From the Introduction ... ' As prescribed fire became more widely understood and applied in the U.S. in the decades following World War II, forest managers routinely used aircraft for various purposes in prescribed fire operations. In the U.S., this most often was the helicopter, which in the early 1950's became more commonplace for close reconnaisance, crew and material transport, and other uses. Some pioneering helicopter aerial ignition efforts occurred in the early 1950's by dropping lit fusees and firing airborn flare pistols. We have progressed from those early halting and hazerdous days to today's relatively safe gelled-fuel helitorch.'