This type of “research” vehicle is not unusual. For a couple of decades, the US FAA had evaluated and qualified a B-727 simulator located at the NASA Ames facilities at Moffett Field, California. Several years ago, NASA donated that B-727 and purchased a new B-747-400 Level D simulator. This simulator is not used for regular crew training, but, because of the nature of the research, NASA, in conjunction with the FAA, concluded that any research conducted using a simulator that was not maintained in the same working order as any other simulator used for flight crew training would not hold up to the inevitable scrutiny that might follow. Therefore, this particular simulator is held to the same standards and evaluation schedule as any airline or training center simulator.
Along those same lines, the FAA’s own simulator operation at the Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center in Oklahoma City, OK, recently exchanged their aging B-727 simulator for a more modern B-737-800 Level D simulator . This particular simulator, whose main function will be research and development as well, as been acknowledged as likely to be used for the conduct of some training, and is, at present used in the training of FAA inspectors to conduct simulator evaluations. Current and former members of the FAA’s National Simulator Program Staff conduct this training. Just recently, the Aero Center has been given the “green light” to let a new contract for a Level D, Airbus A-330 / A-340 convertible simulator which will be used in the same way as the B-737-800 simulator is currently used.