What a silly restriction this has been for years to turn off electronic equipment. Mythbusters did a program on trying to prove that it has an impact and from what I recall, they couldn't. I also recall a British Airlines survey years ago that showed that at any one time, larger number of cell phones are left on in passenger cases and such. Now the flight crew is allowed to use them but we are not.
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http://travel.usatoday.com/flights/post/2011/12/ipad-cockpit-american-airlines/584646/1
The Federal Aviation Administration on Tuesday said it will give the green light for American Airlines pilots to use iPads in the cockpit instead of traditional paper flight manuals, The New York Times reports.
American began testing the use of iPads in the cockpit earlier this year. Now the Times says pilots will be allowed to use iPads beginning Friday, "even during takeoff and landing."
IN-DEPTH: FAA approves iPads in cockpits, but not for passengers (The New York Times)
With that, ZDNet.com reporter Jason D. O'Grady says AA "is the first airline in the world to be fully FAA approved to use iPads during all phases of flight."
That's the angle that's focusing attention on the story.
ARCHIVES (story with vide0): Alaska Airlines replaces pilot manuals with iPads (June 7, 2011)
It was just this past June that – in a story about Alaska Airlines' pilots adopting iPads – USA TODAY wrote:
What the pilots can't do with the iPad — just like passengers — is have the unit turned on during takeoff and landing.
Of course, 30 Rock star Alec Baldwin helped shine a spotlight on the issue with his ongoing feud with American after the airline enforced federal rules and demanded he power down his iPad.
And, as you likely know ad nauseam by now, Baldwin was eventually tossed off the flight for not doing so.
The Times notes that "the rule barring passengers from using a Kindle, an iPad, or even a calculator, were originally made to protect the electronics of an aircraft from interference. Yet pilots with iPads will be enclosed in the cockpit just a few inches from critical avionics on a plane."
There will be no change for passengers, who will still be required to shut off electronic devices during takeoff and landing.
That spotlights a long-running debate about whether electronics actually pose a safety risk if they're left on during takeoff and landing.
Baldwin's controversy has heightened that debate, in no small part because of comments like this that Baldwin made during a parody skit on Saturday Night Live (while playing the role of an American Airlines pilot):
"Would you really get on an airplane that flies 30,000 feet in the air if you thought one Kindle switch would bring it down? C'mon! It's just a cruel joke perpetrated by the airline industry."
RELATED: Surprise SNL appearance: Alec Baldwin lampoons AA incident
On that topic, the Times report says that while FAA says that it prefers to err on the side of caution by keeping such rules in place, it also found that "rigorous testing" of iPads in the cockpit did not pose a threat for the AA pilots.
"This involves a significantly different scenario for potential interference than unlimited passenger use, which could involve dozens or even hundreds of devices at the same time," the FAA says in a statement to the Times.
Either way, ZDNet – citing an unnamed source – reports that AA will begin iPad operations in the cockpits of 777 before rolling that out across its fleet.
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------
http://travel.usatoday.com/flights/post/2011/12/ipad-cockpit-american-airlines/584646/1
The Federal Aviation Administration on Tuesday said it will give the green light for American Airlines pilots to use iPads in the cockpit instead of traditional paper flight manuals, The New York Times reports.
American began testing the use of iPads in the cockpit earlier this year. Now the Times says pilots will be allowed to use iPads beginning Friday, "even during takeoff and landing."
IN-DEPTH: FAA approves iPads in cockpits, but not for passengers (The New York Times)
With that, ZDNet.com reporter Jason D. O'Grady says AA "is the first airline in the world to be fully FAA approved to use iPads during all phases of flight."
That's the angle that's focusing attention on the story.
ARCHIVES (story with vide0): Alaska Airlines replaces pilot manuals with iPads (June 7, 2011)
It was just this past June that – in a story about Alaska Airlines' pilots adopting iPads – USA TODAY wrote:
What the pilots can't do with the iPad — just like passengers — is have the unit turned on during takeoff and landing.
Of course, 30 Rock star Alec Baldwin helped shine a spotlight on the issue with his ongoing feud with American after the airline enforced federal rules and demanded he power down his iPad.
And, as you likely know ad nauseam by now, Baldwin was eventually tossed off the flight for not doing so.
The Times notes that "the rule barring passengers from using a Kindle, an iPad, or even a calculator, were originally made to protect the electronics of an aircraft from interference. Yet pilots with iPads will be enclosed in the cockpit just a few inches from critical avionics on a plane."
There will be no change for passengers, who will still be required to shut off electronic devices during takeoff and landing.
That spotlights a long-running debate about whether electronics actually pose a safety risk if they're left on during takeoff and landing.
Baldwin's controversy has heightened that debate, in no small part because of comments like this that Baldwin made during a parody skit on Saturday Night Live (while playing the role of an American Airlines pilot):
"Would you really get on an airplane that flies 30,000 feet in the air if you thought one Kindle switch would bring it down? C'mon! It's just a cruel joke perpetrated by the airline industry."
RELATED: Surprise SNL appearance: Alec Baldwin lampoons AA incident
On that topic, the Times report says that while FAA says that it prefers to err on the side of caution by keeping such rules in place, it also found that "rigorous testing" of iPads in the cockpit did not pose a threat for the AA pilots.
"This involves a significantly different scenario for potential interference than unlimited passenger use, which could involve dozens or even hundreds of devices at the same time," the FAA says in a statement to the Times.
Either way, ZDNet – citing an unnamed source – reports that AA will begin iPad operations in the cockpits of 777 before rolling that out across its fleet.
NEW BOOKMARK: Add Today in the Sky to your favorites
TWITTER: You can follow me at twitter.com/TodayInTheSky
