For Part 121 and Part 135 operators, our Bluetooth GPS receivers have been successfully tested, approved, and deployed under FAA AC120-76C for own-ship AMM display during taxi operations. At this time, the FAA does not allow own-ship display on portable devices while en-route. However, pilots can obtain most of the situational awareness improvements available through map-centering or range rings. These approaches, supported by some app vendors, assist in making the relevant portions of the map visible to the pilot's approximate position, thereby precluding the need for the pilot to scroll the map manually to find identifiable landmarks.

With map-centering, the app does not draw any indication of where the aircraft might be relative to the map.  It does scroll the map to show the general area in which the aircraft would be if the position were actually drawn.  By leaving the position of the aircraft off the map, the expectation is that the pilot will not be tempted to use the EFB display for primary navigation.

With a range rings  the app draws a circle of known range as its radius to highlight the general area of the aircraft on the EFB map.  This approach provides some additional context that can aid the pilot in more quickly identifying map contents for reference.

Some research has shown that either of these approaches can reduce the pilot's map search time by an order of magnitude, reducing a twenty second reference check to a two second reference check. The benefits have been significant enough that several major foreign airlines have encouraged AMM in all phases of flight and have operated hundreds of thousands of flight hours with improved situational awareness.

Own-ship Position and Aircraft Moving Map

Aircraft that operate under Part 91 (excluding Part 91F and Part 91K) require no EFB authorizations or compliance with AC120-76C, so long as the operator does not replace any equipment or operating information required by the regulations.  In other words, deploying an EFB to augment current operational policies is allowed, so long as the EFB meets the essential Portable Electronic Device (PED) regulatory compliance guidelines.