Is It Legal?

The emergence of the iPad as a powerful aviation tool has changed the way we go about many of our flight tasks. But it has also prompted questions about whether it’s “legal” to use in flight. The short answer is “yes,” you can absolutely replace your paper charts with an iPad. But the definition of legal is dependent on what type of flying you do and how the iPad is being used in the cockpit.

The FAA has created a comprehensive collection of rules, regulations, and guidelines to help you determine the “whens” and “wheres” of inter-cockpit use of the iPad. It’s something of a complex topic, so we won’t attempt to delineate it here. Luckily, our friends at ipadpilotnews.com have tackled the topic in great detail – and here’s how it breaks down.