IPads In Cockpit Raises Seriously Troubling Issues | The Daily Feed | Minyanville.com

iPads in Cockpit Raises Seriously Troubling Issues

With iPads winning approval from the FAA to display navigation charts for charter pilots, the stage has been set for Apple to aggressively boost corporate sales in this important industry. Businessweek reports that with US regulators endorsing iPads “in a test project at Executive Jet management, a unit of Warren Buffett’s NetJets, the way is open for pilots at airlines and other commercial carriers to see authorization for the devices.”

Clearly, this is a coup not only for Cupertino, but also for the airline industry. You see, in a mind-blowing revelation that frankly shocks this writer, pilots have been relying on the “decades-old tradition of paper maps in the cockpit.”

That’s right, apparently paper maps are still the preferred navigational tool for pilots and we can only pray to God that these maps are small enough not to obscure the entire windshield when unfolded and that co-pilots are particularly adept at folding and refolding them when in a bind.

Consider:

“Emergency landing! Bank left or right up ahead? Left or right??”

“I don’t know!”

“Check the map!”

“I’m unfolding it now!”

“Hurry!”

“Agh! I can’t get it open. Did you fold this last time?”

“I don’t remember. Which way?!”

“The creases are all screwed up. Whoever folded this last time is a moron. I can’t see anything!”

“Oh well. Left it is!” Weeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!

Compare this little exchange with one had by pilots using iPads:

“Emergency landing! Bank left or right?? Left or right??”

“Left.”

Ahhh. So much easier.

Now, the iPad isn’t the first “electronic flight bag” to win FAA approval. These navigational tools have been used for over 10 years, even though they weren’t exactly convenient. One popular model, from Astronautics Corporation of America, weighed 18 pounds. Apple’s iPad is 12 times lighter.

Still, most carriers still rely heavily on paper maps. Businessweek reports that “Delta Air Lines Inc., the world’s second-largest carrier, is ‘still vastly paper driven,’ according to Gina Laughlin, a spokeswoman. Delta is pursuing approval to test iPads and other tablet devices next quarter, Laughlin said in an e-mail.”

Now, iPad’s integration into cockpit life may sound all well and good. But it seems that regulators failed to account for one seemingly innocuous yet devastatingly dangerous iPad-related use.

Angry Birds.

The addictive game wherein players attempt to navigate infuriated flying Neornithes into pigs is adored by millions, and there’s little reason to believe the game would not be particularly enjoyed by pilots. After all, these are pilots. Hurling across the skies is their thing.

Fact is, any device that can double as a navigational tool for planes and a platform for Angry Birds must be seen not only as a threat to pigs, but flying humans as well. Whether or not iPads in the cockpit will allow for games remains to be seen, but there’s little reason to doubt that the devices won’t be full fledged iPads, complete with such distracting apps as Yelp, Flixster, and Solitaire.

Don’t get me wrong. Moving away from paper maps is a good thing. But for the sake of all flying life, the FAA must address the Angry Birds. After all, the last map you want your pilot to be looking at when faced with a crucial navigational decision is this one:





I could never get past this screen.

 

Along these lines...

What do you guys think (especially fNWA guys who flew the DC-9) is the reason why the DC-9 has become so unreliable recently? Every single trip I fly, we end up with a major mechanical delay or even a cancellation due to mechanical. I find myself calling maintenance way more frequently than I have ever had to do with any other aircraft in my entire career. Now, the F/O's I fly with, who have flown the airplane for a long time, tell me that the DC-9 had an extremely high dispatch reliability at NWA. Is it that we're utilizing the aircraft more post-merger? (More utilization on an old aircraft = more maintenance problems?) Or is Delta doing something different in terms of preventative maintenance? Or maybe a combination of both? What do you think?

 

I wonder what the author would think if we told him most pilots were already very good at cross words and Soduko.

 

Actually, I've read through this entire document. Much of the data can be skewed in lots of direction considering *most* of the airports out there aren't considered mandatory reporting. In other words, the airlines do not have to self report if they don't want to.

With that being said, our connection carriers are having issues. They have chonic delayed flights and a hire percentage of the delayed flights. Also, they have significant baggage issues. Some of our connection carriers are losing bags almost twice as much as mainline. Mainline lost less bags than last year. Ironically, Southwest, who doesn't transfer bags between carriers or codeshares, lost more bag this January compared to last year and those numbers were hired than DAL. Additionally, you are three times as likely to get involuntarily denied boarding on Southwest as you are with Delta ... and more likely, it is the people who bought the teaser fares.

There's some good in there, and some bad. We gotta get our hands around our connection carriers. Our passengers deserve that.

 

Since sometimes the concrete walls seem to defy gravity, I'd say your options rest on a high arching shot to each one of those pig guys. Damn things are probably laughing a lot too.

What's wrong with saying "I know, 18 days on for just 70 hours and all for $50K less than a SWA pilot hired at the same time is something we have to get fixed ASAP." ?

Not, "why don't you either uproot your wife and kid, regardless of whether you're moving away from family and support, and move to a base and enjoy the chapter 11 pay and work rules or you should quit. Because by complaining you're complaining about ALPA and that's not acceptable."

I think until commuting is outlawed, as a guy who lives in base, I don't think someones reasons for commuting should ever be questioned unless you don't mind your commute, bidding choices, aircraft choices and so on being questioned. It's nobody's business and if someone wants to complain about it, I'm willing to hear them out for 1 reason - who is to say I won't one day be forced into a commute? Or if you commute, losing seniority or forced to another base and worse QOL. You never know and that's a simple rule from RJ day 1 much less mainline day 1.

^^ get ready. I have a feeling you'll turn out to be right.

But talking about rising oil prices, I'll stop.

 

I GIVE THAT ANOTHER BIG ++++++1

 

U.S. Dept. of Transportation data show drop in flight delays, rise in canceled flights | NJ.com

Most enjoyable line:

 

Interesting to see SFO and other west coast flying on ATL 88 for April.

---
FWIW, I heard the other day that a 73NG breaks even after about 25 days of use per month. 88's B/E is 5 days.

Heard it second hand so it might not be true but it came from a presenter at the LCA meeting so it'd be interesting. Maybe even with high oil the not as efficient 88 can hang ar.... mentioned oil. Sorry.

 

I think part of it is the fleet size. Very few spare parts, and next to no chance for a substitution. It used to be no problem when we you could just pull a -30 out of the hangar. It sometimes caused an overbooking problem if you were subbing a -30 for a -40 or -50, but it was a lot easier then canceling.

 

So - the airlines have learned not to leave people on a plane for 7 hours at a time.

Sounds like the new rules are working just fine.