writes:

Wrong, X-Plane is not part of any flight simulator certified by the FAA.

It is part of a Personal Computer-based Aviation Training Device, which
is something else entirely.

No, it's not something else at all. It's a simulator. All training devices
are simulators.

What they actually claim it is is "an engineering tool that can be used
to predict the flying qualities of fixed and rotary wing aircraft".

They claim a lot of things, including "... since X-Plane has been approved for
flight-training in many countries to many levels, you should be able to use
it to build your own flight simulator ..." which tacitly acknowledges the
equivalence between the two.