Aviation-Guide - Flipbook - Page 8
DC‑10
S P E C I F I C AT
IONS:
Original Owner
Originally delivered as a civil passenger plane to
National Airlines in 1975, it subsequently flew for Pan
Am, American Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines and Omni
International.
Acquiring/Contracting
Cruise Speed:
485 mph
Very Large Air Tanker “ VLAT”
Gallon Capacity:
In 2006, the aircraft was operated on a limited
evaluation contract from the State of California. In
2006, it was offered on a “call-when-needed” basis.
Governor Schwarzenegger authorized a contract for
exclusive use of the aircraft for the 2007-2009 fire
seasons.
9,400
Mission
Manufacturer
McDonnell Douglas
Crew
Pilot, Co-pilot and Flight
Engineer
The aircraft, operated by 10 Tanker Air Carrier, is
used for fighting wildfires, typically in rural settings.
The turbofan-powered craft carries up to 9,600
gallons of fire retardant in an exterior belly-mounted
tank, which can be released in eight seconds. It is
utilized in extended attack fires as it is limited in time
effectiveness for reloading fire retardant as well as
its need to reload and refuel at an appropriately
equipped aerial firefighting base (currently McClellan,
Castle, San Bernardino and Santa Maria are the
only bases in California serviceable for this large an
aircraft). One drop for the DC-10 is equivalent to 12
drops of an S2-T or a line of retardant that is 300 feet
wide by one mile in length.
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