Alaska Airlines pilots may join USMC Cobra pilots in using iPads in place of flight maps

Broadband Expert wrote about the USMC Cobra pilots using iPads in place of navigational maps.  It now appears that Alaskan Airlines is going to adopt this practice and eliminate the more than 25 pounds of flight bag manuals every pilot must carry.

The iPad is replacing 41 flight manuals, systems manuals, performance manuals and reference cards.  The iPads are currently in use by over 100 Alaskan Airlines pilots and the rest should get their iPads by the end of this month.

Alaskan Airlines is now planning on putting the navigational maps on the iPad to eliminate additional weight in the flight bags.  This planned move to replace the manuals and the maps with an iPad has been named “Bye, Bye, Flight Bag.”

Evidently there are pilot injuries related to the weight of the flight bags every year.  They can weigh up to 50 pounds.

Alaskan Airlines is also promoting this move as green initiative.  They say it will eliminate 2.4 million pages of paper.

A feasibility study was performed by the Air Line Pilots Association and line and training pilots of Alaskan Airlines.  The study was performed during this past winter and spring.

Photo of pilot on the flight deck of a Boeing 737 has been provided for press use by Alaskan Airlines.