Introduction
This comprehensive 2-day course program has been tailored for experienced auditors transitioning into EASA Flight Simulation Training Device (FSTD) Compliance Auditing.
As aviation training rapidly evolves, ensuring the absolute fidelity and regulatory compliance of Flight Simulation Training Devices (FSTD) is more critical than ever. This intensive, comprehensive 2-day course is meticulously tailored for experienced quality and compliance auditors ready to transition into, and master, the intricacies of EASA FSTD Compliance Auditing.
This program is designed to navigate the significant paradigm shift from legacy rigid device categories to the new, unified EASA CS-FSTD Issue 1 framework (effective July 2026). Throughout this course, you will gain the critical, hands-on skills required to evaluate the new FSTD Capability Signature (FCS), manage complex organizational requirements under Part-ORA, and integrate vital quality management systems.
Modern simulators are highly advanced digital environments. This course directly addresses contemporary auditing challenges, equipping you to confidently tackle “Configuration Drift,” validate Automated Qualification Testing (AQT), and audit civil aviation cybersecurity management systems under EASA Part-IS. Whether you are evaluating Master Qualification Test Guide (MQTG) plots, addressing software obsolescence, or assessing the integration of emerging technologies like Extended Reality (XR), this program empowers you to ensure that training devices continuously and safely replicate real-world aircraft operations.
Step into the next generation of aviation auditing and elevate your compliance oversight to the absolute highest EASA standards.
Who is the course for?
The course is designed for experienced quality and compliance auditors, aspiring lead auditors, and senior aviation professionals seeking to transition into or enhance their expertise in EASA Flight Simulation Training Device (FSTD) Compliance Auditing.
What is the Benefit of this Training – What will I learn?
a) To consider the fundamentals of an EASA compliant FSTD Compliance System together with the Key elements required to organize the Compliance Audit System processes to ensure continuous replication of the specific aircraft.
b) To re-enforce a comprehensive understanding of the new EASA CS-FSTD framework and the integration of the Management System under Part-ORA.
c) A detailed practical understanding of the high level and working level FSTD regulations including MQTG and Part-IS cybersecurity.
d) An essential element then of benefiting from this training is to focus on the issues, how they relate in our work place (such as configuration drift, defect management, and software auditing), and what we need to do to address them.
e) How to identify areas which need special attention and how to focus our efforts on making sure FSTD objective and subjective testing deliver in all relevant areas.
Detailed Content / Topics – The following Subjects will be addressed
Day 1
Regulatory Framework & The Management System Objective: Equip auditors with a deep understanding of the EASA CS-FSTD Issue 1 framework and the integration of the Management System under Part-ORA.
Session 1: The New EASA CS-FSTD Framework
- Transitioning from legacy rigid device categories to the unified EASA CS-FSTD Issue 1 framework (effective 10 July 2026, per ED Decision 2026/008/R).
- Understanding the FSTD Capability Signature (FCS), which defines a device’s capability by assigning fidelity levels across 14 standardized simulation features.
- Evaluating the four standardized feature fidelity levels: Specific (S), Representative (R), Generic (G), and None (N).
Session 2: Organizational Requirements (Part-ORA)
- Auditing the Management System and Compliance Monitoring Programme (CMP) to ensure continuous replication of the specific aircraft.
- Verifying the role and independence of the Compliance Monitoring Manager (CMM), ensuring they have direct access to the Accountable Manager and are not responsible for the daily maintenance of the simulator.
- Reviewing the overarching Quality Management System (QMS) and ensuring that the CQP (Continuing Qualification Program) maps directly to the operator’s approved training programs.
Session 3: Configuration Control & Defect Management
- Auditing configuration control systems under ORA.FSTD.110 and ORA.FSTD.230 to verify the replication of real-world fleet modifications, Airworthiness Directives (ADs), and Service Bulletins (SBs).
- Identifying “Configuration Drift,” a major compliance pitfall where the FSTD software falls out of sync with the physical aircraft fleet.
- Evaluating defect management processes, including the tracking of Allowable Deferred Defects (ADDs), defect closure rates, and the requirement for open defects to be promptly addressed.
Session 4: Engineering Justification & Documentation
- Auditing Statements of Justification (SOJs) under CS FSTD.QB.020, verifying that they detail how requirements are met, reference OEM sources, and explain mathematical models.
- Reviewing the Engineering Report (ER) to assess the simulation design basis and software modeling techniques.
- Validating the Validation Data Roadmap (VDR) to ensure it provides a complete matrix identifying data sources for all objective tests.
Day 2
Session 5: The Master Qualification Test Guide (MQTG)
- Verifying that the complete set of MQTG objective tests and subjective checks are run progressively in approximately equal three-monthly blocks over a 12-month period.
- Evaluating the use of Automated Qualification Testing (AQT) to eliminate manual errors and instantly flag out-of-tolerance software results.
- Auditing Root Cause Analysis (RCA) execution for out-of-tolerance MQTG plots, addressing the fundamental misconception that human factors is a root cause, ensuring investigations focus strictly on systemic software or data integration failures.
Session 6: Software Auditing & Cybersecurity (Part-IS)
- Addressing the “Black-Box” software dilemma and ensuring devices operate under legally acceptable temporary mitigations while awaiting proprietary OEM patches.
- Monitoring hardware obsolescence to prevent unapproved reverse-engineering that invalidates the CS-FSTD baseline.
- Auditing the Civil Aviation Information Security Management System (ca-ISMS) under EASA Part-IS to ensure the proactive management of cybersecurity risks, vulnerability detection, and secure transmission of OEM software patches.
Session 7: Audit Execution, Subjective Testing & Emerging Technologies Objective: Provide a practical guide on executing the audit, assessing subjective testing, and handling modern technological advancements.
FSTD Conformity Audit Execution:
– Executing the desktop review of the QMS manual, CQP, MQTG index, and previous Corrective and Preventive Actions (CAPAs).
– Conducting on-site physical inspections, including facility safety, flight deck layout against the fleet configuration, and on-board equipment currency.
– Conducting structured personnel interviews with engineering and maintenance staff to assess their understanding of QMS procedures and MQTG testing competency.
Subjective Testing & Evaluator Currency:
– Auditing the subjective testing phase, ensuring profiles test the edges of the operational envelope (e.g., stalls, UPRT) rather than just standard line routing.
– Ensuring Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) and Type Rating Examiners (TREs) maintain currency in actual aircraft to avoid “simulator-induced expectations” and grading against historical simulator quirks.
– Reviewing Instructor Operating Station (IOS) tools to ensure they provide real-time feedback on the FSTD validation envelope, flight control inputs, and operational load limits.
Session 8: Findings Classification & Emerging Tech Integration
- Classifying discrepancies into Level 1 (Major Non-Compliance), Level 2 (Minor Non-Compliance), or Observations, and enforcing strict timelines for RCA and rectification.
- Auditing the integration of emerging technologies like Extended Reality (XR) systems, ensuring they meet latency, head-tracking accuracy, and visual-to-physical spatial alignment standards.
- Reviewing Simulated Air Traffic Control Environments (SATCE) and evaluating how novel features are assessed against prescriptive CS-FSTD frameworks.
Target groups
Current Quality & Compliance Auditors.
Aspiring Lead Auditors transitioning into FSTD Compliance Auditing.
Senior Aviation Professionals seeking deeper EASA compliance understanding.
Pre-requisites
A background or understanding of Aviation Audit and EASA Quality Management Systems.
Learning Objectives
- To re-enforce a comprehensive understanding of the requirements for FSTD compliance auditing under Part-ORA and CS-FSTD Issue 1.
- To consider the fundamentals of a fully compliant FSTD auditing system together with the Key elements required to evaluate configuration drift, software modelling, and automated qualification testing.
- The intention of this training is not to tick the regulatory box but to identify the significant issues which need to be addressed in FSTD subjective and objective testing.
- To provide a review of the various steps contained within the audit process and to effectively classify FSTD discrepancies.
Certificate Wording
EASA Compliant Flight Simulation Training Device (FSTD) Compliance Auditing, CS-FSTD Issue 1 Framework, Part-ORA Management System Integration, MQTG Objective and Subjective Testing, Configuration Control, and Software Cybersecurity (Part-IS).
What do People Say about Sofema Aviation Services Training?
“The content of the course will be very useful for my future practices.”
“All my expectations are met.”
“The course really contributed to expanding my knowledge in that area.”
“The instructor really added up to me understanding the topic.”
“The presentation made the material so much more comprehensible.”
Duration
2 days Start at 09.00 and finish at 17.00, with appropriate refreshment breaks.
To register for this training, please email [email protected] or Call +359 2 821 08 06.
