They are saying that heroes dwell amongst us.
They’re the invisible heroes. The quiet heroes. Those whose deeds go unnoticed.
One such hero is RK Smithley, an aerial firefighter with an outfit referred to as 10 Tanker Air Provider. I had the intense honor of sitting down with him just lately to speak about what he does every day. I’m optimistic he wouldn’t wish to be referred to as a hero, however in a really actual sense, he’s exactly that.
Based mostly in Albuquerque, New Mexico, 10 Tanker Air Provider operates a fleet of 4 DC-10 aerial firefighting plane, every modified into a really giant air tanker (VLAT) able to delivering 9,400 gallons of fireplace retardant to fight wildfires throughout the US and past. On the controls of one among these aerial giants is Captain RK Smithley, a veteran pilot whose journey from a small city in western Pennsylvania to the cockpit of a firefighting DC-10 is a story of ardour, precision, and goal.
With a profession spanning 25 years at World Airways, a stint in company aviation, and now 11 years with 10 Tanker, Smithley’s story is without doubt one of the most fascinating I’ve ever heard. I sat down with him to dive into his roots, the adrenaline-fueled world of aerial firefighting, and the distinctive challenges of flying a DC-10 over raging wildfires.
His account, wealthy with technical element and private anecdotes, paints a vivid image of life on the fireplace line. That is his story.
Smithley’s Background and His Journey into Hearth Aviation
AvGeekery: Are you able to inform us about your background and the place you’re from?
RK: I’m from Ligonier, just a little place 50 miles east of Pittsburgh, out in Pennsylvania’s Laurel Mountains. It’s a small city, the sort the place everyone is aware of your title. I don’t dwell in Albuquerque full-time; 10 Tanker flies its crews from their houses to wherever the airplanes are. I’d say half our guys dwell within the East, half within the West.
I dwell close to Bristol, Tennessee now, moved there a few 12 months in the past from the Atlanta space. I labored for World Airways out of Peachtree Metropolis, Georgia, for a few years. So I’m type of a Delta snob—million-miler standing, partly because of World Airways and partly 10 Tanker. We dwell wherever we would like, and when it’s time to work, we ebook our personal business flights, accommodations, and rental vehicles. No journey division right here; we do all of it ourselves.
AvGeekery: Are you able to stroll us by way of your aviation journey and the way you ended up at 10 Tanker?
RK: I’m an Embry-Riddle grad, Class of ’83, Aeronautical Science. Began at World Airways in ’89 and labored there for 25 years. World was the first service for army troop and cargo actions. It operated a fleet of DC-10s, MD-11s, and 747s. I began out within the DC-10, flew it for ten years, after which flew the MD-11 for 15 years. By no means obtained to the 747.
I feel we had 4 DC-10s after I joined World. I got here off the ten in 1999, however we operated them for one more 5-7 years. We had additionally taken on new MD-11s from Douglas, someday round ‘92 or ‘93. So we ended up with about 15 MD-11s and 4 747s. The 747s have been all freight. The MD-11s have been each passenger and cargo. The DC-10s have been combi DC-10-30s. Consider it or not, at varied factors within the 12 months, we’d convert them from passengers to cargo and cargo to passengers. I used to be all set to improve to the 747 as soon as World obtained a fifth one, but it surely ended up getting canceled, so I stayed on the MD-11.
When World folded in 2014, I grew to become chief pilot for a company 135 operation in Kennesaw, Georgia. They employed me to take them to 121. It was high-quality, the commute was nice –half-hour– however I wasn’t completely satisfied. An excessive amount of work, not sufficient pleasure.
Then, buddies of mine from World who’d joined 10 Tanker advised me about bombing fires from 250 toes at 170 miles an hour in a DC-10. I believed, “You’re kidding.” My substitute as chief pilot at World was already right here, and he offered me on it. Eleven years in the past, I joined 10 Tanker, and I haven’t seemed again.
A Day within the Lifetime of a DC-10 Aerial Firefighting Captain
AvGeekery: Take me by way of the method of being referred to as up for responsibility. How does that work?
RK: If it’s outdoors of a traditional shift, we’ll get the decision and deploy. Once more, we don’t have a journey division, so we make all of the preparations, from reserving flights to lodging and rental vehicles.
AvGeekery: So proper now, you’re at a lodge in Albuquerque, which is the place 10 Tanker is predicated. Inform me what a typical day seems like for you.
RK: We principally present up at a tanker base at no matter time they need us there—usually 0900, but when we’re working an lively fireplace, it could possibly be 0800 and even 0700 for what’s referred to as a marketing campaign fireplace, these huge blazes that cowl 1000’s and 1000’s of acres and burn for days on finish. The planning begins with a base briefing throughout the first hour of responsibility. They’ll cowl what’s occurring within the fireplace world, what they’re anticipating for the day, and the place the completely different belongings are situated—different tankers, leadplanes that information our drops, and air assault platforms, that are like ahead air controllers orbiting overhead, managing the airspace above the fireplace.
Our 4 DC-10 aerial firefighting plane at 10 Tanker are unfold out throughout the West. Proper now, for instance, there’s one in Pocatello, Idaho, one other in Moses Lake, Washington, a 3rd in Santa Maria, California, and mine’s right here in Albuquerque. We keep related with the opposite crews, chatting through textual content to present one another a heads-up on what we’re seeing on the market. Once we’re ordered to a fireplace, we ship emails to all flight crew members and administration, detailing the place we’re going, the place we’re at, and the place we’re anticipated to reload with extra retardant. There’s numerous communication occurring—it’s essential to maintain everybody within the loop.
Whereas we await the decision, the airplane sits prepared, and so does the flight crew—captain, copilot, and flight engineer. When the telephone rings, the bottom arms me, because the captain, a bit of paper—the dispatch order.
It’s obtained all the pieces we’d like: latitude and longitude coordinates, a descriptive location of the fireplace, and generally hazards like wires, cell towers, or windmills. It’ll observe if constructions are threatened or specifics in regards to the terrain, like once we have been working the Oak Ridge fireplace close to Gallup, New Mexico, which was technically simply throughout the border in Arizona, on Navajo Indian land. That element’s included, although it doesn’t change our strategy.
The order additionally has contact info and, most significantly, our working radio frequencies. It lists who’s been ordered to the fireplace—different tankers, leadplanes, air assault—although it’s not at all times a whole listing, so we’ll ask if we have to verify who’s on the market.
As soon as we get that paper, we head to the airplane and plug the coordinates into the navigation programs, which take 9 minutes to spool up and are available on-line. In the meantime, the bottom crew is loading 9,400 gallons of crimson retardant into the three exterior tanks on the stomach of the DC-10—what we name the “canoe.” That course of takes 15 to twenty minutes, relying on the bottom’s setup.
About 20 minutes after getting the order, we’re beginning engines and heading to the fireplace. From Albuquerque, we could possibly be dispatched anyplace. The opposite day, we have been working Oak Ridge close to Gallup, obtained again to base, and thunderstorms rolled in, parking us for a bit. When a climate hall opened, we have been prepared to return, however the base referred to as on the radio: “Hey, we’ve obtained a divert for you.” They despatched a brand new order, redirecting us to a fireplace simply south of Prescott, Arizona—a 50-minute flight a method.
One other instance: we just lately began a shift in Mesa, Arizona, working a fireplace close to St. George, Utah, reloading at Mesa Gateway. On the second run, they requested, “Do you may have gas to get to Pocatello?”
I mentioned, “Yeah, why?” They advised us to get well there—they have been achieved with us for the day.
Flexibility is all the pieces.
RK Smithley
I feel they have been spreading out the belongings since two DC-10 aerial firefighting plane have been already at Mesa, and so they needed one within the Nice Basin space. So, we spent one evening in Pocatello earlier than relocating to Albuquerque for the Oak Ridge fireplace. You by no means know the place you’ll find yourself at the beginning of the day, so we at all times carry our baggage with us. We’d not take a look at of the lodge, however the room’s empty, and our stuff’s on the airplane in case we’re relocated.
That’s the truth of this job—flexibility is all the pieces.
AvGeekery: You mentioned once you get dispatched, you get a listing of all confirmed belongings heading to the fireplace. What precisely do you search for?
RK: Most critically, we can not drop with out a leadplane, as DC-10s will not be preliminary assault certified—not like lighter tankers akin to MD-87s, C-130s, BA-146s, and RJ85s, which may drop with solely air assault oversight. We’re actively working to alter that, although. We performed intensive coaching in the course of the offseason to organize for preliminary assault certification for the DC-10.
For now, we depend on leadplanes, however preliminary assault air tankers can function with simply an air assault platform offering aerial supervision, speaking instantly with air assault about their goals. In the meantime, air assault coordinates with the incident commander on the bottom—if there’s one. On new fires, floor crews typically haven’t arrived but, so there’s nobody to coordinate with on the bottom.
The air assault platform, usually a Rockwell 690, orbits above the stack, although some operators have begun utilizing Pilatus PC-12s and even Citations. They handle the non permanent flight restriction (TFR) space, overseeing your entire operation. America Forest Service (USFS) makes use of KingAir 250 GTs for leadplanes, and CAL FIRE makes use of the OV-10 Bronco for each lead and air assault.
If neither the air assault nor the leadplane is airborne, we don’t launch. We coordinate with the bottom to make sure the lead is within the air, giving them a 10-minute head begin to the fireplace. Even when they’re on the bottom and say they’re getting ready to take off, we wait till they’re airborne—mechanical points may delay them, and we don’t wish to arrive first and waste gas circling. Our DC-10 exterior tank system will not be licensed to land loaded, not like many different tankers.
If we are able to’t drop, we’d must jettison the retardant safely—however provided that there’s no lead on the fireplace and no different close by fires with a leadplane we may divert to. So as soon as we’re airborne, we’d like full assurance that we are able to attain the fireplace and make the drop.
That’s why it’s essential to see these belongings listed on the dispatch sheet. In the event that they aren’t, we at all times verify the Lead is en path to the fireplace and the place they’re coming from, so we are able to coordinate our arrival time. It helps to know if there’ll be 4 different tankers and a bunch of S2s, particularly when working with CAL FIRE in California. If it’s going to be a busy fireplace with numerous plane—an actual gaggle—you would possibly add additional gas since you’ll doubtless be holding for some time earlier than your flip to drop.
Go-Time: Flying the Mission
AvGeekery: Who’s on board the plane with you on a mission?
RK: Our missions require a captain, a copilot, and a flight engineer. These will not be MD-10s. These are true DC-10s with a flight engineer.
AvGeekery: You’ve obtained your orders, you may have the asset sheet, you already know the place you’re going. Now it’s go-time. What’s it like flying a mission? Are you able to share a few of the particulars and what goes into making a drop occur?
RK: We enter the non permanent flight restriction (TFR) space—image a crimson circle on a map, like at a NASCAR race—at 170 knots, configured and slowed down. DC-10s aren’t preliminary assault certified, not like lighter tankers akin to MD-87s or C-130s, so we depend on a leadplane to information our drops.
At 12 miles out, we name: “Lead 7-5, Tanker 910, 12 east.” The lead assigns us an altitude, altimeter setting, and our place within the stack—perhaps we’re first, perhaps fifth. On busy fires, we’d maintain at an Preliminary Level (IP), 10 to twenty miles from the fireplace, named one thing like “Station IP” at 7,000 toes. We circle in left turns, listening to different plane on the radio, although heavy smoke can obscure them, so we lean on radio chatter for situational consciousness.
We monitor FM air-to-ground radios 50 to 60 miles out to gauge the fireplace’s tempo, selecting up altitudes and altimeter settings, permitting us to descend to the entry altitude earlier than arriving.
Air assault platforms—Rockwell 690s, Pilatus PC-12s, or generally Citations—orbit above in proper turns, appearing as ahead controllers, whereas we preserve left turns until cleared for a proper flip as a result of drop path. They coordinate with floor incident commanders, who not often converse to us instantly; directions circulate from the bottom to air assault, then to the leadplane, and eventually to us.
It’s a tightly choreographed course of. For marketing campaign fires—huge blazes spanning 1000’s of acres over days—an IP is normally established. For brand spanking new fires, there may not be one, so we maintain wherever directed till the lead is prepared.
As soon as cleared, the leadplane guides us, detailing the drop zone and hazards like energy strains, helicopter dip websites, or cell towers. Whereas we function at completely different altitudes than helicopters or smaller tankers like S2s or RJ-85s, our DC-10’s wake is important, so there’s a three-minute rule post-drop to let it dissipate, just like the five-mile spacing at main airports like Hartsfield for heavy in-trail spacing. The lead might carry out a “present me” run, flying low to mark the beginning and cease factors, a few thousand toes beneath us.
On the Oak Ridge fireplace close to Gallup, we have been V-ing off constructions for cover—laying a retardant line a method, circling again, and angling one other to kind a protecting V. I’ve made 5 – 6 runs from a single 9,400-gallon load, boxing in belongings like a cell tower or the Wilson Observatory above Ontario [California]. They’ll say, “Begin right here, cease at that two-track highway,” and our system permits exact “start-stop” drops.
The retardant is crimson so we are able to see earlier drops, letting us “tag” the tip of one other tanker’s line and prolong it—straight or angled—to construct partitions across the fireplace. We’re not extinguishing; we’re slowing the fireplace to present floor firefighters, who’ve the hardest job, an opportunity to regulate and extinguish it.
We’d drop in the identical space because the prior tanker or on the alternative aspect if their goal is full. We expect by way of the fireplace’s head, flanks, and heel for situational consciousness. My essential process is sustaining a constant altitude—say, 250 toes—at 147 knots with a 60,000-pound gas load for vary (one hour out, one again, one reserve). With 85,000 kilos of retardant exiting in as little as 5 seconds, it takes fixed elevator inputs and stabilizer trim to carry that altitude. A climb from 250 to 500 toes makes the road wispy, and the lead or air assault will name it out: “What the heck occurred to that?”
Protection ranges are tailor-made to terrain. On Oak Ridge, in Gallup’s excessive desert, we used a lighter setting for grass—round 700 gallons a second, protection degree three or 4—versus 950 gallons a second for heavy timber at degree six or eight, which shortens the road however ensures thicker coating.
We coordinate with the lead throughout their “present me” run: “At protection degree eight, we received’t attain that highway. Need a six?”
They could reply, “Yeah, six provides us 11 seconds to hit that time,” or stick to eight and let the subsequent tanker prolong.
It’s a mix of science, ways, and fixed communication to ship that retardant precisely the place it’s wanted, each time.
AvGeekery: What’s the method of getting ready and loading the fireplace retardant slurry onto the plane?
RK: Once we get a dispatch order, the very first thing we do is examine the gas load and the fireplace’s location to plan our strategy. The DC-10’s obtained some distinctive constraints that drive our selections.
For example, it’s not licensed to land with a load of retardant, and consider it or not, it’s additionally not licensed to pressurize with a load onboard.
So, we’re flying to the fireplace unpressurized, which limits our altitude. We usually function within the 11,000 to 13,000-foot vary if we have to clear mountains, utilizing supplemental oxygen. Since we don’t use full-face masks, we’re restricted to a most altitude of 18,000 toes with that setup. The DC-10 can’t pressurize till the load is gone. It simply wasn’t licensed to do this. As soon as it’s gone, you may go to FL280.
We even have a limitation the place we are able to’t certify RVSM [Reduced Vertical Separation Minimum], which caps us at 28,000 toes even after dropping, although we are able to climb that prime on the best way dwelling if wanted.
For an extended dispatch—say, a 500-mile journey—it generally makes extra sense to fly excessive and quick, empty, to avoid wasting gas, then land at a base nearer to the fireplace, refuel, and cargo the retardant there. That’s occurred thrice within the final week throughout our fleet.
Once we determine to load at a base, we verify the gas load—usually 60,000 kilos for a one-hour outbound leg, one-hour return, and an hour’s reserve—and guarantee it’s good for the mission. As soon as I, because the captain, give the go-ahead with “Yeah, you’re clear to load,” the bottom crew will get to work. They plug three-inch strains into every of the three separate tanks on the underside of the airplane—what we name the “canoe” hanging off the stomach.
These tanks maintain 9,400 gallons of retardant, and loading normally takes 15 to twenty minutes, relying on the bottom. As quickly because it’s achieved, we’re off and operating, prepared to go to the fireplace with a full load, unpressurized, and prepped for the drop. It’s a streamlined course of, however each choice—gas, altitude, load—ties into the mission’s calls for and the airplane’s distinctive setup.
The Guidelines and Laws of Hearth Aviation
AvGeekery: So that you’re on a six-day-on, one-day-off schedule. What does a typical shift seem like for you and your airplane?
RK: My shift is 11 days, then every week off, then one other 11. We’re coaching a brand new captain now to get us to 2 captains per airplane, with the hopes of reaching a two-week on, two off schedule. He’s a fireplace veteran, so we simply want to show him the DC-10. The airplane works six days, then will get a upkeep day for TLC. This contains tire and brake modifications, MEL gadgets, or deliberate inspections. The mechanics work actually laborious, and generally actually late, to maintain us flying, particularly throughout busy seasons with seven-day protection.
AvGeekery: What number of drops are you able to make in a day, and are there FAA time laws to which you need to adhere?
RK: We’re ruled by responsibility time and flight deadlines, type of like 121 operations in business aviation, however tailor-made to our distinctive mission. The utmost is a 14-hour responsibility day, and generally we push proper as much as that restrict. If we begin at seven or eight within the morning and go till darkish, we’re hitting that 14-hour mark.
The rule is we’ve to finish our drops by sundown plus half-hour, however we are able to fly again in full darkness to get again to base throughout the flight and responsibility time guidelines. That’s how we find yourself with some late nights.
Inside a 24-hour interval, we’re capped at eight hours of flight time. For the week, it’s a most of 36 flight hours over six days, and we generally get near that and even encroach on it. If we exceed these limits, there are compensatory measures—like additional relaxation—however that will get into particulars which are a bit too advanced. Primarily, we keep on with 36 hours in six days as our laborious restrict.
As for drops, the report for a DC-10 in a single day is 12, and let me inform you, that’s pushing it. It’s like Southwest turning 737s—quick, environment friendly, and just a little mind-blowing for an airplane this dimension. It’s nearly like a NASCAR pit cease in gradual movement, with a ton occurring.
We’re loading 9,400 gallons of retardant, fueling up, and the mechanics are doing the walk-around for us since we don’t convey steps to the airplane each run. They’re on the interphone, speaking the entire time, checking the plane so we don’t must climb out of the cockpit.
Probably the most I’ve personally achieved is 9 or ten drops in a day, and that’s solely attainable when the fireplace is shut, like half-hour or 30 miles away, say, the Cajon Cross fireplace, simply 18 miles from our San Bernardino base. You’re forwards and backwards, reloading nonstop, and people are tough days for the entire crew, mechanics included. No person will get a break.
Flying unpressurized provides to the problem. The airplane’s air-conditioned, however when it’s 100 levels on the bottom, it will get scorching, and that takes a toll. Mix that with the depth and adrenaline of fixed fireplace drops—flying low at 250 toes, 147 knots, banking laborious—it’s exhausting.
Avgeekery: And no flight attendants to convey you drinks or snacks, both!
RK: (laughing) Nope! However the bases do an incredible job of retaining us fed. We’ve obtained a cooler onboard with water, drinks, and snacks. They’ll toss lunches right into a five-gallon Residence Depot bucket, which we drop out the door and reel again up. Consider it or not, we’ve obtained a picnic desk strapped down on the primary deck, which is principally the identical as a gutted UPS or FedEx freighter with out the curler mats, the place we are able to sit for a couple of minutes, eat, and stretch our legs away from the cockpit. These transient moments assist, however on a 12-drop day, it’s relentless. You’re operating on fumes by the tip, but it surely’s what we do to get the job achieved.
The DC-10: An Outdated Gal, however a Nimble Beast
AvGeekery: Does the airplane deal with in a different way when loaded versus empty once you’re flying again at FL280?
RK: Oh yeah, you positively really feel the distinction, and it’s an enormous one. Once we’re loaded with 9,400 gallons of retardant, we’re at 420,000 kilos, which remains to be 160,000 kilos underneath the max gross weight of 572,000 I flew within the DC-10-30s at World Airways. That provides us an unbelievable power-to-weight ratio—higher than most air tankers on the market, perhaps besides the Sprint 8Q-400. All that thrust makes the DC-10 really feel alive, such as you’ve obtained energy to spare. Energy is life, you already know.
However to your level about altitude, we don’t typically fly excessive. For example, after a drop on the Arizona fireplace, we got here again at 17,500 toes VFR, heading northeast. We not often get into the flight ranges as a result of it takes numerous gas to climb up there, and we’ve to weigh that in opposition to the winds and the size of the flight.
If it’s an extended haul, positive, going increased would possibly give us a smoother journey and higher gas effectivity, however New Mexico and Arizona proper now? It’s fixed low-level turbulence from the warmth, and we’re dodging virga on a regular basis. On the Oak Ridge fireplace close to Gallup, we obtained beat up fairly good by the tough air. One time, we parked the airplane when the climate was closing in, and me and the trainee have been like, “We’re achieved.” Good name, too—winds have been gusting to 58 knots not lengthy after. It obtained unusual on the market.
The most important distinction in dealing with comes in the course of the mission itself. The DC-10 is an amazingly nimble airplane for its dimension, because of the vanguard slats—Douglas calls them slats, Boeing would name them vanguard flaps—and spoilers that assist us roll.
I’ve by no means flown a fighter, however a few of the movies you’ll see of us, we’re horsing this factor round like an enormous fighter jet. Image coming down the aspect of a mountain in a turning drop, on the tip of the spear, attempting to put retardant precisely the place the bottom crews want it. We’re not doing it for present, however generally the terrain calls for it. You’re yanking and banking laborious, evaluating escape routes—what if an engine quits?—as a result of a go-around is at all times an possibility.
There are locations we are able to’t get into, the place single-engine tankers or helicopters shine, however we are able to deal with most anything. We’re the most important software within the toolbox, delivering 9,400 gallons in comparison with a big air tanker’s 3,000. The air assault and leadplanes determine when to name within the VLAT, and we make it depend.
On the best way again, empty, the airplane feels lighter and extra responsive, however we don’t range velocity a lot—145 to 149 knots, normally 147, with a typical gas load of 60,000 kilos for vary: one hour out, one hour again, and an hour reserve to divert someplace like Roswell if Albuquerque’s weathered out. For the Arizona run, we added 8,000 kilos of gas for consolation with storms round. The lighter weight makes the airplane extra agile, however we’re nonetheless dodging turbulence and managing the mission’s calls for. It’s a special beast empty, however the DC-10’s energy and agility make it a pleasure to fly, loaded or not.
AvGeekery: With DC-10s fading from business use, is it laborious to get components for the ten Tanker fleet?
RK: Sure and no—it’s a combined bag. The excellent news is that the Air Drive’s choice to park their KC-10 fleet, which included 59 DC-10s, has been an actual boon for us at 10 Tanker. They’re beginning to launch components from these airframes, and we’ve already purchased engines from them.
I’ve obtained a few buddies out at Travis Air Drive Base in Sacramento who’ve been concerned with the KC-10s, and so they’ve confirmed the components have gotten accessible. FedEx’s DC-10 and MD-10 fleet is one other useful resource we faucet into. Actually, 10 Tanker is probably going going to purchase some KC-10s outright only for components.
I’ve heard the Air Drive is retaining round 20 KC-10s in operational prepared reserve, although I’m not sure of the precise quantity. That also leaves over 30 airframes accessible for us to tug structural components from, which has made elements extra plentiful than they was.
The cool factor about our fleet at 10 Tanker is that we’re flying a few of the final DC-10s ever constructed. Three of our 4 airplanes are 1987 and 1988 fashions, initially flown by Thai Airways, Japan Air System, and Northwest. The foundations of 10 Tanker have been rooted with Omni Worldwide, principal house owners out of Tulsa, who parked their DC-10s years in the past. These ended up turning into our tankers.
Our oldest chook, a 1975 mannequin, is what we name our vintage—an ex-Continental ship that began with Finnair—but it surely nonetheless flies and runs like a champ. These airframes are comparatively low-time, particularly in comparison with my days at World Airways, the place we’d log 250 hours a month. At 10 Tanker, we’re solely flying 250 to 400 hours a 12 months, although it’s intense, rigorous flying—low-level drops at 250 toes, yanking and banking laborious over fires. That type of work calls for thorough upkeep, and our low season inspections are not any joke.
Our mechanics…I can’t say sufficient about them. They’re the unsung heroes retaining these planes airworthy. When our fireplace season wraps up in November, they dive into heavy checks at bases like San Bernardino or generally Albuquerque.
This previous winter, Tanker 911 was in Oscoda, Michigan, at Kalitta for a C-check. These guys work year-round, not simply retaining the airplanes rolling in the course of the season however doing deep upkeep to prep for the subsequent 12 months. For instance, we obtained recalled to California in January—a particularly uncommon occasion—however our staff was prepared due to their meticulous low season work.
The airframe I’m flying now has about 70,000 hours, which, within the grand scheme, isn’t unhealthy for a DC-10. With the components provide from the KC-10s and our upkeep program, we’re good to go for some time longer, retaining these previous birds preventing fires with the very best of them.
The 2025 Los Angeles Fires
AvGeekery: Are you able to inform us about that January call-up to the devastating Los Angeles fires? How does that course of unfold once you get that surprising name?
RK: You’re at dwelling, perhaps visiting household or simply kicking again after New 12 months’s, doing no matter. Chief pilot sends out an e mail blast to all of the crews: “Hey, we obtained a brand new fireplace in L.A. or SoCal. We might have to ship one, two, or three airplanes—no matter we are able to handle.”
In January, it’s uncommon—solely the second time in 10 Tanker’s historical past we’ve flown within the U.S. that month, the final being round 2013 earlier than I joined. This time, we may solely ship two DC-10s as a result of the opposite two have been in heavy upkeep. One was fully torn aside in Oscoda, Michigan, and the opposite in San Bernardino was too deep into its checks to fly. However we had two birds in Victorville, simply coincidentally there for tank calibrations, in order that they have been able to go.
You begin mentally getting ready to go to Ontario to choose up an airplane.
Then the telephone rings, and Chief Pilot’s on the road: “Hey, are you able to go to Ontario and get Tanker 914 in Victorville? Get a crew collectively.” He’ll say, “I’ve obtained B and C lined up for copilot and flight engineer. You’re A, the captain. Coordinate with these two and let me know the way quickly you will get there.”
That’s the way it goes—you drop all the pieces, pack a bag, and begin heading west. For me, it was a little bit of a push. When the Chief Pilot first referred to as, I used to be like, “Eh, it’s simply after New 12 months’s. I don’t wish to go to work.” However he mentioned, “We may have two airplanes.” I advised him, “In the event you get the second airplane, I’ll go.” Positive sufficient, they wanted the second, so I went. Chief Pilot himself took the primary airplane, and I led the second.
It’s a scramble, but it surely’s what we do—roll with the punches to maneuver an airplane and assist individuals who want it, saving lives and property.
That SoCal mission was memorable, not simply because it was January, however due to the influence. These fires have been small by our requirements, about 12,000 acres in comparison with the 400,000-acre monsters I’ve labored. However they burned by way of 12,000 houses between the Palisades and the Eaton fires.
In our world, we get referred to as for fires as small as a pair thousand acres, so 12,000 isn’t large, however 12,000 houses? That’s huge. Flying over these black foundations, holding over what was individuals’s houses and, in some respects, their lives torn aside—it tears at you. It was probably the most poignant missions I’ve flown, not only for the city devastation however as a result of it was such an uncommon occasion for us to be on the market in January, one thing we’d solely achieved as soon as earlier than in firm historical past.
This type of speedy response isn’t new for us. We’ve obtained a world presence, too. For years, I flew to Australia throughout their summer time—our winter—for six years straight after I was new. We’ve achieved Chile in January or February, like two years in the past, and Mexico, flying out of Laredo, Texas, into the Sierra Madre Mountains south of Monterey, the 12 months earlier than that. These worldwide call-ups work a lot the identical: you get the phrase, you pack, you go. However that SoCal name in January? It stood out for its rarity and the emotional weight of seeing so many houses misplaced. It’s a reminder of why we do that—serving to individuals after they want it most.
So You Wish to be an Aerial Firefighter
AvGeekery: How does somebody get into aerial firefighting? What’s the journey like for somebody seeking to be a part of an outfit like 10 Tanker?
RK: Aerial firefighting is a tight-knit world, a membership—method smaller than World Airways, the place we had 500 pilots and crew. Right here at 10 Tanker, we’ve obtained simply 25 crew members, and throughout the entire nation, there are solely 35 large air tankers—BA-146s, C-130s, 737s, and our DC-10s–between the 4 completely different contract air tanker corporations. That’s not counting the smaller S2s and C-130s utilized by CAL FIRE.
It’s an unique group, and also you nearly must know any person to get your foot within the door. That’s how I obtained in. I knew two guys from World Airways who’d jumped to 10 Tanker, and with my 3,300 hours of DC-10 time, it was a pure match. They may educate me fireplace ways, however I already knew the airplane. It’s robust to show each fireplace and the plane from scratch, so that you want one piece to begin—both heavy jet expertise or fireplace data.
Take our new rent this 12 months, for instance. He flew Single Engine Airtankers, or SEATs, so he is aware of fireplace inside and outside–ways, lingo, procedures. He additionally flew a company 737, so he’s obtained jet time. We simply have to show him the DC-10.
On the flip aspect, after I joined, I used to be the alternative: a DC-10 man with zero clue about aerial firefighting. I’d been a volunteer floor firefighter at 16 in Pennsylvania, however aerial ways? No thought. It’s intensive—there’s a lot to consider.
After your first 12 months, you go to a college referred to as NAFA—Nationwide Aerial Firefighting Academy. It’s a three-level course the place you be taught the ways and lingo, and it actually opens your eyes. From there, you can begin working towards the left seat as a captain.
I made captain in my second 12 months as a result of they wanted me to, with my 3,300 hours within the DC-10, but it surely took time to be taught fireplace. Even now, 11 years in, I’ll hear one thing from a colleague and suppose, “Oh, I didn’t know that.” You’re at all times studying, identical to in 121 operations.
In the event you’re coming in contemporary, one path is flying air assault platforms, like a Rockwell 690, orbiting above the fireplace in holding patterns all day. Your right-seater, an aerial fireplace supervisor, doesn’t should be a pilot however handles comms with incident planners on the bottom. That’s a good way to be taught fireplace operations and construct expertise.
One other route is crop dusting—guys come out of Air Tractor AT-802s, both studying fireplace by way of that or bringing some fireplace data and studying the airplane. You’ve obtained to have a kind of items—fireplace expertise or heavy jet time—and figuring out somebody within the enterprise is sort of a should. It’s no secret, no discrimination; it’s simply the truth of a small area.
A few weeks in the past, at an airshow right here in Albuquerque, I used to be doing excursions of our plane when a man flying 737s for a serious airline got here as much as me. He thought aerial firefighting sounded unbelievable. And it’s, however you’ve obtained to have a screw unfastened to decide on this over the airways, the place you may make much more cash flying level A to level B, like driving a bus with wings. We’re not getting wealthy, however we’re properly taken care of.
The actual payoff is once you see a row of homes you saved—that’s a degree of accomplishment you may’t get flying passengers. It will get in your blood, identical to floor firefighting did for me as a second-generation volunteer firefighter in Pennsylvania. I did that for 16 years, and now I’ve come full circle with aerial firefighting. Aviation’s in my blood, too, so combining the 2? My blood’s fairly wealthy.
Our youngest captain is 27, and I’m pondering, “Why isn’t he at Delta, American, or Southwest?” He would possibly go there sometime, however he got here from flying air assault and determined he needed to fly a tanker. He’s getting it achieved. How lengthy will he keep? Who is aware of—perhaps he’ll retire at 60 or 65. We don’t have an age restrict; one among our lead pilots is 70.
You possibly can fly until you drop if you’d like, however I’ll inform you, this isn’t a recreation for previous guys. I’m an previous man myself, and it wears on you. Eight legs a day, and also you’re so beat you may barely eat on the lodge earlier than crashing, hoping for a bathe and a few sleep earlier than one other eight-legged tour tomorrow.
Youthful guys deal with it higher, however we old-timers nonetheless do it properly. It’s numerous work, and there’s numerous boredom too—sitting on the base for days, particularly early within the season, screwing round on Fb, studying books, or procuring on Amazon. Then the telephone rings, and your hair’s on fireplace. You’re transferring to the airplane, and by the tip of the day, you may be 5 states north.
It’s a special life-style—no epaulettes, no black plain-toed sneakers, no herding flight attendants. I put on a ten Tanker shirt, shorts, tennis sneakers, and a Nomex flight go well with, rising no matter facial hair I really feel like. It’s liberating, however man, it’s intense. As soon as firefighting and aviation get in your system, you don’t wish to depart. It’s a calling, and for many who need in, it’s about discovering that one piece—jet time or fireplace data—and making the proper connections to interrupt into this small, unbelievable world.
Aerial Firefighting is a Calling
AvGeekery: RK, it has been an absolute pleasure talking with you immediately. I discovered a lot, and I’m positive our readers will, too. Any closing ideas or memorable moments you’d prefer to share?
RK: My favourite hat says “Yankin’ and Bankin’”—a phrase I dropped throughout a TV interview just a few years again at a Salt Lake lodge, and a few people appreciated it a lot they made hats for it. That’s just about what we do in these DC-10s—yank and financial institution, horsing these large birds round like fighters to get the retardant the place it must go. We’re extremely proud at 10 Tanker to be the biggest software within the Forest Service’s arsenal, carrying 9,400 gallons per drop.
There’s a spot for each tanker on the market—single-engine air tractors, helicopters, lighter tankers just like the MD-87s or C-130s—however after they name us, we’re all in, it doesn’t matter what. Doesn’t matter if we’re in New Mexico, California, or midway throughout the globe in Australia or Chile. We’re devoted to the job, giving it all the pieces we’ve obtained.
What drives us is supporting the bottom firefighters. These guys and gals have the hardest, most essential job of all, battling the flames up shut. Our function is to assist them get a deal with on the fireplace, constructing these crimson retardant partitions to gradual it down and defend lives and property. That’s what it’s all about. This work will get in your blood, identical to floor firefighting did after I was a volunteer in Pennsylvania.
I wouldn’t commerce this work for something—it’s a calling, and I’m proud to be a part of it.
AvGeekery extends heartfelt because of Captain RK Smithley and your entire 10 Tanker Air Provider staff for granting us this insightful interview. We deeply admire your unwavering dedication and repair to defending lives and property throughout the nation.
To be taught extra about 10 Tanker, go to their web site at 10tanker.com.
