AviationNext generation flying: pilots use iPad for navigation
United Airlines pilots will use the iPad to replace the bulky flight manuals and chart books pilots carry with them; the company ordered 11,000 iPads, saying they will save sixteen million sheets of paper a year, and that the lighter load will save 326,000 gallons in fuel. the on
iPad finds its way into the cockpit // Source: zimbio.com
United Airlines said it was replacing the bulky flight manuals and chart books its pilots have long used with 11,000 iPads carrying the same data.
The 1.5 pound iPad will take the place of about 38 pounds of paper instructions, data, and charts pilots have long used to help guide them, United said.
The New York Times reports that the popular tablet computer will carry the Mobile FliteDeck software app from Jeppesen, a Boeing subsidiary which provides navigation tools for air, sea, and land. “The paperless flight deck represents the next generation of flying,” said Captain Fred Abbott, United’s senior vice president of flight operations. “The introduction of iPads ensures our pilots have essential and real-time information at their fingertips at all times throughout the flight.”
United merged with Continental 2010, and Continental pilots will receive the iPad as well.
In May this year, Alaska Airlines also adopted the iPad after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved the iPad for cockpit use.
United said that using the iPad will save sixteen million sheets of paper a year, and that the lighter load will save 326,000 gallons in fuel.
“With iPad, pilots are able to quickly and efficiently access reference material without having to thumb through thousands of sheets of paper and reduce clutter on the flight deck,” the company said.
