I'm a pilot fighting the CA wildfires from a tanker plane. Here's how we pull off maneuvers commercial aircraft wouldn't dare.
Briefly

"The DC-10 is a capable airframe for our size, at 420,000 pounds. We’re dropping 85,000 pounds of fire retardant on our target. It’s a very good airplane for what we’re doing - we’re the largest tool in the Forest Service’s arsenal because we’re the biggest tanker out here."
"This fire is unprecedented. In 10 years of doing this, I’ve never flown fire in the United States in January. Working fires in January usually means we’re in Australia, Mexico, and Chile."
Read at Business Insider
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