For training provider FlightSafety International, the good news is that the level of training activity in the China market “has remained consistent over the past 12 months,” according to executive vice president David Davenport. “Most of the industry has seen a bit of a cool off in the China corporate aviation market, and the delivery of new aircraft has cooled off.” But China-based companies that employ pilots, technicians and flight attendants understand the benefits of not just initial but ongoing training. “They get the best they can out of it,” he said.

The most recent FlightSafety simulator approval in Asia is a Sikorsky S-76C+ and S-76C++ Level D full-flight helicopter simulator installed in Singapore, at the Learning Center located in the ST Aerospace Academy at Seletar Aerospace Park. FlightSafety has also received approval to provide FAA Part 142 training at the Singapore Learning Center. The simulator is a FlightSafety FS1000 model equipped with FlightSafety’s Vital 1100 visual system, CrewView collimated glass mirror display and electric motion control loading and cueing.

There is space available at that facility for an additional simulator, although FlightSafety hasn’t selected the type yet, according to Davenport. The Singapore facility includes fixed-wing Airbus and Boeing simulators as well, similar to the setup in Hong Kong at the Cathay Pacific training facility, which houses a FlightSafety Gulfstream G550 full-flight simulator.

FlightSafety also offers training on Pratt & Whitney Canada (PWC) PT6A-series engines at the Singapore Learning Center, with other PWC engine types available on request. “We use actual engines in the facility,” he said. If an engine is not on-site and a customer needs training, FlightSafety can have the appropriate engine shipped to Singapore for the training session, he explained. PWC engine training is also available in Haikou (PT6A and PW100) and Brisbane, Australia (PT6A, PT6T, PT6A-67, PW206/207 and PW100).

Although FlightSafety simulators and training programs are available in Asia, most pilots travel to the company’s Learning Centers in the U.S. for initial and recurrent training, Davenport said. Typically these pilots will be trained under Chinese CAAC regulatory authority, which generally mirrors U.S. FAA requirements.

As FlightSafety expands in Asia, it usually opens a new facility with expatriate instructors from the U.S., then transitions to local talent, which is how the Hong Kong location was staffed. “The key to that is to ensure that the FlightSafety standards and culture are established right from the get go,” Davenport said. “If we don’t bring people in who understand how we do things from the beginning, it becomes a challenge downstream.” FlightSafety’s high standards, he added, “are what customers expect when they come for training, whether it’s in Hong Kong [or U.S. facilities], they expect the same type of treatment and standards and our dedication to the quality product that we provide to our customers.”

In Asia, Davenport said, “we are very active in that region and looking for additional locations.” Here at ABACE 2016, FlightSafety (Stand P521) will be demonstrating its online eLearning products in addition to spreading the word about simulator-based pilot training and technician and flight attendant training.

FlightSafety is celebrating its 65th anniversary during 2016, and the company has come a long way from its heritage developing training programs for the first purpose-built business aircraft launched by iconic companies such as Dassault, de Havilland, Grumman and Learjet.