How to Evaluate a Flight Simulator Manufacturer in China

What manufacturers in China build

Manufacturers in China build devices in each of the categories overseas buyers usually ask about:

Fixed-base flight training devices for single- and multi-engine training aircraft, designed to FTD or FNPT-class requirements.
Integrated procedures trainers (IPT) for airliner types such as the A320 and B737.
Full flight simulators (FFS) for airliner types, on a motion platform with a wide-field visual system.
Cabin crew trainers — cabin mock-ups, door and exit trainers, emergency evacuation and fire-fighting trainers.

Product range, experience and qualification history differ between manufacturers, and between device types from the same manufacturer. Evaluate the specific device and configuration you would buy, not the catalogue. For the differences between device types, see FTD, FFS and FSTD: what buyers need to understand.

1. Project fit: choose the engagement model first

Decide how you want to work with the manufacturer before you compare devices, because each model asks something different of the vendor.

Model	What it means	What to ask of the vendor
Outright supply	You buy the device and operate it yourself.	Specification, qualification documents, factory and site acceptance, warranty, spares and technician training.
Supply plus support	Purchase together with a multi-year support agreement.	Response times, spares stock and location, software and database updates, and help with recurrent evaluations — all in writing.
Operations	The vendor or a partner runs the device or the training centre for you.	Experience operating qualified devices, staffing, maintenance records, and who will be the device operator before your authority.
Joint venture	You and the manufacturer share ownership of a training centre.	Governance, capital and revenue terms, who holds the qualification and the data licences, and exit terms.
Lease	You use a device for a defined term without owning it.	Term, maintenance responsibility, relocation, qualification status at hand-over, and return conditions.

General descriptions; the real terms of any model are set by the contract.

Whatever the model, the regulator will look for one responsible party for each device. Under China's CCAR-60 each device must have a single operator (§60.35), and under FAA 14 CFR Part 60 each device has a sponsor, who must hold or be applying for a certificate under Part 119, 141 or 142, or a flight engineer course under Part 63 (§60.7). In an operations, joint-venture or lease model, agree in writing who that party is.

2. Qualification evidence: which authority, which device, which standard

No manufacturer or agent certifies a device: qualification is granted per device by the competent authority. So the useful question is precise — which authority qualified which specific device (operator, location, serial number), to which standard and level, and is that qualification still current? The frameworks you are likely to meet:

China (CAAC). CCAR-60 governs the certificates, qualification and operation of flight simulation training devices. A device used for training, checking, testing or flight experience under CAAC rules must hold a CAAC FSTD certificate (§60.9, §60.11).
EASA. Aeroplane FSTDs are qualified today against CS-FSTD(A) Issue 2. EASA has adopted a new capability-based framework (Regulation (EU) 2026/781 and CS-FSTD Issue 1) that becomes applicable from 30 April 2028. For FSTDs located outside the EU Member States, EASA itself is the competent authority (ORA.GEN.105, Regulation (EU) No 1178/2011). EASA publishes a list of FSTD qualification certificates.
FAA. Full flight simulators and FTDs are qualified under 14 CFR Part 60; the sponsor receives a Statement of Qualification, and the FAA National Simulator Program lists qualified devices. Basic and advanced aviation training devices (BATD/AATD) are a separate category under §61.4(c): following AC 61-136B, the FAA issues a letter of authorization to the manufacturer for each device model, valid for 60 calendar months (the FAA National Simulator Program page links the current list of ATDs). ATDs are not Part 60 FTDs and cannot be used for practical tests, aircraft-type-specific training or type ratings.
ICAO. ICAO Doc 9625, the Manual of Criteria for the Qualification of Flight Simulation Training Devices, is guidance for States, manufacturers and operators. It does not qualify a device by itself; a national or regional authority does.
Your own authority (for example the DGCA in India, or another national authority) decides whether a device is acceptable for your courses, and whether it treats a foreign qualification as evidence. This is decided case by case, so ask early — Traficom advises contacting the authority while planning a purchase.

Ask the manufacturer for copies of qualification certificates or statements of qualification for devices of the same configuration (with the operators' permission), and check them against the public lists above.

3. Reference installations you can verify

Ask for a list of installed devices of the same type and configuration: operator, location, year of installation, qualifying authority and level. Ask for permission to contact those operators in writing and, where possible, to see a device in use. A reference you cannot verify independently should carry little weight, and a previous qualification is evidence, not a guarantee for your device.

4. Aircraft data and data rights

Type-specific devices such as IPTs and full flight simulators are built and tested against aircraft data. Ask what data package the device uses and where it comes from, whether the licence covers your use, your location and the device's service life, and what happens to the licence if the device is sold, moved or leased. Validation data also determines which qualification tests the device can pass; EASA publishes, for example, its FNPT validation data requirements.

5. Documentation: QTG and MQTG

The qualification test guide (QTG) shows, test by test, that the device matches its reference data. Under FAA Part 60, the Master QTG (MQTG) is the QTG accepted by the FAA with the addition of the FAA-witnessed test results for that individual device, and the sponsor must keep the MQTG and each amendment (§60.31). CCAR-60 likewise requires the operator to keep the master qualification test guide and its revisions (§60.41). Under UK CAA Standards Document 18, the operator submits the QTG. Before shortlisting, ask for:

a sample QTG table of contents and the list of objective tests, and whether they can be run automatically;
the documentation set in English: operation and maintenance manuals, drawings, software configuration records;
who prepares and updates the QTG after modifications, and at whose cost.

6. Acceptance planning: FAT, SAT and evaluation

Agree the acceptance criteria in the contract, not after delivery. A typical sequence is a factory acceptance test (FAT) by your team against agreed procedures, shipping, installation, a site acceptance test (SAT), and then the authority evaluation. Link payment milestones to these steps, and plan the site early: room size, power, cooling and, for motion devices, floor loading and access. See how cross-border procurement works.

7. Spares, support and distance

Support from another country is the most practical risk to plan for. Ask for, in writing:

response times for remote diagnostics and for on-site engineering;
a spare parts list with recommended on-site stock and lead times for the rest;
training for your technicians and instructors;
software, navigation database and visual database updates;
support for recurrent evaluations — qualified devices are re-evaluated periodically (CCAR-60 §60.29, for example) — and for any re-qualification after changes.

8. Export, shipping and payment terms

The Incoterms® rule and named place, and who handles crating, freight, insurance and import clearance.
Whether any export or import licence is needed for the device or its components, and who obtains it.
Payment milestones tied to contract, FAT, delivery, SAT and evaluation, with the security instruments both sides accept (for example bank guarantees or letters of credit).
Warranty start date, currency and bank charges.

Strengths and honest caveats

Reasons buyers look at manufacturers in China include the price for a given specification, willingness to configure a device to a syllabus, and production across several device types. Whether any of these holds for your project should be checked in the written quotation and schedule, not assumed. The caveats are just as real:

Foreign recognition is case by case. A CAAC qualification does not carry over automatically; your authority decides, and for devices outside the EU, EASA qualifies them itself.
Data rights for type-specific devices need to be checked line by line.
After-sales distance — time zones, travel and spares logistics — must be covered in the support agreement.
Documentation language: confirm that manuals, QTG and records are delivered in English.

Questions to ask before shortlisting

Which engagement model do we want, and who will be the device operator or sponsor?
Which authority qualified which device of this configuration, to which standard and level, and is it current?
Which reference operators can we contact in writing?
What aircraft data is used, and does the licence cover our use and location?
Can we see a sample QTG and the documentation list in English?
What are the FAT and SAT criteria, and how are payments linked to them?
What support, spares and update terms are offered, in writing?
What are the export, shipping and payment terms?

How AeroOrigin helps

AeroOrigin is an independent buyer representative. It starts from your written requirement, collects this evidence from manufacturers in writing and sets it out side by side so you can shortlist. It does not certify devices and does not give legal opinions. Send your requirement by email to orbgrid@qq.com.

How to evaluate a flight simulator manufacturer in China