Cleaning Out the Cockpit: First Airline Gets Approval for Pilots to Use iPads in Flight
- Posted on December 14, 2011 at 11:34am by
Liz Klimas
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(Photo via 9to5Mac)
American Airlines has become the first airline approved to host an iPad in the cockpit by the Federal Aviation Administration. The iPad, as reported by TechCrunch, is set to replace bulky binders weighing up to 40 pounds in an effort to save fuel.
Pile of aviation binders with an iPad on top. (Photo via TechCrunch)
TechCrunch reports that while the fuel savings are small, it adds up. American Airlines expects to save more than $1 million per year with this move. TechCrunch also notes, just for your peace of mind, that the iPads have undergone six months of tests to ensure things like battery life and other functions won’t go on the fritz mid-flight. The iPads will also not be connected to the Internet during takeoff or landing. 9to5Mac reports that the iPad 2 as well as the original iPad have been tested and approved for use.
This announcement that iPads could be gracing AA cockpits as early as this Friday, comes on the heels of the National Transportation Safety Board recommending states ban use of all portable electronic devices by drivers operating a motor vehicle, except when necessary for operation of the vehicle or in emergency situations.
TechCrunch has more for an anonymous pilot filling them in on some more details:
AA is certainly using JeppTC, as a commenter suggested they were. It’s actually available in the App store, but licensed pilots (and presumably those from specific airlines) have access to extra charts.
By charts, our pilot informant wishes to emphasize that it’s not just a big book. There are a number of binders covering departures, approaches, runways, operating manuals, and so on. And they must be kept up-to-date with biweekly inserts, which mine informant describes as [...] taking hours, whereas the iPad app is automatically updated.
The iPads (and AA is sticking with iPads, the FAA has not approved any other devices, though Delta is looking at Android ones) must have backup batteries, and although I was joking about requisitioning a passenger’s iPad, it could be done if they had internet access.
It is also worth noting that these charts are duplicated per pilot, meaning that on a transatlantic flight you may have four such chart bags, which must be as much a drag on the cockpit’s closet space as it is on fuel consumption.
Some have begun to question why use of iPads by pilots continually during flight, even during takeoff and landing, is safe while passengers have to power down. The Daily Tech reports the FAA as saying that only two iPads will be in use by the pilot and his co-pilot:
“This involves a significantly different scenario for potential interference than unlimited passenger use, which could involve dozens or even hundreds of devices at the same time,” said the FAA.
It seems the FAA has a point, but critics still point out that the two iPads in the cockpit will be inches away from the sensitive airplane electronics in question.
American Airlines, which recently filed for bankruptcy, also announced recently that it would be installing Samsung Galaxy tablets for entertainment in premium cabins.
[H/T Gizmodo]
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PHWeber
Posted on December 15, 2011 at 2:19pmI understand: using my iPad in flight can crash the plane, because I am sitting too far away from the instruments. Right up there in the cockpit they’re perfectly safe. Right?
Next thing you know, someone is going to point out that putting up the tray tables before landing is pointless, because in the event of a crash the first thing that’s going to happen is that all the tray tables will fall down.
Report Post »jado1981
Posted on December 15, 2011 at 12:29pmThat’s what I want, my pilot playing Angry Birds instead of focusing on flying a big tylenol with 100+ people on board. The excuse is to save 40 pounds of weight? How about they just dump the toilet waste vs. storing it in a tank, that should save more than 40 lbs.
Report Post »jado1981
Posted on December 15, 2011 at 12:29pmAnd then you know the idiot Baldwin is going to have something to say about this.
Report Post »4-The-Truth
Posted on December 14, 2011 at 5:11pmI wonder if it will have the iPhone “Walk the Line” sobriety app?
http://articles.businessinsider.com/2009-07-23/tech/29975372_1_iphone-app-grolsch-brewing
Report Post »TommyGuns
Posted on December 14, 2011 at 4:31pmSo let me see if I got this straight. The government wants to make it illegal to talk or text while driving a car, but it’s okay to use an iPad while piloting a plane?
Report Post »poverty.sucks
Posted on December 14, 2011 at 9:18pmTry reading volumes of fine print while piloting you moron.
Report Post »shakedowncrews
Posted on December 14, 2011 at 4:31pmLet me see if i have this right. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) wants to ban use of cell phones in cars, but airline pilots can browse their iPads and watch porn…in flight?
Hmmm. Up is down in America these days.
Report Post »paulusmaximus
Posted on December 14, 2011 at 3:07pmIt is the age of electronics replacing the logs with a I pad is just the normal course.My concern would be that it is backed up to insure important issues are not missed.
Report Post »Temporal
Posted on December 14, 2011 at 2:52pmHauled a flight bag for 26 years. Glad to seem them gone. But in typical bureaucratic fashion, this could have been done years ago, but the paper-centric FAA held it up.
As for the electronic devices in back, the big issue is not knowing what or how the systems may be affected by a rogue device. The same device in one aircraft may not present any problems, then change planes, and suddenly there’s gremlins in navigations systems.
So they play it safe with a blanket prohibition.
Report Post »GeneTracy
Posted on December 14, 2011 at 2:17pmAmerican Airlines use Apples in airliners.
Report Post »mrsalvage2
Posted on December 14, 2011 at 1:53pmManuals, not used much, but were important to a friend’s sister twice.
Ride Along told her what to do with an engine coming apart on take off. Capt. needed an underwear change, and could not land the plane she just got off the gound with one engine.
Well the second time was not that important as fire suppression was engaged after the fire warning went off and the engie set fire to DFW Field.
So the manual was really helpful on one occasion avoiding an Engine explosion. The second time it had already exploded.
Report Post »Sumrknght
Posted on December 14, 2011 at 1:45pmHey, an Ipad or some other tablet computer probably would have saved folks the harrowing experience on the “Gimli Glider” (jumbo jet running out of fuel due to a faulty fuel processor chip) so I’m all for the pilots having them. Only… how soon before some yahoo in the back says “if the pilot has em – I don’t have to turn off my electronic devices to keep the flight electronics from screwing up!” causing problems for the flight crew.
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