As noted on ZDNet (edit to add: and TechCrunch), American Airlines received FAA approval today to use iPads in the cockpit in all phases of flight. This is similar to program that United Airlines announced in August but is only for use during “non-critical” phases of flight (the same times passenger electronics can be used).
The certification is significant because the FAA published an InFO (Information for Operators) on the use of iPads in the cockpit back in May of this year. In that InFO, the FAA essentially broke the advice into two phases: replacement of paper manuals and charts (via the Jeppesen Mobile TC app); and the certification of the iPad as an electronic device usable during flight operations.
The United Airlines project addressed phase I – the use of the application.
American’s announcement today is that they have completed the requirements to certify the iPad and iPad2 as safe for use (not producing harmful interference) during flight operations, including those times when other electronic devices must be off (during taxi, takeoff and landing). Of note, especially with the ongoing Chapter 11 bankruptcy and the acrimony between management and the unions, the Allied Pilots Association led the effort to test the devices and certify them for safe use in flight. This is a great example of the pilots working with the airline to achieve a shared goal and should be used as a banner in the certainly ongoing negotiations to resolve the contract dispute.
I should note that neither of these are the first to use iPads in the cockpit – that honor goes to Executive Jet Management, a small charter flight operator.
This is good news for Apple as it proves that the device can be safely certified (not that it was in doubt, it just hadn’t yet been done), and it’s great news for pilots because they’ll be able to get rid of around 35 pounds of manuals (though I’d imagine there will still be copies available as backups).
Will Google be next, getting Android devices certified for use in its fleet via H211? The challenge is greater since it’s not the OS that matters, it’s the device – so each device that would be used in the cockpit must be individually certified for safe use.
What are your thoughts? Is this going to be helpful, or is this going to lead to another fly-by situation like the one over Minnesota in 2009?
Does this mean Alec Baldwin won’t get booted from a flight now? If an iPad doesn’t interfere with any navigational device, why not allow it and similar devices for passengers at takeoff?
I am certain that FAA will check those ipads frequently to make sure they are completely off when the aircraft door is closed (airplane mode not acceptable), and revoke the approval if there is any sign that pilots dare to play words for friends.
Actually, the FAA certification means that they don’t have to be off during critical flight phases (taxiing for takeoff, takeoff and landing), so there’s nothing to check. As for what they can do in-flight and what can be installed on them, I’m sure they’re pretty tightly controlled. In my “real life” I work for a company that provides security software for mobile devices and allows just such restrictions to be enforced, so it’s easily possible.
Cory – It would mean that specific models of the iPad and iPad 2 are certified as safe for use during all phases of flight, but only those models that were tested. If you look on the back of your iPad, there’s an FCC ID, and that’s what is specified as part of the certification process. Given that each and every different device must be individually certified, and that certification must be done on each individual aircraft type, that’s a lot of work when you reach out to the broader range of consumer electronics. My guess is that American won’t want to have to try and determine whether a given electronic is on an approved list, and won’t be investing in flight-safety-certifying devices they don’t use for corporate purposes, so we’ll have to live with the prohibition on use during critical phases of flight (taxiing for takeoff, during takeoff and landing). In other words, since you can’t use everything, it’s easier to simply enforce as a matter of policy that you can’t use anything.