What is the latest on IPad distribution?

A320 fleet before end of year, 756 fleet, 737 fleet, then 777/787 fleet.

Class 2 EFB Status
 

About the EFB project,

Have you seen the Class 2 EFB installation for the iPad? Check it out at www.flyTab.aero or email them at [email protected]. Mounted, powered, connected and a kneeboard option for those flights on non-modified aircraft, ferry flights or off duty recreational use.

Based on the latest rollout schedule I now figure I won't have one in my hands until June.

If anyone out there is holding off on an iPad purchase because of this one we're supposed to get from UCH.....?

I've been told by an LCA that has one from the company, "go ahead and buy another for yourself, because this one is basically worthless for anything other than manuals".

Now, if you're holding out until the release of the iPad 3?.......I certainly don't blame you. Won't be long.

Frankly I wouldn't bet my career on doing anything personal on anything issued by the company either. Just my $.02.

Another thread reports the App Store icon has been removed. If the other resident apps are still there (map, safari, calendar) it still has some usefulness away from work, but without the ability to load other apps like a flight time logs, flight schedule tables, it will be pretty limited. Buy your own.

Your intel is spot on.

Flew with a LCA that had one this week. He handed it over, and I got a chance to surf the device and see what was loaded on it. They did remove the iTunes as we know it. The iPod function was still there, as well as the "App icon" for games. The Calendar Icon, and Safari Icon were both present.

As far as the manuals laid out on the iPad, one thing that was not good was the "search feature" (We had B756 on this particular one). We attempted to 'search' various topics to find within FOM, Flt Manuals, WOM, ect.....The search was VERY UNfriendly/not always 'successful' when using it. The impression I got when using if for about 20 mins was the search function was extremely subpar and difficult to use if trying to locate something on the fly. The LCA commented that he had just done a L.C. on a Capt that had a 'personal iPad' with the Flt Manual loaded on it, and the guys 'personal iPad' performed MUCH better on topic searches.....maybe different software outside the UCH issued ones??

The Jepp Chart Layout was kinda cumbersome (zoom in/out). On the pairing I was flying with this LCA, we had an ocean x-ing, so we loaded up the route from ORG/DEST (minus the departure/arrival procedure, wouldn't take the SID/STAR for some reason - I'm sure operator error). The iPad did take the FULL route, overlaid it on a pictoral layout that allowed the user the zoom in/out with enroute charts over laid as you zoom in (could toggle from High/Low charts on the over lay which was nice especially in Europe). There was no 'real-time' moving map obviously, but the idea of having the route over-laided on a single device was nice as opposed to 'hunting-highlighting' on multiple Low/High charts.....+1 there.

What was worrisome, asking the LCA being a "Beta Test Group", what kinda intel or feedback do they have with the UCH IT Dept in which to improve/fix/tweak items in which to make things better/or fix bugs.....In his words "VERY LITTLE". Albeit, this particular LCA only had the company issued iPad for about 2 weeks, but hearing the communication with the UCH IT 'geeks' has been limited is pretty disheartening.....BUT not surprising.

I sure hope the Airbus guys/gals have a much better flow of communication with IT to get this up and running. With my very limited hands-on experience, it appears that the UCH iPad's are just another $600 paper-weight.....Who knows, could be just another UCH-S.N.A.F.U. -or- they could actually make this a useful tool. This particular LCA said they were just handed the device with VERY little intel on some of it's particulars.....IE the company installed/specific after market software.

Either way, 'they' have A LOT of issues/questions/items/and 'edjumacation' to work out (NOT to mention the JCBA) before that item will be considered useful to us 'line guys'.

$.02's

Ok I have seen the iPad and what it can do.

First every bad thing you have heard is correct. Because of corporate security concerns and FAA input on using it to play "games" it is almost useless right now as even an EFB.

It appears what is going on is the Co. is handing them out to get them into the pilots hands and into the cockpit. For actual practical use there is a huge amount of work to still be done. So consider these first attempts to be for familiarization purposes only!

Now what can it do as given to you?
First it has an out of date iOS, 4.3.3.
You can watch youtube via the Safari browser.
You can add personal pictures to it via iTunes.
But camera app (if my memory is correct) has been blocked.
The Locker is great for the ease of downloading the manuals but that is about it.
The Jep EFB app works but does not include 10-7 pages (and if you have a $100 gps it will act as a moving map).
It will play music and movies that you download via iTunes.
Email works like all Apple iproducts, so you can put your personal email on it (don't recommend in stock state).

It can be "Jailbroken" with iOS 4.3.3 which will open all the apps, including the app store for you but you will loose the Locker with the UAL manuals. The reason is Jailbreaking removes the security files that allow the UAL it people to access the iPad.

It can also be updated to iOS 5.01, but you will completely wipe the iPad of all UAL information and function. So basically you will just have a normal 16 gig iPad if you do so (which may not be bad).

Warning, if you decide to either "Jailbreak" or update to iOS 5+ you can not reverse the process and return it to the original UAL state without returning it to your pilot base and having it reloaded.

Finally the sign-up process takes up to an hour.

Personally I love the idea of the iPads and their potential function as an EFB but they are still a work in progress. I also believe the Company will probably hand them out and then just drop the whole project as the next generation of airplanes comes on the property.

"Airbus pilots can pick up their iPad starting Monday 3/12. The iPad will contain your fleet manuals utilizing a tailored application called Content Locker. It contains electronic versions of the manuals that can be searched, bookmarked and automatically updated. To install Content Locker and enroll each pilot on the iPad, activation sessions are available at each pilot Base. Plan on 10-15 minutes to complete the activation; however, additional time is available for questions or assistance from the iPad SME. A schedule of available sessions is located below. You will need your Skynet & company email username and passwords for activation. The iPad will be for reference use only above 10,000 feet as per the FOM bulletin. We expect full phase-of-flight authorization soon. Please reference FOM Bulletin 1202 for additional details on the use of the iPad."

Full authorization soon?? 2012, 2014 what is soon. Hey thx to all those ilots that keep doing the special assignment on all these things.

The test period for the FOM and FM runs from last Dec to this June. We should be able to remove the paper copies of these from our kits shortly after. Test period for Jepps will then run through Dec and we should be able to remove those from our kits shortly after.

Well I hope we can keep pilots on special assignment for all that time.

What's your point?

Hope we get the IPAD thing worked out shortly. It's holding everything else back. :rolleyes:

Special Assignment are for those special people. If you know what I mean!

Not hardly worth responding to.

Now wait a minute. Not one person has said anything about pay for this?? Guys are slipping and being distracted by shiny new toys.

(I'm being snarky and joking of course.)

Good point. Is the iPad required equipment?

For you, NO!

(AP) A Transportation Security Administration baggage inspector at Dallas/Fort Worth Airport is facing two to 10 years in prison for stealing Apple iPads from luggage over eight months, according to reports.

Clayton Keith Dovel, 36, of Bedford, Tex., was arrested Feb. 1 and indicted by the Tarrant County grand jury last week on charges of theft by a public servant of items valued up to $20,000, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported. Dovel is free on $5,000 bail and has been suspended indefinitely by the TSA.

Ipad or UAL spy ware. Be cautious of any union communications on your ipad in the coming months.

"All pilots are authorized to update their company issued iPad EFB to Apple’s iOS 9.2.1 operating system."

Done. Works fine.

At Atlas, we use the same Content Locker. It is easy to use. The company auto updates it, as long as it has a Wifi connection (ours have ONLY wifi...we have a company phone that is wifi and AT&T, also with content locker on it).
NOTE: We do not have to do anything with Content Locker. The company keeps it updated, both on our iPad and our S5 phone. All we have to do to update is connect the ipad/S5 to any wifi signal.

We also recently go the OK to update to 9.2.1. We have our own version of Jepps FD. So far, working well. We DO NOT have wifi on our aircraft, though, so we can't get satellite radar, like those with wifi on the aircraft are able to...

Our iPads are completely wide open....we have iTunes pre-installed...the company said we can use our own iTunes login, or make a new one with the company email...our choice. They are wifi only, but in wifi we can add whatever apps we want.

Our Samsung S5 phone, however, IS completely locked down. We can't use it to surf the web outside of wifi...have only certain company authorized apps/websites we can use via the AT&T 4G. We cant add/delete/update ANYTHING on our S5 phone. We just got the phone feature added to Captains' phones...so we can call the company from any location worldwide. All of us, including FOs and FAs, have an Atlas chat feature so we can chat with Operations, as long as we have any type of data connection for our S5 phone.

What does this have to do with United Airlines and their Ipad EFB?