PSC
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Oct 21, 2015
- Messages
- 98
- Reaction score
- 10
Like I'm sure many of you do, my cockpit has it's fair share of electronic gadgets that are supposed to help us in our piloting duties - ADS-B receivers, VFR GPS units, Zaon PCAS system, etc.
Here's my question: Under what regulations do these sort of gadgets fall? Are they all treated as Personal Electronic Devices (PEDs)?
My understanding of the rules around PEDs are, in my own words, "use at your own risk, these things may or may not have been tested by the manufacturer, but not certified by the FAA for any particular use whatsoever". It seems everything from your cell phone, iPad, to a VFR GPS falls into this very large bucket.
In fact, the Status 2S includes in it's pilot's manual "Use of personal electronic devices while in-flight may pose a safety hazard. Use of Stratus on an operating aircraft is subject to approval by the Pilot in Command. " The manual of my Zaon PCAS (RIP Zaon, still think your product is cool) contains similar wording: "XRX is a Class 1 EFB device and does not require FAA, AIR or AEG evaluation or certification for normal use. However, if
you plan to install XRX into a certificated aircraft, you may need the installation to be approved by your local FAA Flight
Standards Field Office (FSDO) field office."
Why I'm asking: I'm building a little electronic gadget that I've long wanted, but have never seen. I'll share more details once I've finished building and testing the first one. It is not an "installed" device, it just sits on my increasingly crowded glare shield and is powered by off-the-shelf alkaline batteries- so I would think it would fall into the same category as the products described above. It may or may not be of any interest to others, but I think it might be. So, naturally, I'm curious about the FAA's stance on these sorts of things.
Here's my question: Under what regulations do these sort of gadgets fall? Are they all treated as Personal Electronic Devices (PEDs)?
My understanding of the rules around PEDs are, in my own words, "use at your own risk, these things may or may not have been tested by the manufacturer, but not certified by the FAA for any particular use whatsoever". It seems everything from your cell phone, iPad, to a VFR GPS falls into this very large bucket.
In fact, the Status 2S includes in it's pilot's manual "Use of personal electronic devices while in-flight may pose a safety hazard. Use of Stratus on an operating aircraft is subject to approval by the Pilot in Command. " The manual of my Zaon PCAS (RIP Zaon, still think your product is cool) contains similar wording: "XRX is a Class 1 EFB device and does not require FAA, AIR or AEG evaluation or certification for normal use. However, if
you plan to install XRX into a certificated aircraft, you may need the installation to be approved by your local FAA Flight
Standards Field Office (FSDO) field office."
Why I'm asking: I'm building a little electronic gadget that I've long wanted, but have never seen. I'll share more details once I've finished building and testing the first one. It is not an "installed" device, it just sits on my increasingly crowded glare shield and is powered by off-the-shelf alkaline batteries- so I would think it would fall into the same category as the products described above. It may or may not be of any interest to others, but I think it might be. So, naturally, I'm curious about the FAA's stance on these sorts of things.
