FAA Allows iPads in Cockpit

[TheZookie007]

ZDNet: "FAA approves iPads in the cockpit; American Airlines to start Friday"

In the light of the incident where Alec Baldwin was thrown off an American Airlines flight for not turning off his phone (and his subsequent Saturday Night Live spoof), the irony is thick.

[SwitcherX]

In the light of the incident where Alec Baldwin was thrown off an American Airlines flight for not turning off his phone (and his subsequent Saturday Night Live spoof), the irony is thick.

not really

the pilots turn them off when they have to

[rtpoe]

I think it's safe to assume they are not surfing the web or making phone calls with them. The iPad is on its way to becoming the replacement for the clipboard. I'm going to guess that they have all sorts of flight data, passenger lists, etc. on them.

[SamV]

^Tru dat! 

Also it's my understanding these are not standard off -the-shelf iPads you get at the Apple store. They have been harden to reduce EMF interference, have no Wi-Fi capability, or any other wireless connectivity for that matter. Plus they are being supplied to the cockpit crews by the airlines, who will service and maintain them just like they do with any other piece of instrumentation on their planes

[pedonbio]

I don't fly very often, and I value any period of time when no one else can reach me, so I am probably a bad example. But my understanding is that, while the overwhelming majority of electronic devices create no problems for aircraft, airlines do not want to go sorting thru a list of which devices do, and which devices don't, create problems.

And I have no desire to fly with someone who thinks swapping recipes or playing "Angry Birds" is more important than aircraft safety.