Definition
Any piece of electronic equipment that is light enough to be carried by a single person and is not part of the aircraft's installed systems. In aviation use, PEDs include tablets, smartphones, laptops, e-readers, headsets with electronics, handheld GPS units, and wireless accessories. The FAA distinguishes between non-transmitting PEDs and transmitting PEDs (T-PEDs), the latter of which actively send radio signals such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or cellular.
Plain English
A portable electronic device, or PED, is any electronic gadget you can carry on board that isn't built into the aircraft — things like an iPad, phone, laptop, or wireless headset.
Context Anchor
Seen in electronic flight bag guidance when discussing tablets, laptops, and similar devices used by pilots to view charts, documents, or other flight information.
Derivation
Plain English. 'Portable' means able to be carried; 'electronic device' means a gadget that runs on electricity, usually with a battery and a screen or radio. The term is used because regulators needed a single label to cover everything from a phone to a tablet to a handheld GPS.
Why Pilots Care
PEDs reduce the need for paper charts and improve access to current data, yet pilots must verify that each device will not interfere with aircraft systems and meets regulatory approval for the phase of flight.
Intuition Check
Do not assume “portable” means “automatically acceptable in the cockpit.” Here, a PED is portable, but its use still depends on the operation, the aircraft, and whether it can be used safely without causing interference or distraction.
Example Sentence 1
The captain secured his PED in the flight deck mount before starting the engines.
Example Sentence 2
Before using the PED in instrument conditions, the crew confirmed it would not affect navigation radios.