Pilot Episode

Our team briefly introduces themselves and how they got into flying and then goes to meet Paul Petersen, executive director of the United Aerial Firefighters Association and visits with the courageous pilot firefighters that flew their specially modified planes through the most hazardous conditions imaginable, to fight the Los Angeles wildfires.

Putting their own lives on the line every day, the firefighter pilots discuss their harrowing missions and give us tours of their amazing, water-carrying tanker aircraft, including Captain RK Smithley.

Captain Smithley flies one of the biggest tankers, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10, and he helped to drop more than 175,000 gallons of fire retardant during more than a dozen flights over the fires from 9 a.m. until dark.

We watch footage of their heroics from the fires as our heroes narrate their harrowing experiences of flying through the infernos of intense smoke, heat and fire as they battled these unprecedented conflagrations.

Then, each of our pilots gets the opportunity to fly in the air tankers with the pilot heroes who helped save the City of Angels.

Finally, our pilots join our heroes at ceremony with Karen Bass, Mayor of Los Angeles and Gavin Newson, Governor of California, for a ceremony honoring their bravery.

Interested in watching the Sizzle Reel?