By Steve Geissinger
Inside Bay Area (California)
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Under orders from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a repaired jumbo-jetliner turned “supertanker” that required extensive repairs after a near crash has returned to fighting fires.
Skepticism about the converted DC-10, a 31-year-old retired American Airlines plane, swelled after the close call June 25, when it grazed treetops during a firestorm downdraft in Kern County.
The U.S. Forest Services refuses to use the plane, insisting that DC-10s are not suited for firefighting, but California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Aviation Chief Mike Padilla predicted Friday that the three-engine jumbo jet has a bright future.
“We love Tanker 910,” Padilla said. “It’s going to be part of everybody’s firefighting tool.”
Cal Fire, however, has modified its rules on using the plane. For one, it’s operational altitude has been raised by about 100 feet, to 400 feet.
After being cleared by government inspectors, the tanker has been making one-hour round trips in the last few days from its big base in Victorville to the “Zaca” forest fire. The wildfire has been burning since July 4 in the Los Padres National Forest in Santa Barbara County.
Chewing its way toward Ventura County, the blaze has burned through more than
143,000 acres, or nearly 224 square miles. Authorities have issued unhealthy air quality warnings in the region and warned that evacuations may be necessary in the Ojai area.
California reached agreement with the owner of Supertanker 910 in May to allow the state to have use of the plane for the next three summers at $5 million per fire season. In addition, the state pays $5,500 per hour while the plane is in use.
Cal Fire owns its own fleet of smaller, more agile, twin-engine S-2 turbo-prop tankers that it continues to fly. The state contracts for maintenance and flight.
The giant tanker, however, can drop a flood of 12,000 gallons of retardant in 8 seconds, 10 times the amount spewed from a single state S-2 air tanker.
The U.S. Forest Service has suffered a reduction in firefighting planes after crashes of aging military-surplus, turboprop aircraft, used as air tankers. It has no ready replacements. But the federal agency refused to certify the supertanker for use, citing the age and type of plane, even though the Federal Aviation Administration and Cal Fire disagreed.
Critics of jet-powered air tankers say the engines do not react quickly enough in conditions such as downdrafts to power their way out as quickly as the turbo-prop planes typically used by government agencies.
Tanker 910, based at the former George Air Force Base in Victorville, was jointly developed by Oklahoma-based Omni Air International and Cargo Conversions LLC in San Carlos. It is owned by 10 Tanker Air Carrier of Victorville.
The converted DC-10 supertanker, shown here fighting a San Bernardino County blaze last year, has been ordered back to action by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger after being put on standby following a near-crash and extensive repairs.
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