Alaska Airlines has ordered to replace all printed pilot manuals with electronic copies of manuals, says a report from PCMag. Alaska is the first domestic airlines of US to do so.
The electronic versions of pilot manuals will be made available for the pilots with the help of 1.5-pound iPads. This move means the pilots of Alaska now won’t need to carry heavy bags full of printed flight manuals.
The press release of Alaska Airlines stated, “The iPads contain an app called GoodReader that is loaded with PDF versions of 41 flight, systems and performance manuals, reference cards, and other materials. The electronic manuals include hyperlinks and color graphics, enabling pilots to find information faster and easier.”
The iPad replacement program has been criticized by some industry experts for the money that airlines will be spending on the iPads. Alaska has not yet given details of the amount it will be spending for this program.
It is also not clear whether pilots will get the latest iPad-2s or the earlier versions of the gadget.
Alaska claims it will save a nice amount of money with the help of this program. “The cost of the project is expected to be offset by lower paper, printing and distribution expenses and reduced fuel consumption as some weight is removed from the aircraft. Further savings are expected from fewer back and muscle injuries caused by pilots carrying flight bags that can tip the scales at 50 pounds or more fully loaded,” says Alaska Airlines.
The company has already completed winter and spring trials of this replacement program. Nearly 100 instructor pilots and representatives from Alaska Pilots Association took part in these trials.
