Published in The Herald Sun Friday 9 January 2026.

Elvis, the Erickson Air Crane helicopter used for bushfire suppression, may have long left the building. But Victorians are in safe hands as Christine flies into Essendon Fields to help protect the state during summer’s anticipated fire season.

Christine will be part of a 54-strong aerial firefighting fleet operating at airports across Victoria and will be based at Essendon Fields Airport. The Erickson Air Crane helicopter can carry up to 10,000 litres of water at a time.

Photo credits: Leo Cameron

Elvis, the nickname for the high-volume firebombing helicopter which has been a feature of past Victorian firefighting seasons has long been retired, but the name and orange livery is still synonymous with firefighting efforts.

Named after a stint at the Memphis Guard where cultural icon Presley lived, over the past decade Elvis has been replaced by a series of other Air Cranes operating in Victorian skies.

This year Essendon Fields will be home base for Air Crane Christine, arriving directly from Greece where it has been involved in fighting wildfires over the Greek fire season. Located just over 10km from Melbourne’s CBD, Essendon Fields Airport is home to Melbourne’s vital emergency services airwings. Nearly a third of aircraft movements at the airport are linked to emergency response.

Alongside Christine, several other firefighting aircraft will call Essendon Fields home over summer.

The Essendon Fields Airport based fire season fleet at a glance:

• FIREBIRD 308, an air attack, supervision and information-gathering helicopter, back at Essendon Fields for its fifth visit. The Firebird 308 has advanced technology including an infrared high-definition video camera, allowing real-time streaming to control centres to improve operational decision-making. It is crewed, operated and hangared by Microflite, a leading Victorian based aviation company contracted during fire seasons.
• BLACKHAWK EH-60L Helitack 345 has a 4250-litre tank. Its hover refill pump allows it to refill in just over a minute, in line with the Super Puma. When a body of water is located – either a dam, swimming pool, lake or ocean – a hose is lowered to skim the water to fill the tank. It will be crewed and operated by Touchdown Helicopters and hangared at Microflite.
• EUROCOPTER AS322L Super Puma Helitack 349, hangared at Microflite and crewed and operated by Kestrel Aviation. This will be its third season at Essendon Fields Airport. One of the most advanced fire-fighting aircraft in the world, it operates as part of the night fire aviation program. It can hold up to 4250 litres of water.

Essendon Fields General Manager of Aviation Jason Rainbird says Essendon Fields Airport is proud to be the home base for Victoria’s emergency service air wings and a key partner in the state’s fire response, and is honoured to host some of the most advanced aerial firefighting aircraft in the world.

“Our central location and proximity to Melbourne’s CBD give emergency crews the ability to respond quickly when every minute counts,” he says.

“More than 30 per cent of our aircraft movements are dedicated to emergency operations, from police operations to medical evacuations, organ transport or search and rescue missions.”

The most recent Australian Seasonal Bushfire Outlook warns of increased fire risk across south-west and western Victoria, including north central, east central, and south-west Gippsland due to underlying dryness.

Victorians are urged to prepare fire plans for their homes or travel destinations this summer.