The body of a helicopter pilot who has braved many wildfires to assist fire agencies was returned to Redding Regional Airport with a hero’s welcome on Friday. Tony Sousa died August 6th. He was flying Cal-Fire Command over a Riverside County fire in a Bell 407 when he collided with a larger helicopter. Sousa perished along with two Cal-Fire personnel, Assistant Chief Josh Bischof and Captain Tim Rodriguez. Sousa’s body was greeted at Redding Regional Airport with bagpipes and a host of friends, family and colleagues from his employer, Air Shasta Rotor and Wing, as well as Cal-Fire, Redding Fire, other fire agencies and Redding Police, who provided an escort off the tarmac for the fallen pilot.