FlightManual
Latest
Gadling goes hands-on with the iPad flight bag
Flight bags are going digital, and American Airlines is on the forefront of this move away from a paper-laden cockpit. American has approval to use the iPad in its 777, 737 and MD-80 airplanes and is starting to install the iPads in the cockpits of its MD-80 fleet. A recent segment in Gadling's Cockpit Chronicles series by Kent Wien takes a closer look at this iOS-driven setup. Working with pilot manual company Jeppesen, American Airlines is loading up the devices with company manuals, Jeppesen flight manuals, Jeppesen approach plates and more. It is also equipping the iPads with Hypermac backup batteries for long flights and a RAM mount to secure the device in the cockpit. You can check out the cockpit setup in the video below and then hop over to the Cockpit Chronicles article for additional details on the system and its long approval process, which includes, among other things, hypobaric chamber testing. [Gadling is a sibling site of TUAW, as we are both part of AOL's network. –Ed.]
How one helicopter pilot uses the iPad
In a short, but interesting article at GigaOM, writer Erica Ogg interviews her search-and-rescue helicopter pilot husband about technology in the cockpit. She talks to him about the iPad 2 and how the tablet has transformed his job. Not surprisingly, the iPad is used in everything from pre-flight preparation to a replacement for up to 40 pounds of flight manuals. You can read the full interview at GigaOM's website.
Alaska Airlines ditches paper flight manuals for iPads
The iPad has already gotten the go-ahead from the FAA as a replacement for paper flight charts and maps, and now Alaska Airlines has become the first major US airline to hop on board the paperless bandwagon. While it's not quite ready to ditch paper navigation charts just yet (though that is under consideration), the airline has announced that it will be replacing its traditional flight manuals with iPads, which will be loaded up with the GoodReader app and PDFs of 41 different manuals and other materials. According to the airline, that change will result in savings of about 2.4 million pieces of paper, and it says the cost of the project will be offset by fuel savings from the reduced weight, and additional savings that are expected from "fewer back and muscle injuries caused by pilots carrying flight bags," which can weigh up to 50 pounds. Let's just hope those newly lightened flight bags still have room for a charging cable.
