19-year-old Montana pilot faces danger to fight California fires

MARIPOSA, Calif. — Ann Hansen is young, but she isn’t letting that stop her from living her dream, even if it is a dream fraught with danger.

Hansen, 19, was in Mariposa, California, over the last few weeks battling the Ferguson Fire — just not as a firefighter on the ground.

She is a co-pilot of a Sikorsky CH-54A Skycrane helicopter. Along with her captain, Gregg Deacon, she has been flying into dangerous areas near the fire and dropping water and retardant to douse the flames.

“At most times out here, people ask if I’m with my dad or grandpa,” said Hansen in an interview while stationed at the Mariposa Yosemite Airport recently. “I look young for my age, like I’m still in high school.”

https://helenair.com/news/state-and-regional/year-old-montana-pilot-faces-danger-to-fight-california-fires/article_c8215600-a69f-593e-8cbb-0eb4f908f9b3.html