Definition
An FAA board convened to evaluate a new or significantly modified aircraft type and establish the minimum training, checking, and currency requirements for pilots who will operate it. The board's findings are published in a Flight Standardization Board Report, which becomes the baseline reference for operator training programs and pilot qualification on that aircraft type.
Plain English
A group of FAA experts who study a new aircraft and decide what pilots must learn and demonstrate before they are allowed to fly it. Their report sets the standard that airlines and training centers follow.
Context Anchor
You may see FSB in aircraft training documents, type-rating discussions, or references to FAA aircraft evaluation reports.
Derivation
"Standardization" comes from Latin standardum, meaning a fixed reference or benchmark. The board's job is to set that benchmark — the common training and checking standard everyone uses for a given aircraft type, so pilots flying the same airplane are trained to the same level.
Why Pilots Care
Ensures every operator uses the same baseline training standards, reducing errors when pilots transition to new aircraft.
Intuition Check
Do not read FSB as a cockpit instrument or a flight procedure. In this context, it refers to the FAA board that sets aircraft-specific pilot training and checking standards.
Example Sentence 1
The new jet's FSB Report specified the minimum simulator hours and maneuvers required for initial type qualification.
Example Sentence 2
FSB requirements determine how many hours of simulator training a pilot needs before acting as pilot in command.