The maneuver this DC-10 pulls off isn’t an easy one by any means. Jesse Peterson managed to capture the footage of the plane while on a hike.
In an effort to stop forest fire, the pilot positions the massive plane right down the ridge and continues to descend while dropping the fire retardant payload. The size and weight of the DC-10 doesn’t exactly help it be nimble, so this took some serious skill.
Here’s what Peterson had to say about it:
When on a hike to view the carnage a wildfire was taking on my hometown, I caught a fantastic clip of DC-10- dropping fire retardant in a treacherous ridge about to be enveloped in flames. Nobody wanted to come with me because of the steep trail and the inherent dangers of being close to a forest fire, so I was just up there alone. A very unique experience.
On the way up the steep trail, I watched many other planes pass over the burning ridge and drop retardant and water, and I was just hoping I was going to be able to see the DC-10 make it’s final pass of the day. It circled three times behind a smaller plane and dropped the retardant on the fourth.
