Understanding FDM Approval: A Common Misconception

This article accompanies our video that discusses how FDM Software is not “approved” or “certified”, but rather it is the entire FDM program that gets regulatory approval. You want watch the video below.

In discussions around Flight Data Monitoring (FDM), one phrase comes up again and again:

“Is your FDM software certified?” or “Can you provide your software Certificate of Approval?”

At first glance, the questions seem reasonable. In aviation, certification and approval are central concepts. But when it comes to FDM, this framing is fundamentally incorrect.

Regulators do not certify FDM software. What they assess and approve is the FDM program as a whole.

This distinction matters more than many operators realize — and misunderstanding it can lead to poorly designed programs, unrealistic expectations of tooling, and unnecessary friction during regulatory oversight.

What Regulators Actually Approve

Authorities such as EASA and the FAA are very clear in their guidance: FDM oversight is focused on whether an operator has implemented an effective, well-governed FDM program.

That program includes multiple interdependent elements:

People and defined responsibilities
Documented processes and procedures
Governance and oversight mechanisms
Data handling, protection, and just culture principles
Analysis and feedback into the Safety Management System (SMS)
Supporting tools and software

Software is an important component — but it is only one part of the system.

When an authority reviews an FDM implementation, they are not evaluating a tool in isolation. They are assessing whether the entire system works together to identify risk and drive meaningful safety improvement.

The EASA Perspective: Outcomes Over Tools

EASA’s approach to Flight Data Monitoring is a good illustration of this philosophy.

Rather than endorsing or certifying specific software products, EASA focuses on whether the operator can demonstrate that their FDM program is:

Clearly defined and documented
Properly integrated into the organization
Aligned with safety objectives
Effective in identifying hazards and trends

Typical areas EASA expects operators to address include:

A documented FDM policy
Clearly defined roles and responsibilities
A feedback loop into the SMS
Data protection and just culture safeguards
Robust event detection, validation, and analysis processes

Nowhere does EASA prescribe the use of a particular software package — or require that software itself be “certified.”

The emphasis is on effectiveness, not tooling.

The FAA Perspective: Voluntary, but Structured

The FAA takes a similar approach through FOQA and related programs, even though participation is voluntary in many contexts.

Again, the focus is on the program framework, including:

Data governance and protection
Event review and validation processes
Pilot trust and confidentiality
Oversight and review committees
Documented procedures and accountability

As with EASA, software enables these activities — but it does not replace the surrounding structure.

An operator can deploy highly sophisticated software and still fall short of regulatory expectations if the supporting processes and governance are weak.

Reframing the Role of FDM Software

So where does FDM software actually fit?

FDM software is best understood as an enabler.

Good FDM software should make it easier to:

Detect meaningful events and exceedances
Efficiently review and investigate flights
Maintain traceability and auditability
Generate safety outputs that support decision-making
Feed validated findings into the SMS

What software cannot do is define the program on its own.

Without a properly designed FDM framework around it, even the best software will not deliver a compliant or effective program.

How Sky Analyst Fits Into This Model

At Scaled Analytics, we are deliberate in how we describe our own Sky Analyst FDM software.

We do not claim that Sky Analyst is “certified” — because that is not how FDM oversight works.

What we can say, with confidence, is that Sky Analyst is designed specifically to support FDM programs that meet and exceed global regulatory expectations, including those set out by EASA.

Sky Analyst FDM includes capabilities such as:

Advanced exceedance detection
Analysis of all flights, not just those with exceedances
In-depth investigation tools for individual flights
Statistical tools for trend and risk analysis
Tight integration between FDM and SMS, particularly when combined with Sky Analyst SMS
Strong data governance and access controls

These are the areas regulators care about when they review an operator’s FDM program.

Where Approval Really Happens

In practice, regulatory acceptance happens at the operator level.

Authorities assess:

How your program is designed and documented
How analysts are trained
How data is reviewed and validated
How findings feed into safety decision-making
How risks are managed over time

Our role, as a software and service provider, is to make that process robust, transparent, and defensible — not to substitute for it.

Key Takeaway

If someone tells you that an FDM software package is “certified,” they are misunderstanding how FDM oversight works.

What matters is whether the entire FDM program meets regulatory expectations — and whether the software you choose genuinely supports that program.

That is the lens regulators use when they assess your operation, and it is the lens we design Sky Analyst through.

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