In June of 1979, a firefighting plane plummeted from the skies over Idaho into the Selway River. This tragedy, representing one of the worst plane crashes in Idaho's history, was one of the most significant events in the storied history of the Gem State's firefighters. Drawing from an extensive treasure trove of research, author and former aerial firefighter Robert W. Sisk tells the story of the tragic airplane accident, as well as many other challenging wildland disasters. Fires covered in this book range from the infamous Mortar Creek Fire in Idaho to the deadly 2013 Yarnell Hill Fire in Arizona. Learn about the bravery of firefighters and smokejumpers in intimate detail using this wealth of informational stories gathered from government reports, maps, photographs, interview transcripts, and the author's own personal participation in fighting some of the intense fires.
About the Author
Robert W. Sisk is a retired professional helicopter pilot with 14,000 hours of flight time. Sisk is a combat veteran of the Vietnam War, having flown 1,059 combat hours while piloting assault helicopters. Of the 14,000 flight hours, over 5,000 hours were flown as an aerial firefighter battling wildfires in the US western and southwestern states, and the state of Alaska.
Previous literary works include the book Wings for the Valiant, as well as articles published in Soldier of Fortune magazine, Saga magazine, and Survive magazine.
Robert resides on a ranch in southwestern Idaho, where he enjoys his horses and rural living.