4 SMA'S WERE SUSPECTED OF FLYING THROUGH A FIRE RESTR AREA.

Narrative

FLYING FROM ANACONDA; MT; TO THOMSON FALLS; MT--FLT OF 4 EXPERIMENTAL BIPLANES ENRTE FROM OSHKOSH; WI; TO TACOMA; WA; AREA. AS A FLT OF 4; ONE MEMBER CALLED FSS FOR A BRIEFING THE EVENING OF AUG/XX/94; AND ASKED SPECIFICALLY ABOUT FOREST FIRE NOTAMS AND WAS TOLD THERE WERE NONE. THE NEXT MORNING; ANOTHER MEMBER CALLED THE ARPT OPERATOR AT THOMPSON FALLS TO ASK ABOUT FUEL AVAILABILITY. THE ARPT OPERATOR DIDN'T MENTION THE FIRE EITHER. WE DIDN'T SEE ANY CLOSE CALLS OR CONFLICTS AS WE PASSED THROUGH THE AREA IN JUST A FEW MINS. WE OBSERVED 2 HELIS AND LATER A 182 IN THE AREA. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 279045: ON A VFR FLT WITH 3 FRIENDS IN EXPERIMENTAL BI-PLANES; FLT OF 4; WE UNINTENTIONALLY FLEW THROUGH A RESTR FOREST FIRE AREA. WE SAW A COUPLE OF HELIS WORKING AND CLBED HIGHER AND STAYED TO THE SIDE OF THE CANYON WITH THE HELIS IN SIGHT AT ALL TIMES. I HAD CHKED WX AND ASKED FOR NOTAMS THE NIGHT BEFORE FROM LAUREL; MT; FROM GREAT FALLS FLT SVC. HE DID NOT GIVE ME ANY NOTICE OF THIS RESTR AREA. WE ALSO CALLED THE ARPT OPERATOR AT THOMPSON FALLS; 25 MI W OF THE FIRE; FOR HIS OPERATING HRS AND FUEL STATUS AND HE NEVER SAID ANYTHING ABOUT THE FIRE RESTR AREAS. HAD WE KNOWN; WE SURE WOULD NOT HAVE FLOWN THROUGH.