forestry firegeezer on 28 Jun 2007 07:00 am
DC-10 Air Tanker Grounded
THE FIRST JET AIRPLANE DESIGNED FOR forest fire tanker service has been temporarily grounded.
The DC-10, known as “Tanker 910,” raised some concern when it suddenly dropped 200 ft. and clipped some treetops while operating at a forest fire in Kern County, California. There was some damage to the wings.
The plane has never been certified for use by the U. S. Forest Service because of its age and hours. But the California Dept. of Forestry uses it for fires in State lands. The tanker, based in Victorville and developed by a private partnership based in San Carlos, Calif., and Oklahoma, is the nation’s only wide body equipped to fight fires. It made its debut in 2006 and was hired recently by CAL FIRE for an exclusive contract worth $15 million over three years.
James Quigg photo
The DC-10 can carry 12,000 gallons of water or fire retardant — 10 times the volume of the standard propeller planes that make up the bulk of California’s firefighting air fleet.
The San Francisco Chronicle has more HERE.
