Originally Posted by
Check Complete
I should have gone into greater detail about that, yes. Granted they have improved. But still wildly unreliable. I have never got the hot spot in the plane to work, and I never have seen anybody else to either. I had days when my Surface would work and connect and my FO's wouldn't. Then the next day it would be the other way around at the same gates? The fact we have to carry batteries around, repeaters in the plane, tells me we have the absolute wrong product. And recent rumblings are we are forced to stay with it because flightview and apple are not compatible.
My concerns are when the EFB becomes the defacto MX can. Remember both need to be online, and to my knowledge both have to function or you don't fly. Somebody doesn't close out, no fly. When an airline places a lot of their reliability on the Surface we have now, ya, I'm concerned!
Even if we had iPad's it'd be a smart and logical decision for an airline to give out battery packs. Unless your aircraft was capable to charge the device. That's just technology.
I do agree though, a lot of eggs in one basket with the can. I'd prefer to just keep the can in the cockpit, as it'd be much easier to check for things and it's really not a big deal signing in and out. The electronic checklist and flight view have grown on me. I thought it'd be hard on tight turns but once you do it so much, it becomes a fast repetition like a flow.
I sure hope we get something new though. I won't hold my breath though.