1time Airline says it is now ready to introduce Apple's iPad 2 into the pilots' flight deck to act as an all-in-one electronic flight bag (EFB) as soon as possible.
The airline says the tablets will replace traditional pilot flight bags, which are paper-based. Traditional flight bags usually contain paper-based reference materials, including the aircraft operating manuals and maps, it explains. The EFB is the replacement of those documents in a digital format, it adds.
Rodney James, CEO of 1time, says the iPad will act as a general purpose computing platform intended to reduce or replace paper-based reference material often found in the pilot's carry-on flight bag.
It will be an electronic information management device, which supports hundreds of general aviation applications that simplify pre-flight planning and assist with in-flight operations. “EFB devices can display a variety of aviation data or perform basic calculations, such as performance data, take-off and fuel calculations,” he explains.
Through this paperless application, he assures that 1time's pilots will have electronic access to a variety of vital resources normally included in a pilot's carry-on flight bag. “This includes exchange/mail capacity, rostering, latest weather updates, passenger information and loads, system and performance manuals, as well as electronic weight and balance.”
James says the use of the iPad 2 as an EFB will ensure that the airline's pilots' duties are simplified and more efficient because with traditional flight bags, pilots had to carry heavy bags with a lot papers to fulfil their duties. “The EFB also results in the creation of a paper-less environment.”
According to 1time, the iPad 2 has been cleared by the US Federal Aviation Authority as a device that does not interfere with airplane electronics. The airline says the device has 10-hour-rated battery life, resulting in pilots being able to use the device on long flights without needing to connect it to a power socket in the flight deck.
1time says it is working closely with aviation expert Jeppesen, the South African Civil Aviation Authority and Apple to ensure that the iPad 2 is an efficient, effective and convenient all-in-one package.
Jeppesen is also set to provide airlines with tailored coverage, which will extend the iPad 2 applications to include Enroute and Text, and thus provide a full route manual suite.
The airliner says it will start rolling out the programme as soon as it has enough iPads. According to the local distributor, Core Group, Apple is experiencing a global shortage of iPads and it is working on sorting out the problem.
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