Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) Information Management and Training

Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, Technical Reference Center2021PDFTech ReportChase, Stephanie G.Hiltunen, DanielleJohn A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (U.S.)United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Aviation Administration. Human Factors DivisionJohn A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (U.S.)United StatesAviation safetyEducation and trainingAircraft operationsFlight personnelTask analysisHuman factorsElectronic displaysElectronic flight bagEFBEFB trainingFlight deck displaysInformation managementPortable electronic devicePEDTask managementDOT-VNTSC-FAA-21-08DOT/FAA/TC-21/26FB22C319FB22C420Perala, ChuckFinal ReportThe purpose of this project is to support the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) by gathering data to better understand how pilots access and manage information used for Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) functions. This document provides the results of a two-year effort to identify pilot perceptions of EFB use and training at their respective airlines. This report documents findings from three separate data collection efforts conducted with airline pilots from July 2016 to August 2018: individual interviews, group discussions, and lastly, data shared by the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA). Findings from all three efforts identified strengths and weaknesses with EFB use and training at their airlines regarding the following eight topic areas: EFB setup; EFB training; reliability of the EFB; EFB settings; battery and power, electronic charts; electronic documents; and distractions, workload, and head-down time. Pilot comments across the three efforts provided insight into areas where pilots would like to see improvements. Tablet battery and power management issues were the most reported concerns. Other challenges include difficulty finding the information they need, in particular when searching electronic manuals and documents.119