iPads for Flight Planning
 

Hello All,

I am working on a union safety committee for a major airline (I am not revealing the airline to keep things unbiased and private.) We are looking at the pros and cons of digital flight planning vs. paper. We are also looking at FSAP data to help understand this better but we also want line pilot opinions.

A few things we are interested in:

-How is situational awareness and decision making affected during flight planning affected using an iPad or smart phone vs. paper printouts?

-How is CRM and crew formation affected by the pilots flight planning separately on their own devices and meeting at the airplane vs. meeting in a flight planning area and going through the flight plan together?

-Has anyone used face time on a phone or iPad to talk with dispatch? Was that satisfactory?

-Any innovative uses of technology by line pilots once it was implemented that was not envisioned by the company?

-Any unforeseen circumstances (good or bad) of the new technology?

Thanks for your help!

I know which airline just based on some of the things you mentioned..but meeting at a flight plan area was new to me. My previous 121 carriers we met at the plane and things went very smooth. Nothing wrong with either way though as long as it is actually accomplished.

Ipad is 10 times better than paper. Jepp you can circle things in green to highlight important stuff on plates and charts. Only issue I have is when a new revision shows up my highlighted stuff is lost. Easily switch between charts. Easily look things up in company manuals. Easily find things in the MEL. Lots of great features all in one device.

Never used FaceTime and never had an iPad with data plan until now.

Approval of moving map on taxiways would've useful in conjunction with a 10-9 for much better SA.

Digital devices can be a distraction but having good discipline is all that is required. guys can be distracted doing sudoku just as much as with an iPad.

The Jeppesen app is a piece of crap and causes the ipad to crash often if it's not the newest up-to-date ipad.

Our company requires us to use the password lock and installs a profile that enforces the password and wipes the pad after 4 unsuccessful attempts. due to Homeland Security info being part of the EFB.

So one day we're flying an approach in IMC, and the ipad is demanding a password change during the approach inside the FAF

go around and ASAP that incident.