Tanker 911 seen in action over a Californian fire a few days ago. '911' is a DC 10 firefighting tanker - a converted airliner carrying an external tank- used to drop fire retardant over high ridges in southern California. The DC 10 carries some 11,600 gallons per load. The company operating the DC 10s - 10 Tanker Air Carrier - claims the DC 10 can carry up to four times more retardant than any other firefighting aircraft. The 'tank' itself is positioned along the centre line, is V-shaped and gravity fed. 10 Tanker recently began an exclusive use contract with CalFire for the remainder of the 2016 fire season. Tanker 910 will be flying on the contract, and will be based near Sacramento at McClellan Air Park
