WACO, Texas (AP) — A 20,000 gallon supertanker plane that could be used to drop dispersant on the Gulf of Mexico to break up oil from a blown well has been doing test runs in Waco.
The Evergreen Supertanker 747 spent time at Texas State Technical College, the same airport where then-President George W. Bush would arrive on Air Force One to visit his nearby ranch.
The Waco Tribune-Herald reported Wednesday that the jet, which arrived last week, in at least one practice flight was just 100 feet above the runway and dropped water on a target.
Flight engineer Don Paulsen says the jet, owned by Oregon-based Evergreen International Aviation Inc., has been flown to Gulfport, Miss., for possible use by BP PLC.
BP leased the well that blew April 20, killing 11 workers, and sending millions of gallons of oil into the water.
