Frontier Airlines has announced it is no longer making the simulator controls for its flight simulator.
The flight simulator control system was designed in 2009 by the Federal Aviation Administration, and was meant to provide a “high-fidelity, real-time flight path and control system that could be used by airlines to perform more complex tasks.”
Frontier has said the simulator system was “replaced by an open source software platform in late 2017” but said the company has not yet identified the “replaces.”
The FAA said in a statement that the simulator control software will no longer be in production and is no more accessible for commercial or private customers.
The agency said that Frontier is working to provide flight simulator customers with a “free, fully functional flight simulator that is compatible with the FAA’s flight simulator systems, and we will continue to work with customers to make sure they receive the best flight simulation experience possible.”
The announcement comes as a result of a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on behalf of an unnamed flight simulator owner.
The suit claims that Frontier and other airlines have been violating federal aviation safety law by keeping flight simulator software secret.
The FAA issued a warning to the industry in February 2018 stating that flight simulator developers could face civil fines or criminal penalties if they failed to share information on safety features.
The agency said in February that the FAA would consider the FAA and the Department of Justice’s requests for information on the use of flight simulator features, which is expected to take several months.