Simcom Aviation Training is holding the grand opening of its newly constructed aviation training center this afternoon in Lake Nona, Florida, adjacent to Orlando International Airport (KMCO). The 95,000-sq-ft facility can accommodate up to 12 full-motion aircraft simulators and six non-motion devices.
Five CAE-manufactured full-motion simulators—one each for the Gulfstream G650, Bombardier Challenger 3500, and Embraer Phenom 300, and two for the Embraer Praetor 600—are already operational at the center. Those for the Pilatus PC-12 series 9, PC-12NG, and the Daher TBM 700, 850, and 940 have also been relocated to the new facility.
The Lake Nona complex features two customer lounges, digital classrooms and briefing rooms, and a 156-seat auditorium. According to Simcom, the center will conduct more than 10,000 annual training events at the new center. Customers attending courses at the Lake Nona Center can stay in downtown Lake Nona hotels and eat in nearby restaurants, which Simcom said are within easy walking distance.
“From the outset our goal was to create an environment where learning can thrive,” said Simcom president and CEO Eric Hinson. “The combination of our Lake Nona location, the design of our building, the technology and vision of our partners, and most importantly, our people, will provide customers with an unrivalled training experience.”
With the addition of Lake Nona, Simcom is now operating from four training centers—three in Orlando and one in Scottdale, Arizona. “We are building the aviation training company of the future,” said Hinson, “designed to meet the needs of everyone, from owner-pilots to large fleet operators.”