We told you a few months ago that the iPad tablet could be used in commercial airplanes because it received the approval of the American aviation agency to be used by pilots instead of paper maps. Although the airlines are not yet thinking about such a thing, Alaska Airlines is the first major US airline that will use iPad 2 tablets in airplanes instead of flight manuals. The company will give an iPad tablet to each pilot in its fleet until June 2011, but this of course after it has already tested the effectiveness of the tablets compared to the paper manuals.
Alaska Airlines is the first major domestic airline to use the iPad to replace paper manuals. We've been exploring the idea of an electronic flight bag for several years, but never found a device we really liked," said Gary Beck, Alaska Airlines' vice president of flight operations. "When the iPad hit the market, we took one look at it and said this is the perfect fit. In conjunction with replacing paper manuals, Alaska Airlines is exploring the replacement of paper aeronautical navigation charts with electronic versions on the iPad, eliminating the need for every pilot to carry their own copy. The two initiatives, dubbed "Bye, Bye, Flight Bag," will save about 2.4 million pieces of paper. The cost of the project is expected to be offset by lower paper, printing and distribution expenses and reduced fuel consumption as some weight is removed from the aircraft. Further savings are expected from fewer back and muscle injuries caused by pilots carrying flight bags that can tip the scales at 50 pounds or more fully loaded.
Alaska Airlines claims that it will save significant amounts by purchasing the tablets because it will no longer have to print all the instructions on paper, but in addition it will also save in terms of kerosene because part of the weight of the plane will be reduced by this change. I don't know how many airlines in the world will follow their example immediately, but in the future the iPad tablet will be present as a pilot tool for sure in almost every commercial flight.
