Smokejumpers

This aircraft made history when it was used to drop the very first smokejumpers, Earl Cooley and Rufus Robinson, on an actual forest fire near Martin Creek MT. NC8112 was flown by Dick Johnson, brother of Johnson Flying Service owner, Bob Johnson. We have pictures of Dick Johnson’s log book noting this historical event from Fred Cooper with the National Museum of Forest Service History. The log book is now retained by Dick Komberec of Missoula MT. Dick Johnson’s log book called the event the Rock Pillar fire on Martin Creek. The National Museum of Forest Service History provided us with a picture of the historic event as well as other pictures of NC8112. Incidentally, the person usually credited with conceiving the idea of Smokejumpers was T. V. Pearson of the Forest Service’s Intermountain Region, in Ogden Utah in 1934. They developed and test equipment and tactics over a six year period.