A second DC-10 air tanker has been activated. 10 Tanker Air Carrier received a call Thursday night asking the company to have Tanker 910 in Albuquerque by noon on Friday. It is scheduled to depart Southern California Logistics Airport (KVCV) at 10:00AM MDT and should arrive at Albuquerque at about 11:10 MDT.
The company’s other DC-10, Tanker 911, began working on a five-year exclusive use contract two weeks ago and in recent days has been dropping on fires in California, New Mexico, and Colorado. Wednesday and Thursday it assisted firefighters on the Royal Gorge and Black Forest Fires and was reloading at Pueblo, Colorado. Tanker 910 is working on a Call When Needed contract.
During one period last year both of the DC-10s were active at the same time, working for a while out of McClellan airport near Sacramento, California, and Boise, Idaho.
Tanker 910 visited Rapid City and other locations in April. Photos of the Rapid City visit are at Wildfire Today.
Both DC-10s, classified as Very Large Air Tankers, always carry 11,600 gallons of fire retardant, while most large Large Air Tankers carry between 2,000 and 3,000 gallons.
3 Comments
Is this quite possibly due to a “uptick” in two days ago activitivities?
Quote read from this site 12 Jun 2013 made by a famous USFS Chief!!!
Why isn’t the forest service using the 747 water tanker that holds 25 thousand gallons of water?
For WHY they are not using it the 20,000-gallon 747 you would have to ask them. But they did award a Call When Needed contract to Evergreen on June 14 for the aircraft which becomes effective July 1, 2013.
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