Apple’s iPad – The New Pilot for the Skies
Contrary to popular belief the black backbreaking flight bag that you see upon a Pilot’s shoulder heading to the cockpit is not their change of clothing. The flight bag contains 40-pounds worth of reference material encompassing: safety checklists, airport diagrams, performance data, navigation charts, weather information and more.
The 40-pound now gathers dust residing amongst other relics while the iPad shuttles in a new era.
A number of charter and commercial carriers have authorization from the F.A.A. (Federal Aviation Administration) to replace the 40-pound with the 1.5-pound iPad. The initiative to use the so-called electronic flight bag supports hundreds of aviation apps to simplify preflight planning and assistance with in-flight operations.
“The iPad allows pilots to quickly and nimbly access information,” said Jim Freeman, a pilot and director of flight standards at Alaska Airlines, which has given iPad’s to all its pilots. “When you need to make a decision in the cockpit, three to four minutes’ fumbling with paper is an eternity.”
The new e-manuals allow pilots to consult digital flight, systems and performance manuals on the iPad. The e-manuals offer hyperlinks and color graphics to quickly aid pilot information. New updates to manuals are easily obtained and downloaded automatically.
Alaska Airlines is now ramping up to the next stage called ‘Operation Bye, Bye, Flight Bag’ to petition the F.A.A. to use the iPad facility for aeronautical charts.
The argument also exists that switching to the iPad reduces health care costs and absenteeism from shoulder and back injuries associated with the heavy flight bags.
“Cockpits are small, and lifting that thing up and over your seat causes damage, particularly when you consider a lot of pilots are over 40.” Said David Clark, pilot and manager of the connected aircraft program at American Airlines. American Airlines won F.A.A. approval last month for pilots’ use of the iPad.
Tags: apps, iPad/iPad2
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