More On Gadgets

The June 2013 edition of Aviation Safety arrived today. In Unicom, there is a question about gadget legality. You correctly quote FAR 91.21 (technically, 14 CFR 91.21) as saying that PEDs are legal on all non-commercial VFR flights and that the pilot in command makes the determination in non-commercial IFR operations. But more than one federal agency makes rules about electronics. The Federal Communication Commission makes a very clear statement prohibiting cellular telephone use aboard airborne aircraft. 47 CFR 22.925 states: “Cellular telephones installed in or carried aboard airplanes, balloons or any other type of aircraft must not be operated while such aircraft are airborne (not touching the ground).

Key Takeaways:

• FCC regulations (47 CFR 22.925) explicitly prohibit cellular telephone use aboard airborne aircraft, clarifying a common misunderstanding where pilots incorrectly believe FAR 91.21 allows them to decide.
• Pilots can enhance safety and prevent runway confusion at unfamiliar airports by using their HSI or DG to set and confirm the runway heading.
• For thorough IFR weather planning, hazard-specific checklists are valuable, and utilizing Flight Service for a standard briefing offers a highly effective human-assisted method for critical information transfer.

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