Regulatory Reference: AMC1 SPA.EFB.100(b)(3)
A common misconception is that the EFB Administrator is simply an IT technician. While technical skill is helpful, AMC1 SPA.EFB.100(b)(3) mandates that every person involved in EFB administration must receive appropriate training for their role. You cannot manage what you do not understand.
The regulation requires you to have a “good knowledge” of three specific areas: the proposed system hardware, the operating system, and the relevant software applications. Let’s break this down.
Knowing the hardware means understanding its environmental limitations—battery life, temperature sensitivity, and screen readability.
Knowing the operating system means understanding how an iOS or Windows update might break your charting app.
And knowing the applications means that you must be more proficient than the pilots you support. But where does this training come from?
The AMC suggests that the content of your training should be determined with the aid of the EFB system supplier or application supplier. When your airline adopts a new Performance Tool, you must be trained by the vendor first. You then translate that technical vendor knowledge into operational procedures for your crews.
Furthermore, your training is not a one-time event. The regulation explicitly states you must keep your knowledge “up to date”. EFB technology moves faster than airframe technology. A new iOS version is released often; navigation charts are updated continuously. Your qualification is a continuous process of staying ahead of these cycles.
Finally, you must also be trained on the regulations themselves—specifically Part-SPA, Part-CAT, and Part-ORO as they apply to EFBs. You need to know the difference between a minor software change you can approve yourself, and a major change that requires you to notify the Authority.
We will cover that distinction in Lesson 3, but for now, remember: your competence is a regulatory requirement, documented and recurring.