(Image Source: The New York Times/ Log Ten Pilot Logbook)
 

BY KERRY LEARY

You're watching multisource US video news analysis from Newsy. 

A weight has been lifted off of the shoulders of pilots for Continental and United Airlines- literally. Instead of carrying around their traditional flight bag containing over 30 pounds of operating manuals, charts and log books, pilots will only have to carry an iPad, weighing less than a pound-and-a-half.

Alaska Airlines was the first major domestic airline to replace the manuals with the iPads, according to Mashable.

As USA Today reported, Alaska Airline pilots believe the shift to the iPad will be beneficial. 

“Right now this bag, I have to bend over and again it’s 30 pounds, and I have to be careful not to bump the circuit breakers, and I have to lean that over, and, do that. We have 41 manuals that are spread all over the cockpit, and some of them are actually spread in offices and online, and now they’re all right here.”

And some, like The Wall Street Journal’s Greg Morcroft are all-in on the switch; impressed with Apple’s ability to reach new heights.

“For me, it shows the acceptance of this technology in an environment that requires, you know, robustness.”

Chicago’s WMAQ also talked with a pilot who demonstrates how much easier this technology will make things while flying.

Let’s say that there’s a major change in procedure in Chicago. Typically we’d print the charts electronically, send them to our vendor, the vendor would print them and send them back to us. It may take up to two or three weeks to get the information back. Now we can do it in a push of a button.”

And it wont just help the pilots. According to United Airlines, the iPads will save nearly 16 million sheets of paper a year which is equivalent to 1,900 trees. But that’s not all. The press release goes on to say...

“Saving 326,000 gallons of jet fuel a year reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 3,208 metric tons.”

United and Continental may think that they’re saving cash with the iPad addition, but SplatF thinks the new technology may be doing quite the opposite.

“United estimates the switch to iPads from paper will save 326,000 gallons of fuel per year. At current prices, that’s about $1 million worth. I don’t know what United is paying Apple for the iPads, but at retail, it would cost more than $5 million to buy them. So the fuel savings alone probably don’t make up for it, even if prices continue to rise.”

But what if the iPad runs out of battery during a flight? The solution is simply that two iPads are kept inside the cockpit at all times and each needs to be charged to at least 50 percent before takeoff.

11 thousand iPads will be issued to all pilots by the end of 2011.
 

Transcript by Newsy.