Apple's iPad now in use in all American Airlines cockpits
American Airlines announced on Monday that it has deployed more than 8,000 iPads and is now using Apple's touchscreen tablet as an electronic flight bag in the cockpit of its entire fleet of airplanes.
The completion of American Airlines' iPad rollout has allowed the company to discontinue paper revisions to its terminal charts. American Airlines is now the first major commercial airline company to fully utilize tablets in all cockpits during all phases of flight.
In all, more than 8,000 iPads have been issued to active pilots and trainers. That's allowed American to eliminate 24 million pages of paper documents.
American Airlines chose the iPad to serve as its official electronic flight bag for pilots. The switch eliminates the need to carry a 35-pound kitbag from all of the company's planes.
It's projected that the use of the iPad as an electronic flight bag will save American Airlines 400,000 gallons of gas, or $1.2 million worth of fuel, every year. The carrier has also eliminated 24 million pages of paper documents.
"Our electronic flight bag program has a significant positive environmental and cost-savings impact," said David Campbell, vice president of Safety and Operations Performance at American Airlines.
Credit: American Airlines
American Airlines has approval from the Federal Aviation Administration to use the iPad on all of its current fleet types, including the Boeing 777, 767, 757, 737, and MD-80. Pilots utilize the Jeppesen Mobile Terminal Chart application, which has been approved for gate-to-gate use throughout all phases of flight.
"Our focus on technological improvement throughout our operation has never been stronger as we continue to build the new American," said Patrick O?Keeffe, American?s Vice President ? Airline Operations Technology. "As the first major commercial airline to successfully complete the Electronic Flight Bag transition across its fleet, we are proud to count this among our other successful programs that provide the tools our people need to perform their duties safely and efficiently."
American Airlines first began using Apple's iPad during all phases of flight last year, making it the first carrier with permission to do so. In addition to cost savings and a lessened environmental impact, it is also expected to help prevent back injuries among pilots who will no longer have to carry heavy bags full of paper flight manuals.
The completion of American Airlines' iPad rollout has allowed the company to discontinue paper revisions to its terminal charts. American Airlines is now the first major commercial airline company to fully utilize tablets in all cockpits during all phases of flight.
In all, more than 8,000 iPads have been issued to active pilots and trainers. That's allowed American to eliminate 24 million pages of paper documents.
American Airlines chose the iPad to serve as its official electronic flight bag for pilots. The switch eliminates the need to carry a 35-pound kitbag from all of the company's planes.
It's projected that the use of the iPad as an electronic flight bag will save American Airlines 400,000 gallons of gas, or $1.2 million worth of fuel, every year. The carrier has also eliminated 24 million pages of paper documents.
"Our electronic flight bag program has a significant positive environmental and cost-savings impact," said David Campbell, vice president of Safety and Operations Performance at American Airlines.
Credit: American Airlines
American Airlines has approval from the Federal Aviation Administration to use the iPad on all of its current fleet types, including the Boeing 777, 767, 757, 737, and MD-80. Pilots utilize the Jeppesen Mobile Terminal Chart application, which has been approved for gate-to-gate use throughout all phases of flight.
"Our focus on technological improvement throughout our operation has never been stronger as we continue to build the new American," said Patrick O?Keeffe, American?s Vice President ? Airline Operations Technology. "As the first major commercial airline to successfully complete the Electronic Flight Bag transition across its fleet, we are proud to count this among our other successful programs that provide the tools our people need to perform their duties safely and efficiently."
American Airlines first began using Apple's iPad during all phases of flight last year, making it the first carrier with permission to do so. In addition to cost savings and a lessened environmental impact, it is also expected to help prevent back injuries among pilots who will no longer have to carry heavy bags full of paper flight manuals.
Comments
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil
But not in cabins.
Exactly. They hand out crappy Androids (oops.... sorry for the redundancy!). Enough to take my business to another airline....
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil
But not in cabins.
Come on TS. Until the FAA allows it, is it that much to ask that fliers put aside their Candy Crush games for those 5-10 minutes during takeoff and landing? Really? Is it really that much of a sacrifice?
Try again without the logical fallacy.
Like they couldn't before, on personal devices. Or read a book. Or take a nap.
Shirking off on their jobs isn't something that will spring up now out of the blue because of iPads. There were always ways before and those inclined to use them did.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil
But not in cabins.
I read a story the other day saying that they're only allowed in the cockpits because each iPad is individually tested and proven safe and they couldn't do that with the consumer models
I honestly couldn't believe that whomever said that didn't realize that they were the same models
I always wondered what that big bag pilots were lugging was.
All the trees saved from printing all these documents thank you!
Quote:
Originally Posted by ifij775
I always wondered what that big bag pilots were lugging was.
The airlines probably had some poor sap updating those things, dunno, but when I was learning to fly, I remember seeing the corporate pilots at my FBO sitting in their office spending hours on a beautiful Saturday replacing those things. Horrendous!
/
/
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil
But not in cabins.
It's my understanding that the FAA is considering lifting the ban on the use of iPads, iPhones, etc. during take-off & landing... (the ban on Android devices will remain in effect, however—for the betterment of all.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheUnfetteredMind
All the trees saved from printing all these documents thank you!
Not really. Since they will not have to print the documents, over and over again, those trees aren't going to live at all. While I like the environmental impact of using less fuel, fewer documents is not such a good thing. Trees have to grow a few years to make paper, and all the time that tree is growing, it has a net positive impact on the environment.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil
Try again without the logical fallacy.
Actually, I won't "try again". Accept it, deal with it, and grow up. So sorry the world does not move at the pace you want it to, nor makes the kind of sense that it should be.
Really, what did people do before tablets and smartphones on a plane? They read a book, maybe even talked to the person sitting next to them, maybe even took a nap.
No, I'm not accepting a flawed argument based on falsehoods, thanks.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rot'nApple
$1.2 million in fuel savings, but I bet it won't filter down to lower ticket prices or an extra free carry on!
Let's see. AA carries approximately 275,000 passengers per day
http://www.aa.com/i18n/amrcorp/corporateInformation/facts/amr.jsp
so let's just call it 100 million passengers per year. 1.2 million divided by 100 million = 1.2 cents per passenger.
So no, I doubt you'll be seeing much windfall from this.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil
But not in cabins.
The difference is the numbers, a couple of aircrew versus hundreds of passengers (and an uncontrolled variety of devices). The total of emitting devices increases the potential interference.
Quote:
Originally Posted by johnnyb0731
I read a story the other day saying that they're only allowed in the cockpits because each iPad is individually tested and proven safe and they couldn't do that with the consumer models
I honestly couldn't believe that whomever said that didn't realize that they were the same models
Correct. Not individually tested, but that particular model is tested in the particular cockpit area where it will be used. That's one device in a tiny area.
Such testing is not practical to do for all the possible combinations of every type of device in the world, in every possible location in the passenger cabin.