When flight attendants aboard American Airlines planes announce it’s time to put away all electronic portable devices, at least two of them will still be in use.

 

In the cockpit.

 

American has decided to replace their paper flight manuals with iPads containing the same information used by pilots and co-pilots. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has decided it’s okay to use iPads so close to the planes avionic instruments, after conducting “rigorous testing” that found no interference with aircraft controls.

 

American is the same airline that booted actor Alec Baldwin from a flight on December 6 for playing Words with Friends on his iPhone while the plane was still parked at the gate.

 

So then why can’t passengers use their iPads (and laptops, cell phones, etc) if the FAA’s testing shows there’s no harm to planes? Well, the FAA isn’t really saying.

 

The FAA did say their testing only focused on the potential effects of having two iPads working near the controls—not dozens or even hundreds, which might be the case if passengers were allowed to keep theirs powered up during takeoff and landing.

 

Alaska Airlines and United Airlines have also reportedly received permission to replace their flight manuals with iPads.

-Noel Brinkerhoff

 

F.A.A. Approves iPads in Cockpits, but Not for Passengers (by Nick Bilton, New York Times)