Foreign trips for mandatory flight simulator training may soon become a thing of the past as a new Rs 100 crore centre is going to come up in neighbouring Gurgaon. The Fly Sim Training Centre (FSTC), a joint venture of Sim Industries B V of the Netherland and Seven Hill Ventures Limited, will be commissioned by January 2012 in Gurgaon, FSTC CEO Vijay Kumar told reporters.

The Rs 100 crore centre, first-of-its-kind in northern India, will have the latest technology in terms of visual, acoustic, computerised and artificial feel to produce the real-time scenario encountered by pilots, he added.

FSTC will install six full flight simulators in three stages over a period of two years, of which the first three for Boeing 737 NG, Airbus 320 and ATR planes will be commissioned by January next year.

In the second stage, the centre will establish type rating training organisation (TRTO) under which new pilots shall be trained as per the DGCA guidelines to enable them to take DGCA certification examinations.

"Our aim is provide world-class simulator training at cheaper rates at home. The cost of training would be around USD 400-600 per hour," said Kumar, adding that it will provide the airlines to get their pilots trained at minimum expense and expand their business.

According to an estimate, one new aircraft needs 10 pilots, and the number of aircraft in India would be around 1,000 from present 400 in the next 10 years.

"Sim Industries B V Netherland would provide the latest simulator training technology. The company sees India as the biggest aviation market and is ready to invest in aviation infrastructure," Frank Uit Bogaard, CEO of Sim Industries B V Netherland, said.