Second DC-10 to join Inland Empire firefighting fleetBy Wesley G. Hughes, staff writer, SB Sun
Article Launched: 06/21/2008 07:09:28 PM PDT
VICTORVILLE - Tanker 910 is going to have a stable-mate, maybe.
Owner 10 Tanker Corp., a private firm, is adding a second DC-10 to its fleet in July, Cal Fire Battalion Chief Bob Hill said Friday.
The big jet has already had a workout this month bombing the Humboldt Fire in the Oroville area. It made 14 drops totaling 168,000 gallons of retardant to quell the raging blaze, Hill said.
The 910's sister ship will be used on an on-call basis.
It hadn't been decided, Hill said, whether the new jet will be stationed at Victorville or a secondary station at the former McClellan Air Force Base near Sacramento.
The McClellan base was used during the Humboldt Fire. The 910 made its initial run from Victorville, dumped its 12,000 gallons of retardant on the fire, then flew to McClellan for another load of retardant.
The 910 is still the biggest tanker around, at least for a while, but a company named Evergreen is bringing a Boeing 747 online.
Second to the 910 in carrying capacity is Canada's Martin Mars, Hill said. It carries 7,000 gallons of water, which it scoops as it flies from the thousands of lakes dotting the Canadian wilderness.
The 910 is a pricey item for Cal Fire. It costs $41,000 a day to keep it ready, $5,000 for flight costs and retardant is about $2 per gallon. It carries enough fuel to fly anywhere in California and return. It holds 1,400 gallons and a recent price was $6.38 a gallon - or just a hair under $9,000. It takes about 30 minutes
for the 910 to get ready for its first flight but only 15 to 20 minutes for subsequent flights. Its crew is comprised of two pilots, both captains, and a flight engineer.
With heat and Santa Ana winds, San Bernardino and Los Angeles counties are on red flag alert, Hill said, but it was otherwise quiet.
"This is the boring part," he said.
wes.hughes@inlandnewspapers.com
