Firefighting DC-10 Puts On A Low-Level Show!

The big tri-engine Douglas heavy does its thing on the front lines, and there’s real risk involved to everyone on site.

Friday, August 21, 2020 at 09:55 AM ET

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A DC-10 air tanker drops chemical fire retardant below Pilot Peak at the Rim Fire. U.S. Forest Service photo by Mike McMillan.

Key Takeaways:

The DC-10 Air Tanker 914 is a converted civilian airliner capable of deploying 11,600 gallons of fire suppressant to combat wildfires, often guided by a lead plane like a King Air for precision.
Classified as a V-LAT, these large tankers, modified by companies like 10 Tanker Air Carrier, can lay down suppressant lines up to a mile long, with five DC-10 tankers currently operational.
Despite appearing gentle, the fire retardant released from these tankers is powerful and can cause significant damage to people, vehicles, and structures.

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Before you watch, a heads up. There’s a DC-10 coming. The first plane is not it. The big guns are right behind it. And it’s really impressive.

DC-10 Air Tanker 914 from r/aviation

The lead plane you’ll see looks to be a King Air. Its job is to drop a visual line to help the firebomber hit the target dead on. The DC-10 here is a converted civilian airliner that can carry 11,600 gallons of fire suppressant. Classified along with a couple of other models as a V-LAT, the DC-10 is a big weapon to lay down a long line, up to a mile long, of suppressant. The one in this video is known as 914. It’s one of a small fleet of the planes modified into tankers by a Southern California company with the somewhat odd name of 10 Tanker Air Carrier. There are currently five DC-10 tankers operational.

What they put down looks like gentle rainfall, but it’s not. Retardant being released from a tanker can do major damage to people, vehicles and even structures. Check out this safety video for some eye-popping footage of an SUV getting destroyed by a smallish drop.