By Ken Pole | December 11, 2012 Estimated reading time 3 minutes, 47 seconds.
Paperless cockpits are already a reality for many major operators, and Michael Abbott, director of navigation solutions for Jeppesen, a Colorado-based unit of Boeing Flight Services, says the technology is finding increasing acceptance in general aviation.
The key, he suggested during a recent CBAA/NBAA “cross-border issues” conference, is the proliferation of tablets, led by the Apple iPad since its 2010 debut. Jeppesen introduced its first mobile charts that year, working with Apple and with NetJets. “From there, it just sort of snowballed.”
The former U.S. Marine Corps fixed-wing and helicopter pilot, who is also a certified airline transport pilot and flight instructor, said that while Apple continues to dominate the market, the recent introduction of the Microsoft Surface as well as the release of some “really cool” Android tablets offer alternatives.
He also said that a market survey indicates that at least 30 new tablets will be introduced in the next several months; and, while some probably will not survive for long, others will offer further options.
Jeppesen is probably the biggest name in the e-documents business, starting in 1996, and Abbott joked that “for the trees . . . thank you for going electronic.” The company reviews 780 paper and e-documents every 28 days to ensure that its database is current, but it always cross-references with official sources rather than updating unilaterally.
Boeing has led the trend with three e-flight bags on its 777, and Abbott said that although some other sophisticated platforms have embedded chart systems, many crews still depend on portable devices.
He said American and United airlines were early adopters, the latter having bought no fewer than 11,000 iPads after extensive testing indicated that lithium-ion batteries posed no fire threat due to overheating. Also, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration’s acquisition of 8,900 iPads yielded a lot of information, which is posted on its website.
Abbott said technological change tends to leave form behind, undermining functionality and efficiency, which is why Jeppesen’s design research division conducts trials not only in the corporate aviation world, but also in commercial and general aviation.
Again, working with Boeing as well as other companies in a bid to avoid any “pitfalls” with new hardware and software, Jeppesen has had “really tremendous” feedback from aircrews. “This is really the future of what we’re trying to do.”
He cited an example of how feedback was used, on the development of FliteDeck Pro, which passed a European Aviation Safety Agency operations evaluation board review in November, clearing a major hurdle toward its use by European carriers. Version 2.0 features a new colour palette designed to address problems with earlier versions’ legibility at night, as well as loss of night vision caused by some displays.
“Pilots are really difficult to work with,” Abbott said, his tone of voice showing that he was only kidding. He said that pilots are generally not afraid to voice their opinions, which works to Jeppesen’s advantage. The end result is that they spend less time looking at cluttered charts, freeing them to manage the airplane.
