The flying program at Aviation Nation 2016 included an impressive fire bombing demonstration by the big 10 Tanker Air Carrier McDonnell Douglas DC-10 and its Rockwell OV-10 Bronco spotting aircraft (a magnificent looking warbird in USMC markings). The DC-10 is one of the largest fire fighting aircraft in the world and you can imagine what a difference its 43,900 litre / 11,600 gallon retardant payload can make in the fight against a raging forest fire when it hits an area 15 metres / 50 feet wide for anywhere up to 1 kilometre / 0.66 miles in length (it can be dropped in one burst as displayed at Aviation Nation or split them in shorter drops as required)! This demonstration was particularly appreciated as they helped cool the air and the crowd off on the much warmer Sunday too!















What a nice portrayal of a drop and love the Bronco 🙂
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The Bronco is cool
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Great shots! They didn’t leave a lot of clearance between the Dc-10 retardant tank and the ground, did they?
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Thanks. It was a low display for sure but I have seen footage of them dropping retardant on fires in ravines at super low levels in California. Great pilots!
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That’s an impressive amount of retardant and can cover an enormous area.
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