SWA GUY
BMF
- Joined
- Apr 27, 2002
- Posts
- 627
I just flew my last 3 day with a guy that is on the EFB development team. The current cost of Jepps is $1.8 milllion/annually and the cost of the EFB is $1.8. Right now they are a wash.
The bigger problems, as I'm told, is that:
A) Getting the Fed's to sign off on the program the way we want it.
B) Finding a vendor that will be around for a while, that can develop the EFB. Yes, Navaero is the ONLY pure EFB manufacturer. Some other Computer companies make an EFB, but not as their mainstay business.
C) Getting the data to the EFB. USB port/WiFi? Problems with both. The USB can be very finicky in terms of receiving data. And some airports won't lets us hang a transmitter near a gate so that we can update our EFBs. Nice....
D) Did I mention the Feds? They have all the same questions/concerns the pilots have... "I can't see my 10-2 and 10-9 at the same time. It's not safe!"
CAL is jumping into this with both feet, while we are more wary of putting something into the jets that we're not entirely satisfied/happy with.
While both schools of thought (CAL/SWA) have their merits, SWA is going to take the more conservative route on this. That is not to say CAL is wrong, sometimes you have to just get something rolling and go with it. And good for CAL, without taking a chance on something, how would anything get invented?
So, SWA is going to remain in the development stage(which is not the beginning stage) unitl costs offset, or until we're ready to roll out the signed/sealed delivered product.
The bigger problems, as I'm told, is that:
A) Getting the Fed's to sign off on the program the way we want it.
B) Finding a vendor that will be around for a while, that can develop the EFB. Yes, Navaero is the ONLY pure EFB manufacturer. Some other Computer companies make an EFB, but not as their mainstay business.
C) Getting the data to the EFB. USB port/WiFi? Problems with both. The USB can be very finicky in terms of receiving data. And some airports won't lets us hang a transmitter near a gate so that we can update our EFBs. Nice....
D) Did I mention the Feds? They have all the same questions/concerns the pilots have... "I can't see my 10-2 and 10-9 at the same time. It's not safe!"
CAL is jumping into this with both feet, while we are more wary of putting something into the jets that we're not entirely satisfied/happy with.
While both schools of thought (CAL/SWA) have their merits, SWA is going to take the more conservative route on this. That is not to say CAL is wrong, sometimes you have to just get something rolling and go with it. And good for CAL, without taking a chance on something, how would anything get invented?
So, SWA is going to remain in the development stage(which is not the beginning stage) unitl costs offset, or until we're ready to roll out the signed/sealed delivered product.