United Airlines switches to iPads in cockpit

| 23/08/2011

(CNET): United Airlines has announced its cockpits will go paperless by swapping out printed flight manuals in favor of Apple's iPad. As part of the swap, the carrier is giving 11,000 iPads to all United and Continental pilots. The iPads are loaded with Jeppesen Mobile FliteDeck, an app that contains navigational charts and local airport information. United estimates that the change from paper will save it 326,000 gallons of jet fuel a year, based on the paper the iPads are replacing. "Each iPad, which weighs less than 1.5 pounds, will replace approximately 38 pounds of paper operating manuals, navigation charts, reference handbooks, flight checklists, logbooks and weather information in a pilot's flight bag," the company said in a statement.

"A conventional flight bag full of paper materials contains an average of 12,000 sheets of paper per pilot."

United says it began doling out iPads to pilots a few weeks ago and that all its pilots will have them by the end of the year. Both Delta Airlines and Alaska Airlines began testing iPads for navigational purposes earlier this year as part of a trial program. Executive Jet Management, a unit of NetJets, announced in February that it had gained approval from the Federal Aviation Administration to use Jeppesen's app as well.

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  1. Anonymous says:

    So its ok now for passengers to leave theit cell phones turned on? If the Pilot can be in possesion of device that uses the wireless networks and not have any effect on the plane's electronics and navigation instruments, why cant the passengers use their phones???