iPads for Alaska

[igneousy2]

Got it! I was assuming that any trials were over since they were approved for use, but sounds like there is a ways to go. Great start though and a long overdue use of tech for the cockpit and burdensome books. I'm wondering if the iPad will be the only deviced used or if some other airlines will use a cheaper, Android based model in the future. If these prove successful who's to say that future cockpits don't have these built in!

They already do have them built in but ipads cost hundreds...Boeing charges tens-of-thousands. This is actually the cheaper alternative.

 

[Ralph Cramden]

If I may be so bold as to offer advice to the iPad toting Alaska drivers, don't throw away your paper manuals after the end of the test period. All those margin notes and flagged pages are going to go poof and never return!

Yes, GoodReader has annotation capabilities, but as your updates will most likely come as complete new files, you will not be able to save your notes from update to update.

Another fun fact is manuals get much fatter when removed from the requirement of being printed on paper and delivered to your V file. In black shirt land we have some manuals that are over 1000 pages! Finding anything quickly, even with the search function is frustrating.

With all our manuals on our EFBs and on our company issued memory sticks, I would still be better off with a paper MEL to use while on duty. Many of us carry paper cheat sheets to refer to for the things we look up all the time.

 

[Dash8don]

RC-I agree with you on the annotation capabilities. Many of us have that same concern. I hadn't thought about the increase of information, they just simplified our paper manuals a few years ago, but that wouldn't surprise me.