That Airtanker 910 is an amazing piece of machinery

[KitchenWitch]

It is an old DC-10 that is converted for fire fighting. 12,000 gallons of fire retardant in one pass...

[Xenotime]

1. What is that stuff exactly? Does it hurt the environment?

[KitchenWitch]

2. See Wiki

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phos-Chek

[Xenotime]

3. learn something new everyday. Thanks

[eppur_se_muova]

10. Thanks! I'm a chemist, but I'm not too sure why that would be an effective retardant.

Must read some more on this.

[Webster Green]

4. Di-Ammonium Phosphate.

It's got high fertilizer value, but I don't know it's toxicity. I've had it sprayed on my gardens during a wildfire and stuff grew like crazy afterwards.

[eppur_se_muova]

5. Ever see the opening sequence of Spielberg's "Always" ? nt

[KitchenWitch]

6. No, I have not.

I will check it out.

[Capn Sunshine]

13. NOOOOOOOO

Don't do it! It's the worst movie ever!

[Wcross]

23. I really enjoyed "Always".

Of course I really enjoyed "A guy named Joe" which was the original movie, I also enjoy the writing of Ernest Gann who wrote the novel it was based on.

[joshcryer]

7. Wonder how they combat it sloshing around.

That's gotta be one heck of a ride.

[KitchenWitch]

8. I am sure that something has been engineered to handle that.

:wow:

[eppur_se_muova]

11. Baffles, as in rocket fuel tanks. nt

[joshcryer]

12. Ahh, gotcha. Yeah, makes sense.

Still, crazy stuff! And that fire retardant they're using looks nifty. :)

[bridgit]

9. that's big ju-ju...

:wow:

[KitchenWitch]

15. I just saw it in action live on our ABC affiliate.

:wow:

[Capn Sunshine]

14. Its amazing- the thing is SO LOUD

probably because they get so low; you rarely hear a DC 10 at treetop level.

[KitchenWitch]

16. I wonder if they play "Treetop Flyer" in the cockpit!

:P

[Spazito]

17. Here is another amazing aircraft that is on it's way to California...

it is the Martin Mars, here are it's specs:

* The world's largest scooping waterbomber with a 60,000 lb. payload (7,200 US gallons)
* 45+ years of experience in aerial fire suppression
* The world's best initial attack machine
* Sustained operations for up to 6 hours per sortie
* A system which also complements the use of long-term retardant
* A self-contained mobile unit
* Contractual or casual call-out services
* A safety record of 45+ accident-free years
* Sea or fresh water capability
* Two styles of drop systems - bottom or side
* Uses to drop gel, foam or water

Here's a couple of pics:





Here is a link to their website:

http://www.martinmars.com/firefighting.htm

[KitchenWitch]

20. OOOOH that is cool!

[OzarkDem]

21. Thanks, Canada!

Our neighbors to the north are always ready to help when we need them. I recall their quick response on 9-11, too. Often underappreciated by the US.

[TahitiNut]

24. Gotta love the scoops.

This is the Hawaii Mars ... being used in California now.

[blondeatlast]

18. That's amazing! Thanks for the pic. Hope you are well and praying for the best

for my SoCal neighbors.

[karlrschneider]

19. There are dozens like it sitting down in Tucson rotting away.

:eyes:

[KitchenWitch]

25. The priorities in this country have been soooo backward since Reagan.

x(

[msongs]

22. at least 6 federal fire fighting bombers unused outside CA today -

according to radio news reports, even as fires raged beyond control late sunday the feds made no effort to respond to requests to release the bombers to california.

now thanks to arnold the republican, we are gonna get bush instead of help.

Msongs

PS - also watched live shots of the dc 10 in action several times, didnt know it was designed for the stress of tight turns in low level flight.

[KitchenWitch]

26. Can't use money that could be funneled to fund the war, to take care of a domestic emergency!

evil evil cabal.