CAA International Offers FSTD Capability Signature Readiness Course Ahead of EU Regulatory Transition

United Kingdom – CAA International (CAAi), the UK Civil Aviation Authority's independent technical cooperation arm, has launched an expert-led training course to prepare the industry for the FSTD Capability Signature (FCS) framework, introduced by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/781, which entered into force on 30 April 2026 with a two-year transition period making it applicable from 30 April 2028. The regulation represents the most fundamental change to European simulator qualification rules in over a decade, shifting from the established tool-to-task qualification model — where an FSTD's overall level determines what training it can deliver — to a task-to-tool approach where 14 specific features at four fidelity levels define a device's training capability, a change that will affect every FSTD operator, ATO, training device manufacturer, and national aviation authority in the EU and potentially the UK.

• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/781, dated 8 April 2026, introduces the FSTD Capability Signature framework based on the ICAO Doc 9625 Manual of Criteria for the Qualification of Flight Simulation Training Devices. The regulation entered into force on 30 April 2026 and becomes applicable on 30 April 2028 following a two-year transition period.
• The FCS framework defines a simulator's training fidelity through 14 specific features across four fidelity levels, replacing the traditional overall qualification type/level approach. This enables regulators and operators to match specific training tasks to the required simulator performance at a granular feature level.
• The framework covers FSTD general requirements, statements of justification, engineering reports, objective testing, and functional subjective testing, with new compliance obligations for both national aviation authorities and FSTD operators.
• The shift to a task-to-tool methodology is expected to allow greater flexibility in training delivery, expand the use of training devices beyond traditional full flight simulators — including fixed-base simulators and FTDs — and accelerate the adoption of new technologies such as virtual reality in regulatory-compliant training environments.
• CAAi's course is aimed at NAA FSTD technical and flight inspectors, FSTD operator compliance and technical managers, training device manufacturer QTG engineering staff, and pilot training program designers.
• The UK is also considering adoption of the FCS approach, which would extend the framework's impact beyond the EU to one of the world's largest simulator training markets.
• AFM previously reported on EASA's NPA 2020-15 proposals, which laid the groundwork for the FCS framework by examining opportunities for high-fidelity FTDs in type-specific flight crew training — a regulatory track that has now been formalised in the 2026/781 regulation.

Source: CAA International