There's a lot of bullshit on this topic in the news and in this thread.
A Class 1 EFB is a battery powered laptop or tablet type device. It is NOT used for takeoff and landing. The regulation states that they're to be stowed for take-off and landing which, yes, includes the approach run. It is loose equipment and you don't have a tablet on your lap during a landing where it can fall and block rudder pedals. They're effectively just dumb terminals that display PDF's for various bits of information you may need. It doesn't even need great daylight readability because it isn't flight critical information. Typically they contain airline ops manuals, pilot logs, and other sorts of documentation.
Because it is just supplementary equipment/information they really don't have a whole lot of rules surrounding them. If I recall correctly, you're not even allowed to put the aircraft flight manual on it because it might crap out during an emergency situation and you have to have access to the flight manual during an in-flight emergency. They can't be used to create a "paperless" cockpit. EFB's also have to ensure they don't interfere with any onboard systems due to EMI (i.e. turn off the wifi just in case.
A Class 2 EFB, on the other hand, is a mounted piece of equipment that requires FAA certification for the installation but carries many of the same restrictions as a Class 1 device. It is typically connected to aircraft power. Can have a data link to read information from aircraft systems but can't push data back. There has to be a human factors evaluation to ensure it doesn't interfere with normal cockpit operations.
Class 1 and Class 2 EFB's can show "current position" but only when on the ground doing taxi maneuvers. They are not to be used for current position during any airborne operations. They're not qualified to the required accuracy and redundancy to serve that purpose.
It isn't until you get to Class 3 EFB's, which are strictly controlled by aircraft regulatory agencies, that you can get any interaction with the cockpit avionics. An iPad, or any other consumer device, will never be capable of doing that job ... period.
Effectively, your class 1 and class 2 device can crap out and you can still fly the aircraft no problem.
There are a bunch of different Class 1 and Class 2 devices already made by various aircraft avionics manufacturers. Some airlines want to move to commercial devices to save a lot of money on the purchase because the ones manufactured by the avionics companies tend to be made to higher standards with more reliable, but older, hardware.
Would I want an iPad used as a Class 1 EFB? Not really. Then again, I wouldn't want to use most commercial devices. I'd rather have something with good sunlight readability and actual buttons dedicated to the things I want. When you're at 35,000 feet in a cockpit with lots of windows it is sometimes difficult to read commercial displays. I'd also prefer a Class 2 device frankly with power coming from aircraft systems so you don't have to rely on the pilot or maintenance guy to have it fully charged. I also wouldn't want the fuckers playing Angry Birds with an iPad during the flight.
A Class 1 EFB is a battery powered laptop or tablet type device. It is NOT used for takeoff and landing. The regulation states that they're to be stowed for take-off and landing which, yes, includes the approach run. It is loose equipment and you don't have a tablet on your lap during a landing where it can fall and block rudder pedals. They're effectively just dumb terminals that display PDF's for various bits of information you may need. It doesn't even need great daylight readability because it isn't flight critical information. Typically they contain airline ops manuals, pilot logs, and other sorts of documentation.
Because it is just supplementary equipment/information they really don't have a whole lot of rules surrounding them. If I recall correctly, you're not even allowed to put the aircraft flight manual on it because it might crap out during an emergency situation and you have to have access to the flight manual during an in-flight emergency. They can't be used to create a "paperless" cockpit. EFB's also have to ensure they don't interfere with any onboard systems due to EMI (i.e. turn off the wifi just in case.
A Class 2 EFB, on the other hand, is a mounted piece of equipment that requires FAA certification for the installation but carries many of the same restrictions as a Class 1 device. It is typically connected to aircraft power. Can have a data link to read information from aircraft systems but can't push data back. There has to be a human factors evaluation to ensure it doesn't interfere with normal cockpit operations.
Class 1 and Class 2 EFB's can show "current position" but only when on the ground doing taxi maneuvers. They are not to be used for current position during any airborne operations. They're not qualified to the required accuracy and redundancy to serve that purpose.
It isn't until you get to Class 3 EFB's, which are strictly controlled by aircraft regulatory agencies, that you can get any interaction with the cockpit avionics. An iPad, or any other consumer device, will never be capable of doing that job ... period.
Effectively, your class 1 and class 2 device can crap out and you can still fly the aircraft no problem.
There are a bunch of different Class 1 and Class 2 devices already made by various aircraft avionics manufacturers. Some airlines want to move to commercial devices to save a lot of money on the purchase because the ones manufactured by the avionics companies tend to be made to higher standards with more reliable, but older, hardware.
Would I want an iPad used as a Class 1 EFB? Not really. Then again, I wouldn't want to use most commercial devices. I'd rather have something with good sunlight readability and actual buttons dedicated to the things I want. When you're at 35,000 feet in a cockpit with lots of windows it is sometimes difficult to read commercial displays. I'd also prefer a Class 2 device frankly with power coming from aircraft systems so you don't have to rely on the pilot or maintenance guy to have it fully charged. I also wouldn't want the fuckers playing Angry Birds with an iPad during the flight.