iPads on the virtual flight deck

Just found an iPad app that does exactly this:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/fs-kneeboard/id373921390?mt=8

I'm a pilot with a US shipping company that is looking into an Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) solution that will more fully integrate our operations- and by operations I mean the handling of our cargo in addition to flight operations. I've looked extensively into the requirements for an off-the-shelf solution- what the FAA classifies as a Personal Electronic Device (PED).

In the early '90s when laptops started to proliferate, there were a few dramatic instances of aircraft flight controls being affected by them, and a few other portable personal electronic devices. There are also instances of interference with both air traffic control radios and navigation radios, especially critical when landing in poor weather. The reasoning for having your cellphone off for takeoff and landing is sound. The FAA being the FAA went very far in terms of regulation to mitigate the possibility of PEDs causing an accident.

You all know some PEDs may be used at all times in flight (watches, noise canceling headphones, pacemakers, etc.). There is a certification that the FAA requires any PED approved for all phases of flight to obtain, I don't remember the specific ISO rating, but it's out there. The certification focuses on determining how a PED will react in some of the various everyday and extreme situations, from radio interference to rapid/explosive decompression tests.

So- if someone puts an iPad through this (I don't know, but I'm sure very expensive) process, poof, the FAA can certify the iPad actually quite easily as an EFB, once it has been approved as a PED suitable for use in all phases of flight. There are three types of EFBs, (class I, II, and III). Class I is something like a Kindle or iPad, or other off the shelf solution that is basically a document reader, class II and II start to have a lot of requirements for being connected to the aircraft and recieving individual certifications. The hardest part of getting a class I EFB approved is the PED test and having a power source that is able to be quickly disconnected installed in the aircraft.

The possibilities are limitless. Of course there's charts which is the main savings in weight in my flight bag which is over 40 pounds. There's also our Company's Operations Specifications- a manual which tells the FAA how that company will adhere to federal regulations. Then you can also carry other stuff that you wouldn't normally carry- FAR/AIM-FAR/AIM/NTSB 830. Aircraft Flight manuals, your pilot logbook, your union contract, Printed NOTAMS, and a host of other advisory and reference materials.

Then there's the weather aspect. I use an app called SkyCharts by Heikki Julkunen. The iPhone version is $9.99 and it's not as sexy as Foreflight, but it has all the same functionality at a one-time purchase price. It's a great app, and it keeps getting better. SkyCharts and Foreflight are just the beginning of the possibilities of what the iPhone and iPad can do with weather.

On a tactical level, I'm sure there are already smart checklist apps, there's apps to calculate weight and balance, aircraft performance and all those goodies. I'm just waiting for someone to come up with a voice recognition app for pilots that you plug into your comm radio to turn ATC transmissions into a running text script so you always know what your last clearance was, or if that last transmission was for you, or maybe has an alert that hears when a call to your callsign goes unanswered (Think NWA 188). Maybe a interface for a clearance. Geo referencing airport diagrams is a no-no for non-class III PEDs (think GPS accuracy), but a step back from that is maybe when you get a clearance to taxi, you pull up a taxi clearance dialogue, you enter your location (i.e. Gate A8), and when you get your taxi instructions from ATC you tap the route in text icon/phrases "Hold Short" "Runway 32" and so forth. Once entered, a chart is displayed with your highlighted route complete with hold short instructions. The super sexy version of that will have the voice recognition feature.

The uses in the training environment are abounding as well. You can carry your entire training library all ready, from PTS, to PHoAK, to Written Exam Guides, Flash cards and everything in between. Maybe it can be incorporated with tag-able video where during a post-flight brief an instructor can quickly reference that learning moment.

There are so many next-level uses for the iPad, and I just can't wait to see what people come up with.

I think it's the perfect device for flight maps and such, but would be concerned with device failure. I'd want either a backup ipad, or your big case full of print maps behind your seat or something.

In principle I think its a good idea, and one that is already (sort of) in use.

Airbus have used laptops as part of their Less-Paper-Cockpit (LPC) philosophy for a while now, I use one every day when I'm work. They have gone further with the A380, having qwerty keyboards built in to the tray tables and a dedicated screen near to the joystick which displays pertinent information normally found on plates. I doubt the pilots find this distracting.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Airbus_A380_cockpit.jpg

All you would have to do to stop the batter dying on an iPad is, plug it in? Thats what I normally do when I want my electronic devices to stay alive. Most older light aircraft still have cigarette lighters, and if new manufacturers are serious about letting these sort of devices be used it will be fairly easy to install power sockets.

The main stumbling block with getting things approved by the FAA or CAA or whatever is money. Send a big enough cheque and things move quickly enough.

I can imagine many of these same discussions in the early days of Glass Cockpits.

Unless Apple (or some Major Airline) want's to spend the money on getting the iPad cleared through the FAA, you won't see it as a tool on the flight deck of an air carrier. I really doubt Apple cares about that small a market.

As for Pilots not caring about electronics being on when their not supposed to be....count me as one who does care.

Perhaps it's a Quartz issue. Some graphic, er... "flourishes?" are not available with less powerful graphics cards.

An iPad made for an airplane cockpit would probably be better and less expensive than what is currently out there. It would not be a distraction if it was made expressly for the cockpit. One of the Business Jet Legacys I fly has an Electronic Flight Bag, but I do not like using it. The iPad has a much better screen and is much thinner. It can be hard wired into the airplane electrical system. It would still have to pass the FAA to use, which would raise the cost.

No place for this in the cockpit as an IFR source. Dustin, just come out and say it: hornets, vipers or eagles? Either way, single seat guys could really go for something like this, but pubs are a safety of flight matter. They should be immune to their batteries dying and useful in all lighting conditions. Ever read an ebook on the iPad in broad daylight? Not so much. What happens if the app crashes right as you're looking up the published missed approach? The iPad is super sweet, but stick to good old paper for flight pubs.

Check out my app for Terminal Charts on the iPad

http://www.airwx.com/2010/05/17/avcharts-for-ipad-is-out-today/

It could possibly be a distraction and that concerns me. They might have plenty of time to kill for various reasons, and it could be a useful companion while waiting during delays etc.
I think there should be guidelines about when it could be used or not.