CHICAGO, 23 Aug. 2011. Leaders of United Airlines based in Chicago are deploying 11,000 Apple iPad tablet computers to all pilots of United and Continental airlines as electronic flight bags (EFBs) containing flight manuals and aeronautical navigational charts in a bid to convert United and Continental aircraft to paperless cockpits, United Airlines announced today.The parent company of United and Continental -- United Continental Holdings Inc. (NYSE:UAL) says the conversion of flight manuals and sectional charts to iPad-based EFBs is a first for major network carriers, United Continental officials say. Other major airlines throughout the world can be expected to follow suit.United and Continental Airlines began distributing iPad tablet computers to their pilots earlier this month, and all pilots will have them by year end, United Continental officials say.The airline iPads are using the Jeppesen Mobile FliteDeck application with interactive, data-driven enroute navigation information, and worldwide geo-referenced terminal charts. Each iPad, which weighs less than 1.5 pounds, will replace about 38 pounds of paper operating manuals, navigation charts, reference handbooks, flight checklists, logbooks, and weather information in a pilot’s flight bag.
As such the iPad conversion should save 16 million sheets of paper and 326,000 gallons of jet fuel a year, United Continental officials say. A conventional flight bag full of paper materials contains an average of 12,000 sheets of paper per pilot.
Airline pilots can use the iPad-based EFB to access reference material quickly and efficiently. United and Continental pilots also can download updates to their electronic flight materials, rather than waiting for paper updates.
For more information contact United Continental Holdings online at www.unitedcontinentalholdings.com.
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