SAN DIEGO -- Cal Fire historically has kept 95 percent of wildfires in the state to less than 10 acres, and that impressive stat is only possible with the help of its firefighting aircraft.

10News learned the process of battling a wildfire from above is more than just scooping up water and dumping it from a plane. It's scientific, calculated, dangerous and years of experience and months of training go into an aerial attack.

10News' Joe Little was given exclusive access during a training session for a new air tactical group supervisor. The air tactical group supervisor is responsible for everything that happens during an air assault on a wildfire.

Whenever there is a wildland fire, Cal Fire sends aircraft that may include helicopters and planes but always includes the air attack supervisor. They usually sit behind a pilot in a Vietnam-era OV-10 Bronco. For training, they use a refurbished military C-12 so there's room for an instructor and other students. The planes operate out of the Cal Fire Air Attack Base in Ramona.

Cal Fire Captain Steve Shoemaker is working on his certification as a supervisor and told 10News, "It helps that I've been on the ground because this whole aerial fire fighting is, I think, somewhat of a misnomer. We're really supporting the ground troops to make them more effective."

Cal Fire likens it to a military mission, but instead of dropping bombs to support ground troops, they drop water and retardant to support ground firefighters. But the supervisor's role is demanding.

A common misconception is the air attack supervisor is only a spotter, or someone who simply looks for fires.

"If you can't multi-task, this is not the job for you," said Fire Chief Ray Chaney, an instructor during this session.

The supervisor wears more hats than anyone else in a wildfire battle and that person has to know how fires behave. The person also has to be on the lookout for hazards like power lines, trees, buildings and mountains. Additionally, the supervisor acts as an air traffic controller, directing several other aircraft in concert with crews on the grounds. The supervisor also has to know about the plane he is in.

"You know, God forbid, I have a heart attack or something, Steve's going to have land this and get us home safe," said pilot Todd Deline.

The supervisor also has several voices chirping in his ear while juggling all of those tasks.

"We have six radios up here but we can listen to nine different frequencies and on larger fires you've got all nine of them talking to you at once," Deline said.