jheath:

FAA OKs iPad for Pilots’ Charts

From the earliest days of aviation, pilots have relied upon paper maps to help find their way. Even in an era of GPS and advanced avionics, you still see pilots lugging around 20 pounds or more of charts. But those days are numbered, because maps are giving way to iPads.

The Federal Aviation Administration is allowing charter company Executive Jet Management to use Apple’s tablet as an approved alternative to paper charts. The authorization follows three months of rigorous testing and evaluation of the iPad and Mobile TC, a map app developed by aviation chartmaker Jeppesen.

This is cool and all, and I know Apple makes great products, but I don’t know if I trust my LIFE to Apple’s OS. Call me old fashioned, but until this proves itself reliable, I would still want a bag of paper charts and plates somewhere on board because with my luck, the iPad would crash at the most inopportune moment. That being said, in 10 years I fully imagine every major carrier will be using EFBs of some sort because Jepps revisions not only waste a ton of paper (read: money) but also are one of the most annoying things for flight crews to keep up with.