Preparing for the worst

Firefighting instructors turn up the heat in Melbourne

Aviation Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) personnel have been given the chance to experience tackling fires on large passenger aircraft with the opening of a new training facility at Melbourne Airport.

The centrepiece of the Learning Academy Hot Fire Training Ground is a full-size mock-up of an aircraft fuselage designed as a hybrid replica of the Airbus A380 and Boeing 767, with an elevated DC-10 engine to the rear for good measure. The imposing rust-coloured steel structure is 56 metres long by 29 metres wide by 10 metres high and rests on a 13,000 square metre concrete pad.