DECIMAL-POINT.jpg)
The Surprising Drama Behind the Decimal Point
WHEN GERMAN MATHEMATICIAN Christopher Clavius introduced the world to the humble decimal point in 1593, he used it in one table, and never mentioned it or used it again.
![Rapid Evolution](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/2250/1739318/swYlbq4jH1720079514912/RAPID-EVOLUTION.jpg)
Rapid Evolution
ON APRIL 26, 1986, THE No. 4 reactor at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in northern Ukrainethen part of the Soviet Union-exploded, sending a massive plume of radiation into the sky. Nearly four decades later, the facility and much of the surrounding area remain uninhabited-by humans, at least.
![The First AntiShip Ballistic Missile Attack](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/2250/1739318/g9yijewZs1720079059069/THE-FIRST-ANTISHIP-BALLISTIC-MISSILE-ATTACK.jpg)
The First AntiShip Ballistic Missile Attack
HE U.S. NAVY DESTROYER MASON (DDG87) was wrapping up a mission rescuing a tanker from pirates in the Gulf of Aden when the situation sharply escalated. The ship's radar detected at least one-or possibly two-missiles moving toward its position at supersonic speeds, each loaded with well over a half ton of explosives.
![HOW TO GET STARTED SOLDERING](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/2250/1739318/vLBtQcBIu1720078528433/HOW-TO-GET-STARTED-SOLDERING.jpg)
HOW TO GET STARTED SOLDERING
Soldering is rapidly becoming the skill of a bygone era. Much like the ability to drive a car with a manual transmission, read a map, or write a check, younger generations are learning less about how to work with their hands-and it's time for that to change.
![SHARPENING YOUR TOOLS](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/2250/1739318/6wEM0DBFP1720077416786/SHARPENING-YOUR-TOOLS.jpg)
SHARPENING YOUR TOOLS
TOOLS LOSE THEIR EDGE AND BECOME DULL. That's a fact of their existence.
![CATALYTIC CONVERTER](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/2250/1739318/mUnDt-BYB1720076945898/CATALYTIC-CONVERTER.jpg)
CATALYTIC CONVERTER
THERE'S AN ARMY OF THIEVES COMING FOR YOUR