DC-10 dropping on the Pawnee Fire in Lake County, California, June, 2018. The OV-10 lead plane, looking small by comparison, led the air tanker into the target and marked it with smoke. Screenshot from video by Jackie Sissel of ABC7.This is a very impressive video of a Very Large Air Tanker, a DC-10, dropping on the Pawnee Fire in Lake County, California in June, 2018. It was shot by Jackie Sissel of ABC7 and posted to Facebook by Wayne Freedman, also with ABC7.
The Pawnee Fire burned 15,000 acres in Lake County, California about a month before the Ranch fire, several miles to the west, burned 459,123 acres.
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Remember a little over a decade ago when the Fed’s and NASA teamed up to let the fire fighting community know, that VLATs where only useful on desert (flat or rolling) type fires? Cal Fire stepped to the “plate” with its aviation types and took the position of why not give the VLAT a try? Cal Fire has not lost its enthusiasm for aviation innovation and keeping fires small, i.e. 747.
Question is whether or not the new Governor and CalFire Chief are still excited about the VLAT as a platform. They should be, but hard to know…as a concerned property owner in the State, I know I always feel a sense of relief when the DC-10 floats above…
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