Time and again we have talked about how the iPad has proven to revolutionize almost every industry as we know it today. The iPad has been revolutionary particularly in the airline industry by allowing them to cut paper based flight manuals as well as heft pilot Electronic Flight bags. United Airlines, USA’s premier airline, has decided to replace all paper based flight manuals with iPads.
In a statement, United Airlines senior vice president of flight operations Fred Abbott said:
The paperless flight deck represents the next generation of flying. The introduction of iPads ensures our pilots have essential and real-time information at their fingertips at all times throughout the flight.
This really is a blessing in disguise for United and Continental airlines pilots. A stock flight bag containing operating manuals, navigation charts, handbooks, checklists, logbooks and weather information weighs in at an average 38 pounds with over 12,000 sheets of paper. The iPad is no where as near bulky, heavy and hard to handle. The iPads which will be used in the cockpit will already be loaded with the Jeppesen Mobile FliteDeck app which will contain all relevant information the pilots need for that particular flight. Pilots won’t have to go through hundreds of sheets of paper when airborne if they have to look something up, they will certainly be less occupied with the iPad which will allow them to locate whatever they want in a far more efficient manner.
Not only that, by replacing paper based flight manuals with iPads, United Airlines will save a massive amount of paper hence contributing to safety of the environment. Due to the fact that the load of paper based flight bags will be eliminated on all their flights, United Airlines will also save on a substantial amount of aircraft fuel each year.
Earlier this week we reported that Delta Airlines is testing iPads as a replacement for their Electronic Flight Bags. While they are still testing, Alaska Airlines has become the first commercial airline to get approval for replacing all cockpit flight manuals with iPads. Apart from this, British Airways has started to hand out iPads to all of its flight attendants as well.
For what other purposes can the Apple iPad be used on board an airplane? Let us know what you think in your comments below.
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