SAO PAULO, Feb. 7, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Sim-Industries, a Lockheed Martin company, has opened its first South American flight training facility in Brazil. The Sim-Industries Brasil Sao Paulo Training Center provides academic and simulator instruction for pilots flying commercial passenger and cargo jets.

Pilots from GOL Linhas Aereas Inteligentes represent the inaugural class of airmen to train at the center. On Feb. 11, GOL pilots will begin academic training on the Boeing 737 and will progress to two dedicated simulators. The simulators are qualified at the highest classification, level D, which allows ground-based training to replace some of the live flight hours required for pilot certification.

Sim-Industries selected Sao Paulo as the location for its first South American training center to best support commercial airlines in the region. Just 10 km from the Congonhas Airport regional hub, Sim-Industries' three-story facility has capacity to train 335 pilots in 16 classrooms and six simulators. Training services are tailored for each airline and include initial and refresher pilot training.

"Brazil's talented pilots are focused on passenger and aircrew safety, and that priority serves as the foundation for our training center in Sao Paulo," said Paul Livingston, Chief Operating Officer for Sim-Industries. "With an immersive learning environment that allows pilots to move between the classroom and hands-on practice, they are prepared for every contingency."

The Sao Paulo center is the second fully-owned training facility established by Sim-Industries. The company also operates in Seoul, Korea.

Sim-Industries develops and manufactures full-motion and fixed-based civil aviation flight simulators for airline customers and independent pilot training centers worldwide. A market leader in commercial simulators for Boeing 737 and Airbus 320, Sim-Industries recently extended its product line with Airbus A330 and Boeing 767, 777 and 787 simulators. Sim-Industries is based in Sassenheim, the Netherlands.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs about 120,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services.  The Corporation's net sales for 2012 were $47.2 billion.

For additional information about Lockheed Martin and Sim-Industries, visit our websites: http://www.lockheedmartin.com and http://www.sim-industries.com

SOURCE Sim-Industries