From APATS to EATS: FSTD Regulation Moves Up the Training Agenda

The launch of a dedicated Flight Simulation Training Device Operator (FSTDO) Regulatory stream at APATS 2026 demonstrated the appetite for greater dialogue between regulators, operators, manufacturers and the wider simulation community, and put the changing regulatory landscape for flight simulation firmly on the agenda.

The first-time stream attracted a steady 50 plus participants, filling the room and exceeding the expectations of moderator Mark Dransfield, Independent FSTD Regulatory Consultant at flight simulation solutions provider SIM OPS.

“We knew it was needed but we didn’t know what to expect,” Dransfield said. “This was a really great start but it needs to continue.”

The discussions came at an important moment for the sector. Regulators internationally are considering how FSTD qualification needs to evolve to accommodate new technologies and a training environment increasingly focused on competency and the capabilities required to perform specific training tasks.

Central to the APATS conversation was the European Union Aviation Safety Agency’s (EASA) new FSTD Capability Signature (FCS) framework. FCS represents a significant move away from defining simulators primarily through traditional device types and qualification levels towards identifying what a device is actually capable of supporting in training.

For the Asia-Pacific region, the question is not simply how individual regulators respond to developments elsewhere, but whether the region can move towards greater regulatory alignment of its own.

Dransfield highlighted growing international momentum towards capability-based approaches, with European and other aviation authorities examining how regulation can keep pace with rapidly developing simulation technology.

Greater harmonisation could ultimately make FSTD qualifications more readily accepted across national borders, reduce duplication and provide a clearer route for introducing new training technologies.

The success of the inaugural stream means the conversation will return at APATS 2027 on 25–26 August, with regulatory participation and regional engagement expected to be an important focus.

Next Stop: EATS

Before then, the discussion moves to Europe.

At the European Airline Training Symposium (EATS) in Lisbon this 3-5 November, FCS will be the subject of a dedicated 75-minute session bringing together regulatory, operator and training perspectives.

A panel on 4 November, will examine what the transition to FCS means in practice, not only for regulation, but for decisions about training, simulator utilisation and investment.

Dransfield will set out the regulatory timeline and consider the implications of the framework for manufacturers, FSTD operators and regulators, followed by a moderated discussion.

Gilad Scherpf, Senior First Officer and Head of Training Development at Lufthansa Aviation Training, will look at FCS from an operator perspective, including how moving towards task capability could change traditional approaches to simulator allocation and investment.

Frederik Mohrmann, Industry Advisor at aviation training consultancy Areti One, will examine how FCS can be integrated with Competency-Based Training and Assessment (CBTA) and Evidence-Based Training (EBT), matching simulation fidelity more closely to the requirements of individual training tasks.

Finally, Ascanio Russo, Aircrew Standards & Implementation Section Manager at EASA, will set out the Agency’s vision for implementation, standardised oversight and international alignment.

Together, the speakers will move the conversation from what FCS is to what it could mean operationally: which device is required for which training task, how much fidelity is actually necessary, and how training organisations can make better use of an expanding range of simulation technologies.

That makes FCS about considerably more than a new regulatory framework. It raises fundamental questions about how the industry chooses its training tools and how regulators determine whether those tools are fit for purpose.

The packed room at APATS suggested these are questions the simulation community is ready to tackle.

Now the challenge is to keep regulators, operators, manufacturers and training organisations around the same table, at EATS this November, WATS in April 2027 in Orlando, Florida, and as the FSTDO Regulatory stream returns to APATS in 2027.