Towering orange flames 100 feet tall. A billowing plume of thick black smoke. An aircraft engulfed in a blaze.
And it’s happening along Interstate 75 toward southern Punta Gorda, not far from the highway.
Don’t panic and don’t dial 911. It’s not a real emergency. In fact, this scene hasn’t even occurred yet.
But later this year, it will — and it will repeat itself with increasing frequency.
What you’ll be witnessing is aircraft firefighting training using a state-of-the-art simulator.
Newly installed at the Charlotte County Fire & EMS administration, fleet maintenance and training facility on Airport Road (behind the Charlotte County Jail and adjacent to the Cheney Brothers warehouse), this simulator is only the second one of its kind in the United States.