Definition
An Electronic Flight Bag that is permanently mounted in the aircraft and integrated into its systems, requiring FAA airworthiness approval through the certification or supplemental type certificate (STC) process. Because it is part of the aircraft, an installed EFB is treated as aircraft equipment rather than a portable device and is governed by 14 CFR Parts 21, 23, 25, 27, and 29 rather than by the operational EFB guidance that applies to portable units.
Plain English
An EFB that is built into the aircraft as permanent equipment, approved by the FAA the same way other aircraft instruments are approved, instead of being a tablet the pilot brings on board.
Context Anchor
Seen in EFB guidance when deciding whether the device is portable equipment or part of the aircraft installation.
Derivation
Installed comes from older words meaning “placed in position.” That helps here because an installed EFB is not just present in the cockpit; it has been put into the aircraft as equipment meant to stay there.
Why Pilots Care
Determines whether the EFB can be used as a primary reference during flight and affects regulatory compliance.
Intuition Check
Do not read installed as simply “set in the cockpit.” Here it means fitted into the aircraft and treated as aircraft equipment.
Example Sentence 1
Because the glass display in the panel is an installed EFB, any software change has to go through the aircraft's certification paperwork.
Example Sentence 2
Pilots must verify that their installed EFB meets the certification standards before using it for navigation.