DC 10 Firefighting Air Tanker Comes to Santa Maria Airport -
KCOY Santa Maria, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo - News  DC 10
Firefighting Air Tanker Comes to Santa Maria Airport  Posted:
Updated:  SANTA MARIA - In the national and regional fleet of
firefighting air tankers, the DC 10 is the biggest, baddest bird
in the sky.  "It really isn't limited by the size of it as much
as you would think", says DC 10 pilot Kevin Hopf, "at any given
air speed we are able to follow the smaller aircraft ahead us,
wherever they go we can go."  Once carrying as many as 350
passengers around the world, the inside of the hulking aircraft
has been cleared out for its new mission.  "We've lightened the
aircraft as much as we could", Hopf says, "that in itself
improves the performance of it, gives us much more
maneuverability, lighter aircraft always perform a little bit
better than the heavier ones."  Tanks beneath the fuselage carry
more than 11,500 gallons of fire retardant at one time.  "It can
drop it in as quick as five seco