Pilot Use of iPads Soaring

iPad use by airline pilots continues to take off.

For a device that has been on the market for only three years, it is nothing short of phenomenal how quickly the iPad has taken hold. The Los Angeles public school system just this month announced that it was purchasing over 30,000 iPads for its students. The Mayo Clinic has over 15,000 iPhones and iPads on its network. Hyatt Hotels is rolling out thousands of iPads to its employees. General Electric, founded by Thomas Edison, is connecting thousands of employees with in-house apps.

For years, commercial airline pilots have carried flight bags with reams of paper - estimated at 45 pounds - on board. At 1.5 pounds, the iPad is saving an incredible amount of fuel, not to mention trees. United Airlines estimates the annual savings at 16 million sheets of paper and 326,000 gallons of fuel, not to mention much faster access to information. American Airlines says it will save 400,000 gallons per year. JetBlue is expanding a pilot program (pun intended) to provide all 2,500 of its pilots with iPads. Alaska Airlines is requiring its new pilots to go the paperless route - in fact, noting that lugging around and digging through heavy flight bags at times would lead to pilot injuries. American Airlines estimates that iPads will eliminate the need for 3,000 pages of paper per pilot.

Many airline passengers are waiting to see how the FAA's review of on-board passenger use of electronics will fare. Some suggest that many of the current restrictions are archaic, while others prefer to err on the side of caution. It's amazing to realize that just over a decade ago, the iPod was primarily a music player. Today, you might see anyone from infants to pilots using iPads on aircraft.

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