Very large trial!

Victoria’s DC-10 aerial tanker trial

Following the disastrous Victorian ‘Black Saturday’ bushfires in February 2009, the Victorian state government called in a new weapon to fight what was forecast to be another extreme fire season in 2009/10. Fortunately the extreme conditions predicted didn’t eventuate, but the 10-Tanker Air Carrier DC-10 Very Large Aerial Tanker (VLAT) that was based at Avalon Airport from December to March generated huge levels of interest about what might be possible for fighting future large fires from the air in Australia.

The DC-10 tanker trial was brokered by Stawell-based AgFire Aviation which operates a fleet of AirTractor AT-802s on fire fighting and agricultural duties in western Victoria and the NSW Riverina. Managing Director Rob Boschen had been looking for ways to develop his business in recent years and had begun talking to 10-Tanker as far back as 2006 after he saw the potential to bring a VLAT out to Australia for the southern hemisphere fire season.