Alaska Airlines is looking to replace its flight manuals with something more state-of-the-art: iPads.
The airline said that a 1.5-pound iPad weighs far less than the flight manual—which are commonly referred to by pilots—found in the cockpit of an aircraft, according to a press release from the company.
The iPad will also have to be stowed and turned off during take-off and landing, just like customers do with their electronics.
The airline said that there will be “fewer back and muscle injuries caused by pilots carrying flight bags that can tip the scales at 50 pounds or more fully loaded,” Alaska said.
“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 Alaska Airlines’ release said. “The electronic manuals include hyperlinks and color graphics, enabling pilots to find information faster and easier.”
Alaska said that the cost of the iPads will be offset by how much it costs to print out all those manuals and distribute them.
The company did not say whether the pilots will get the first-generation iPads or the new iPad 2 models.
