Electronic flight bag (EFB) policy and guidance

Air carrier operators have long recognized the benefits of adapting portable computing devices, such as commercially available laptop computers or special purpose computers, to perform a variety of functions traditionally delegated to the flight crew. One of the original applications of EFB systems was to reduce the 40 pounds of paper products that the flight crew typically carries onboard aircraft (e.g., airplane flight manuals, checklists, aeronautical charts including approach plates). These devices have been approved as a direct replacement of hard copy chart information contained in the crew flight bag, thus the term Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) has entered aviation vernacular. Operators have increasingly sought additional EFB capability, as well as expanding the scope of operational use. Operators are now seeking approval for EFB use during normal operations. A commensurate expansion of EFB functionality and aircraft interface complexity has also taken place to include the capability to perform various combinations including: (1) calculation of flight manual performance data, (2) display of normal and non-normal checklist items, (3) display of approach plate overlays, (4) display of video security camera images and infrared camera images, (5) depiction of near real-time weather information and aeronautical data, (6) display of traffic information, (7) upload of flight planning information into the aircraft Flight Management System, (8) data communication capability with a ground station, (9) Internet connectivity, etc. This expansion of capability resulted in the need to establish joint certification and operational guidance material to assess hazards associated with EFB loss or malfunction (misleading information being presented to the flight crew). Certain EFB systems are used for wire-less communication with Airline Operations Centers (AOC) which could improve maintenance and dispatch times.