Interesting comment in a recent CHIRP from an engineer about non-approved installations in flight decks.
A while ago whilst disembarking from a Q400 I glanced up in the off-chance it might be someone I knew driving. There was an iPad affixed to the side screen with a sucker and the usual trailing power lead, almost completely obscuring the view out. Now, in my ignorance, I'd have thought a part of the certification for the aircraft would have been that the transparencies are all there for a reason, otherwise, why not just have fuselage structure there? If you look at the A380, the cockpit was designed from the start for an EFB in the shape of a laptop each side. These non-approved installations need looking at by a competent authority, I guess we don't have enough inspectors.
When I'm doing a reval or renewal in someone's own aircraft and I see tablets and other paraphernalia all strung about I ask if they can see the instruments properly and what are their plans to avoid getting tangled up in the leads if they need to get out in a hurry? There was someone who tragically died following a successful ditching who apparently was last seen tangled in leads. Headset leads are bad enough, I'm seriously looking at wireless for my next headset.
TOO