Nation’s largest firefighting planes to leave SoCal
The nation’s two largest firefighting planes are moving out of California.
The Riverside Press-Enterprise says the firm that owns them, 10 Tanker, will move its corporate headquarters from Victorville in Southern California to Caspar, Wyoming in the next month or two.
That’s about a two-hour flight for the converted DC-10s, each of which holds 11,600 gallons of fire retardant.
The planes were based at Victorville since 2005 but state budget problems prompted the end of an exclusive state contract. The owners are getting work with the U.S. Forest Service.
The planes will move around to where they’re needed. They’ll also continue to fight California fires under a “call when needed” state contract.
