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10 Tanker Air Carrier, N450AX |
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10 Tanker Air Carrier, N450AX is the first DC-10 modified to fight wildfires. It can carry up to 12,000 gallons of water.
10 Tanker Air Carrier returned to the Southern California Logisitics Airport at Victorville from its performance at the Paris Air Show on June 17.
This DC-10-10 carries McDonnell-Douglas construction number 46942. It was originally delivered to National Airlines as N69NA Betty on June 25, 1975. When National airlines merged with Pan Am on January 7, 1980, it was renamed Clipper Starlight. American Airlines bought it on November 5, 1983 and re-registered it as N161AA in April 1984. First Security Bank of Utah bought it in September 1984 and leased it back to American airlines. It was withdrawn from use and stored at Marana Airpark on April 11, 1994. Hawaiian airlines leased it on January 9, 1996. Omni Air International bought it on November 8, 1997. It was retired at Tulsa, Oklahoma on November 9, 1997. It arrived at Mojave on October 1, 2002. BC Aircraft Leasing of Las Vegas, Nevada acquired it on March 17, 2004. It demonstrated its water drop capabilities at the Paris Airshow in June.
Air tests of the water drop system were performed on May 6, 2004, September 24, 2004, April 18, 2005 and May 20, 2005.
10 Tanker Air Carrier at the Southern California Logisitics Airport at Victorville on July 9, 2005.
10 Tanker Air Carrier was sighted flying eastbound over Goleta at 10:36 A.M. on Thursday, August 11, 2005. Its test flights take it over Palmdale and Goleta to a test area off the California coast.
McDonnell-Douglas DC-10-10, N450AX 10 Tanker Air Carrier was sighted flying westbound over Goleta at an altitude of 12,000 feet at 7:32 A.M. on Friday, November 4.
Cross your eyes until the images line up to see 10 Tanker Air Carrier in 3-D.
McDonnell-Douglas DC-10-10, N450AX 10 Tanker Air Carrier was sighted flying westbound over Goleta at an altitude of 27,000 feet at 8:48 A.M. on Thursday, December 8.
McDonnell-Douglas DC-10-10, N450AX 10 Tanker Air Carrier was sighted flying westbound over Goleta at an altitude of 12,000 feet at 7:56 A.M. on Thursday, March 30.
The DC-10 tanker, 10 Tanker Air Carrier was sighted heading westbound over Goleta a few minutes after noon on Monday, July 30, 2007 on its second flight after striking trees on a fire fighting mission near Tehachapi on June 26. It flew from the Southern California Air Logistics Center at Victorville to the DINTY intersection, off the coast of southern California, and back. It suffered damage to the leading and traailing edge flaps on the left wing when it hit the trees. It made its first flight after the incident on Sunday, July 29.
About 50 minutes later it was sighted heading back to Victorville.
The Tea Fire started burning in the vicinity of the Tea Garden near Westmont College on the afternoon of Thursday, November 13. High winds drove the fire through the hills of Montecito and burned several dozen homes.
I was down at Cabrillo Beach Friday morning. There were a couple of Neptunes and an Orion orbiting overhead. There are a couple of Skycranes working the fire. The DC-10 showed up and made a few circuits over the city before dropping a long line of retardant. It was obscured by smoke from my position. The fixed wing tankers seem to have gone, leaving the Skycranes.
There wasn't much fire left in the populated areas. It was mostly up in hills above the city.
McSonnell-Douglas DC-10 N450AX Tanker 910 over Santa Barbara.
McSonnell-Douglas DC-10 N450AX Tanker 910 over Santa Barbara.
McSonnell-Douglas DC-10 N450AX Tanker 910 over Santa Barbara.
McSonnell-Douglas DC-10 N450AX Tanker 910 over Santa Barbara.
McSonnell-Douglas DC-10 N450AX Tanker 910 over Santa Barbara.
DC-10 Tanker 910
DC-10 Tanker 910
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