Cancelled: Fighting Fires from the Sky

Cancelled

Due to the federal government shutdown, the National Air and Space Museum is cancelling the November Aviation Adventure Lecture. This lecture may be rescheduled at a future date.  

Advanced planning and logistics are needed for a successful program and the present shutdown prevents this work. Thank you for your understanding.

Discover how airplanes and helicopters can be used to fight wildfires

In January 2025, Southern California was besieged by multiple deadly and destructive wildfires. For a month, firefighters used a range of firefighting resources to battle massive fires, pushed by extreme winds, that leveled entire communities as they burned to the Pacific Ocean.

Aerial firefighting is a hazardous, yet critically necessary, part of the fire suppression response. While the January fires tested the limits of sophisticated aircraft, suppression tactics, and aerial crews, the successful legacy of this work is the result of over a century of curiosity and bold imagination.

Join us to explore the remarkable history of courage and innovation involved in aerial firefighting. Firefighters and historians with the Historical Society and Museum of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection will share stories from recent and past wildfires, and discuss how every major advancement—from the first experimental tanker drops to today's sophisticated aircraft and highly trained crews—began with wonder and a pioneering spirit, one daring flight at a time.   

Event Schedule

7 pm: After-hours access to some of the Museum's exhibitions, including some of our newest galleries (optional) 
8 pm: Panel discussion in the Lockheed Martin IMAX Theater