August 23, 2011: United Airlines says it will hand out 11,000 iPads to its pilots as part of its “paperless flight deck” filled with essential data. It’s the largest rollout yet of Apple tablets as a replacement for the weighty flight bags previously carried by aircrews.
Going paperless saves around 16 million sheets of paper each year, the equivalent of 1,900 trees not cut down. Even better, the weight difference between the 1.5-pound iPad and the 40-pound flight bag saves 326,000 gallons of jet fuel per year!
iPads for pilots: Early airline adopters
United Airlines wasn’t the first airline to adopt the iPad. Delta Air Lines technically became the first a couple of weeks earlier, although it only tested 22 devices.
“The paperless flight deck represents the next generation of flying,” said Capt. Fred Abbott, United’s senior vice president of flight operations, in a press release outlining the plan to distribute iPads to all United and Continental Airlines pilots. “The introduction of iPads ensures our pilots have essential and real-time information at their fingertips at all times throughout the flight.”
The iPads come loaded with Jeppesen Mobile FliteDeck, an industry app featuring interactive, data-driven navigation information and worldwide geo-referenced terminal charts. The app replaces flight manuals that contain around 12,000 sheets of paper per pilot.
The sky is the limit for iPad
Seeing the iPad find real-world applications at United Airlines and elsewhere in the commercial sector seemed heartwarming at the time. Especially since the Mac always struggled to make this kind of impact.
When it launched in 2010, the iPad faced criticism from snarky tech bloggers and other knee-jerk haters. They bemoaned the tablet’s lack of multitasking capabilities and camera, and made fun of its name. But within a year, the iPad was already outselling Apple’s Mac division and cementing its place as another home run for the company.
With more than 100,000 iPad-exclusive apps available in the iOS App Store by 2011, United Airlines’ commitment provided more proof of the versatility of Apple’s “Jesus tablet.” Whether used for reading newspapers and magazines, playing games, watching movies or helping fly planes, the iPad proved perfect.
Do you remember United Airlines’ switch to iPads from traditional pilot flight bags? When did you get your first iPad? Leave your comments below.
Luke Dormehl is a U.K.-based journalist and author, with a background working in documentary film for Channel 4 and the BBC. He is the author of The Apple Revolution and The Formula: How Algorithms Solve All Our Problems … and Create More, both published by Penguin/Random House. His tech writing has also appeared in Wired, Fast Company, Techmeme and other publications.
One response to “Today in Apple history: iPad takes to the skies with United Airlines”
Pilot 1: What you supposed to do with this piece of stool, mate?
Pilot 2: Aven’t got a clue mate, I can’t even get a bloody solitaire game on it, just this stupid black and white map.
Pilot 1: As if we haven’t got enough bloody tech to look at (glances around the cabin)
Pilot 2: I’m gonna ask my wife when I get home, see if she can use it in the kitchen or something!
Pilot 1: Har Har wot a larf mate, chopping spuds and sprinkling salt is one thing, let her get her hands on this and you won’t eat for another fortnight, she’ll be swiping away, uploading selfies on Instagram…
Pilot 2: My god you’re right mate, I hadn’t thought of that, these things are ideal for dumbing people down innit.