The FAA’s refusal to acknowledge reality rears its ugly head in Advisory Circular 120-76B, Guidelines for the Certification, Airworthiness, and Operational Use of Portable Electronic Flight Bags. In this AC, the FAA—in a standalone bold-type note, warns users of portable devices that display charts and moving maps that “Class 1 or Class 2 EFBs must not display own-ship position while in flight.”
In other words, the FAA, in its infinite wisdom, does not want you to use an Apple iPad or Android device with moving-map software and the computer’s internal or an external GPS receiver to verify your aircraft’s position. If, for example, you are flying near the edge of Class B airspace without a clearance into that airspace, the FAA would rather that you avoid that airspace boundary using a chart and the view of the ground to fix your position. Or, if you can’t see the ground, then perhaps a slightly more accurate VOR cross-check, if that’s the only navigation equipment available. Preferably, of course, your airplane has its own certified and accurate Waas-capable GPS receiver and a built-in certified moving-map, but not all aircraft are so equipped.
