In airplane cockpits, iPads replace paper navigation charts

Tablet computers continue to find new ways to make paper obsolete.

The latest success: airlines are testing Apple's popular iPad for use in the cockpits of airplanes during commercial flights.

But it's not Angry Birds that's of interest. Rather, it's a way for airlines to replace paper navigation charts and laptops used in flight and on the ground.

The Seattle Times reports that Alaska Airlines is testing the device in a pilot program with a handful of pilots, and my colleague Kent German at CNET reports that Delta Airlines is doing the same.

The advantages to a tablet device are clear: less paper to lose, less weight to lug around, more capability for less cost and a unified, connected system that can be updated on the go.

German writes:

While some specially designed laptops, or "electronic flight bags," can weigh up to 18 pounds, the current iPad weighs just just 1.5 pounds (the recently announced iPad 2 is a tad lighter).

The only obvious disadvantage could be the glare that such a device would have in the cockpit. But that's just an initial observation -- not having seen one in the cockpit myself, I can't say for certain if that's an issue.

With iPads in place, navigation charts become a software concern. Englewood, Colo.-based Jeppesen Systems is one company filling the role with its free iPad app Mobile TC.

It's a careful transition, as the Federal Aviation Administration must authorize digital device use to replace conventional aeronautical charts. But it spells opportunity for a company who wants to get into the B2B market selling services and support to the world's biggest airlines.

This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com