Incredible footage of wide-bodied DC-10 tanker flying extremely low over the Catalina Mountain range to extinguish wildfire
- 4 years ago
Local resident Chris Admussen describes his footage:
"The Bighorn fire began in The Catalina Mountains surrounding Tucson Arizona as a result of a lightning strike on 6/5/20.The fire spread to 7000 acres over rough mountainous terrain threatening 800 homes. VLAT (very large air tankers) were called in to lay down a barrier of red fire retardant in an effort to slow the quickly spreading fire. The US Forest Service operates a fleet of DC-10 aircraft for type 1 incidents. It is rare to see this very large aircraft fly at 4000 feet above the ground, drop retardant, then power up to gain altitude. An amazing example of the risks pilots must take to fight this extreme weather event and protect the public."
"The Bighorn fire began in The Catalina Mountains surrounding Tucson Arizona as a result of a lightning strike on 6/5/20.The fire spread to 7000 acres over rough mountainous terrain threatening 800 homes. VLAT (very large air tankers) were called in to lay down a barrier of red fire retardant in an effort to slow the quickly spreading fire. The US Forest Service operates a fleet of DC-10 aircraft for type 1 incidents. It is rare to see this very large aircraft fly at 4000 feet above the ground, drop retardant, then power up to gain altitude. An amazing example of the risks pilots must take to fight this extreme weather event and protect the public."