Lucy’s Logbook: The Lowdown on Electronic Flight Bags
Questions about the use and applicability of Electronic
Flight Bags have been swirling around the aviation community for several years
now. Portable aviation GPS devices went from simply displaying position and
course information to providing weather, displaying approach charts, and even
playing Jimmy Buffett. With portables and tablets that display sectional and
approach charts, along with low and high enroute charts for Instrument flying,
the fair question to ask is, is it legal?
Per AC
120-76B, Electronic Flight Bags are defined as an electronic display
intended primarily for cockpit or cabin use which displays aviation-specific
data (ie: checklists, charts, POH) or performs basic calculations (ie: fuel calculations,
performance data). All of a sudden EFB’s display more than just charts!
The FAA broadly defines three classes of Electronic Flight
Bags:
- Class 1: commercial, off-the-shelf computer
systems that may be connected to aircraft power - Class 2: portable computers and/or commercial,
off-the-shelf systems which are connected to aircraft power and are typically
mounted in the flight deck - Class 3: installed equipment that requires
airworthiness approval and FAA certification.
So what are you operating with?
Portables such as the GPSMAP
695/696 and Aera
795/796 qualify as Class 1 EFB’s if these portables are sitting on the knee
of its pilot, or Class 2 if they are mounted in the aircraft panel. The G3X
is another example of a Class 2 EFB since it does not require certification.
iPad and Android tablets utilizing an application such as Garmin
Pilot, also qualify as either Class 1 or Class 2 depending how it is
mounted in the aircraft. Finally, our integrated avionics such as the G1000
fall into a Class 3 EFB. Class 3 applicability can be found in the POH or
approved flight manual.
As pilot-in-command, you are ultimately responsible for and
are the final authority of the operation of the aircraft. While operators of
smaller aircraft under Part 91 do not require any specific authorization as it
pertains to Electronic Flight Bags, per AC 120-76B it is recommended that a
secondary or backup source of aeronautical information is available. Just like
weather on a long cross-country trip, having a backup plan (or alternate
airport in mind) can make all the difference!
The post Lucy’s Logbook: The Lowdown on Electronic Flight Bags appeared first on Garmin Blog.
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