Definition
The FAA program responsible for the initial evaluation, qualification, and continuing oversight of full flight simulators and other flight simulation training devices used by airlines and training providers. It assigns each device a qualification level that defines what training, checking, and currency tasks may legally be performed in it.
Plain English
The FAA office that inspects flight simulators, decides how realistic each one is, and sets the rules for what pilots are allowed to do in them instead of in a real aircraft.
Context Anchor
Seen in discussions of flight simulation training devices and whether a simulator may be used as part of approved pilot training.
Why Pilots Care
Qualified simulators let pilots earn valid training credit without needing the actual aircraft every time.
Intuition Check
Do not read this as just any school’s simulator plan. In this context, the National Simulator Program is an FAA oversight program for approving simulation devices.
Example Sentence 1
The training center's full flight simulator was inspected annually under the National Simulator Program to maintain its Level D qualification.
Example Sentence 2
Instructors check National Simulator Program approvals when choosing devices for recurrent training.