We have all seen the airline crew approaching the gate, with the captain and co-pilot rolling a rather large lunchbox behind them. In that box, are some 20+ pounds of paper. That “lunchbox” has maps, checklists, procedures and some electronics that both need to refer to during the flight. Combined, the cockpit will have an additional 40-50 pounds of paper, depending on the aircraft being flown and the airlines. And like anything else on a plane, it costs fuel to fly all this paperwork every time the pilots are in flight. It is estimated this cost is between 250,000 and 500,000 per annum – adding to the cost of the flight. Annully, this cost is easily in the millions.
Since June, American Airlines had been testing the use of the iPad and iPad 2 on flights out of Los Angeles and has recently received FAA approval for implementing the use of both iPads on all its flights. The FAA has not authorized any of the other airlines for any testing nor for implementing the iPad on their flights. Probably a good thing as this is new territory for the aviation industry – just as much as the electronic avionics were when Garmin started making them in 1991. It was another 10 years before planes were sold with a complete array of electronic avionics.
Needless to say there will be certain functional and technical specifications that will have to be met with each iPad used by the airlines. Like, perhaps, a fully charged battery would be good – but that would limit the use of the Pad on continental flights as intercontinental can be 6, 7, 8 or more hours. Though Apple claims 10 hours for battery life, we know what will happen if a plan ends up on the tarmac for 3 or more hours. So there are many details to be considered.
The FAA did stipulate that the paper is not disappearing yet. The American Airline pilots can use the iPad but MUST have the usual paper with them. What about you? How do you feel about the iPad being used in the cockpit? Would you trust your life – and 300 others in the plane – to the iPad? Let us know!