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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 It was withdrawn from use and stored at Marana Airpark on April 11, 1994.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.
You can buy a 2006 calendar featuring my photographs of Special Purpose Airplanes in Southern California.
Photos of a dozen special purpose airplanes taken in southern California in 2005.
Airplanes pictured include:
Department of Homeland Security Lockheed P-3B Airborne Early Warning Orion, N144CS, March Air Reserve Base, March 23, 2005;
NASA Airbus Super Guppy 201, N941NA, Boron, California, April 14, 2005;
Volga-Dnepr Antonov An-124-100 Ruslan, RA82704, Vandenberg Air Force Base, May 20, 2005;
McDonnell-Douglas DC-10-10, N450AX, 10 Tanker Air Carrier, Victorville, June 17, 2005;
Royal Australian Air Force Boeing 737-7ES Wedgetail, N378BC, Victorville, July 9, 2005;
Lockheed NP-3D Orion, BuNo 150522, VX-30 Bloodhounds, Naval Air Station Pt. Mugu, July 26, 2005;
Omega Tanker Boeing 707-321C, N707AR, Naval Air Station Pt. Mugu, July 27, 2005;
Scaled Composites Model 318 White Knight, N318SL, Mojave Airport, August 2. 2005;
Boeing 747-Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, N905NA, Space Shuttle Discovery, Edwards Air Force Base, August 19, 2005;
Dornier Do-24ATT, RP-C2403, Santa Barbara Airport, October 10, 2005;
McDonnell-Douglas NF-15B Eagle, NASA 837, Edwards Air Force Base, October 21, 2005;
Scaled Composites Model 281 Proteus, N281PR, Mojave Airport, December 10. 2005.
Put a copy of the Special Purpose Airplanes in Southern California: 2006 Calendar in your Lulu.com shopping cart for $13.95.
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