Simulator Technical Issues Group (STIG) Meeting 

Part 60 NPRM Questions from Industry 

August 20, 2014 

Attended by (FAA): Larry McDonald, Jim Knezevich, and Scott Goccia 

Attended by (non-FAA): Multiple STIG member organizations including representatives from 

several part 121 airlines, part 142 training centers, aircraft manufacturers, simulator manufacturers, 

and simulator data providers. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) also had a staff 

member present. 

Meeting Summary: The Simulator Technical Issues Group (STIG) is a joint industry/FAA group of 

organizations that meet twice annually with representatives of the FAA National Simulator Program 

(NSP) to discuss technical and regulatory topics concerning flight simulation training devices. The 

STIG group is organized by the industry group, Airlines for America (A4A) and has been meeting on 

a regular basis for many years. 

Due to the recently release of the part 60 NPRM, the STIG called a special meeting with its members 

to conduct a joint discussion and review of the NPRM. The STIG chairperson requested that the FAA 

attend the meeting for a short period of time to be available for questions from its members. The 

STIG chairperson was advised that the FAA was limited in what could be discussed due to the open 

comment period, but agreed to answer questions where we could. We agreed that any discussion had 

to limited to what information was available on the public docket, the FAA could not speculate on 

what will be in the final rule, and that any comments/questions would have to also be submitted to the 

public docket for formal considerations in the final rule. 

The FAA representatives opened up the session by presenting an overview of the proposed rule (see 

attached power point slides). The floor was then opened up to questions by the STIG members. The 

FAA provided answers to questions that involved general clarification of the proposed rule 

requirements as well as the current part 60 rule requirements. Most of the questions were addressed 

by direction to the either the appropriate sections of the NPRM or to the relevant ARC reports on the 

public docket. In areas where more in-depth interpretation and clarification was required, the FAA 

requested that these questions and comments be submitted to the public docket for formal 

consideration. 
Presented to:

By:

Date:

Federal Aviation Simulator Administration

Standards Update 

Part 60 NPRM

STIG

Larry McDonald, AFS-205

August 20, 2014
Federal Aviation

Administration

**** Important Information ****

• Discussion must be limited to publicly 

available information in the NPRM and 

public docket

• Cannot speculate on what might be in the 

final rule

• Questions and comments must be 

submitted to the docket for formal 

consideration as part of the final rule

• A summary of this event will be written up 

and placed in the public docket

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Federal Aviation

Administration

Overview

• Objectives of the Part 60 NPRM

• Applicability

• Stall Maneuver Evaluation

• Upset Recognition and Recovery Evaluation

• Engine and Airframe Icing Evaluation

• ICAO Alignment

• FSTD Directive #2

• Projected Compliance Period

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Federal Aviation

Administration

Objectives for Rule Change

• Define new and updated simulator 

evaluation criteria for safety critical training 

maneuvers

– Addresses new training tasks required by P.L. 111-

216 and Part 121 N&O

– Other safety recommendations (NTSB and ARC 

recommendations)

• Partial alignment with ICAO 9625 Edition 3

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Federal Aviation

Administration

A Note on Applicability

• Part 60 QPS Appendices

– Generally applicable only for new FSTD qualifications

– Previously qualified FSTDs hold grandfather rights under 

§ 60.17

– Part 60 grace period can allow up to 24 months before 

new FSTDs must meet standard

• FSTD Directive #2

– Provision in § 60.23 to supersede grandfather rights for 

“safety of flight” issues

– Proposed requirements are a subset of those for new 

FSTDs

– Three year compliance period for FSTDs used to conduct 

affected training tasks.

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Federal Aviation

Administration

Stall Maneuver Evaluation 

(Appendix A) 

• Table A1A (General Requirements)

o 2.1.7.S - High angle of attack

• Table A1B (Table of Task vs FSTD Level)

o 3.b.2 - Qualified task

• Table A2A (Objective Testing)

o 2.a.10 - Stick pusher force test

o 2.c.8.b - Stall characteristics test

o 3.f.8 - Stall buffet tests

• Table A3A (Functions and Subjective Testing)

o 5.b.1.b (High angle of attack)

• Attachment 7 (additional requirements and 

information)

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Federal Aviation

Administration

UPRT Evaluation (Appendix A)

• Table A1A (General Requirements)

o 2.1.6.S – Upset recognition and recovery

• Table A1B (Table of Task vs FSTD Level)

o 3.f. - Qualified task

• Table A3A (Functions and Subjective 

Testing)

o 5.b.15 – Upset recognition and recovery

o Attachment 7 (additional requirements and 

information)

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Federal Aviation

Administration

Engine and Airframe Icing 

Evaluation (Appendix A) 

• Table A1A (General Requirements)

o 2.1.5.S – Engine and Airframe Icing

• Table A2A (Objective Testing)

o 2.i. – Icing Effects Demonstration Test

• Attachment 7 (Additional requirements and 

information)

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Federal Aviation

Administration

Other Requirements

(Appendix A) 

• Table A1A (General Requirements)

o 3.1.S – Ground reaction modeling for bounced landing

o 3.1.S – Ground handling characteristics for gusting 

crosswind 

o 11.4.R – Gusting crosswind profiles

• Table A3A (Functions and Subjective Testing)

o 3.a.3 – Takeoff with gusting crosswind

o 8.d. – Approach and landing with gusting crosswind

o 9.3. – Missed Approach, bounced landing

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Federal Aviation

Administration

ICAO 9625 Alignment

• Appendix A: Rewrote Tables A1A, A2A, 

A3A, A3B, and A3D to incorporate the Type 

VII standards into Level C and Level D 

where appropriate. No significant changes 

to Level A and Level B standards.

• Appendix B: Rewrote all tables to create a 

Level 7 FTD that is consistent with the ICAO 

Type V device and the part 60 Level 7 

helicopter FTD.

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Federal Aviation

Administration

Notable Changes Due to ICAO 

9625 Alignment

• Allowance for electronically displayed 

representations of cockpit instrumentation

• Visual system FOV (200x40 degrees)

• Visual lightpoint brightness

• Visual resolution (both vertical and horizontal 

axis)

• LCoS/LCD visual display testing (consistent 

with the current NSP guidance bulletin)

• Transport delay testing (150 ms to 100 ms)

• Objective motion cueing tests

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Federal Aviation

Administration

FSTD Directive #2

• Retroactive requirements are a subset of the proposed QPS 

requirements:

– Stall

– UPRT

– Engine and airframe icing

– Bounced landing recovery

– Takeoff and landing in gusting crosswind

• Some cost relieving provisions have been proposed for 

previously qualified devices

– SME pilot assessment of objective test cases

– Use of engineering simulation data

– Additional stall buffet tests not required (subjective assessment)

• Only FSTDs used to accomplish the above training tasks will 

require modification/evaluation.

• Proposed three year compliance period

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Federal Aviation

Administration

Estimated Timeline

• Close of Comment Period: October 2014

• Final Rule: 16 months from the close of 

comment period (maximum statutory 

requirement)

• Proposed FSTD Directive #2 Compliance 

Date: 3 years from the date of final rule

• Part 121 Compliance Date: March 12, 2019 –

March 12, 2020

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Federal Aviation

Administration

Questions?

Larry McDonald

404-474-5642

larry.e.mcdonald@faa.gov

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