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

RK Smithley/10Tanker

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Captain RK Smithley, a pilot flying McDonnell Douglas DC-10 widebody airliners converted into tanker planes for a New Mexico-based company called 10Tanker. The DC-10 is one of dozens of aircraft assisting in fighting the California wildfires near Los Angeles. His words have been edited for length and clarity.