Story ID: 
FlightSafety to open at Farnborough
By: Charles Alcock
Caption: FlightSafety International has started construction of its full-service learning center at Farnborough Airport, about a 45-minute drive from central London
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FlightSafety International has started construction of its full-service learning center at Farnborough Airport, about a 45-minute drive from central London. The facility, which is expected to open early next year, will have the capacity for 14 advanced flight simulators and provide associated interactive classrooms, high-tech training devices, pilot-briefing rooms and customer-service facilities. FSI’s Farnborough center had been originally announced as a 12-simulator-bay facility. The mix of flight simulators and programs is to be determined over the next several months. 
FlightSafety anticipates a rapid development of diverse JAA-approved training programs and simulators, thanks to the “comprehensive resources” of its simulator design and manufacturing assets in Tulsa, Okla., said a spokesman. 
The equipment to be installed will initially reflect the European and Middle East aircraft communities, a major factor in the selection of the Farnborough location. FlightSafety’s current European training activities are at Paris Le Bourget Airport, where it operates 14 flight simulators for business and regional aircraft. A Manchester Airport, UK location offers regional airline pilot training for ERJ-145/135 operators, as well as training for pilots of the Legacy, the business jet version of the ERJ-135. Both of those facilities will continue to operate. The Paris facility, as the European training center for Falcon operators, will continue to upgrade its Falcon business jet training facilities, FlightSafety said.