One-pound iPad replacing pilots' 40 pounds of flight manuals

Capt. Stephen Galle was in the cockpit of the future on an Airbus A330 just landed in Philadelphia from Manchester, England.

Rather than shuffling through paper navigation charts, route maps, weather information and airport diagrams, the US Airways pilot flicked on a tablet computer, a little larger than an Apple iPad.

Like other digital innovations - the paperless boarding pass for travelers and global-positioning satellite technology to guide airplanes - the so-called electronic flight bag is a software alternative to 40 pounds of paperwork that pilots traditionally carry in well-worn black flight cases.

US Airways Group Inc. has been working with the Federal Aviation Administration to install the technology on 20 Airbus A330s that fly to Europe and 20 Airbus A319s that operate on the East Coast shuttle, and to the Caribbean and Latin America.

Other commercial airlines, cargo and general aviation pilots are experimenting with the iPad to replace paper flight operation manuals and reference books.

Last month, American Airlines became the first carrier to get FAA approval to use the iPad during all phases of flight, from takeoff to landing, on Boeing 777 flights from Los Angeles to Tokyo and Shanghai.

In May, Alaska Airlines gave its 1,300 pilots iPads for use before takeoff, and above 10,000 feet - with a goal eventually for flight navigation.

The US Airways technology goes beyond the iPad to incorporate satellite-signal technology, called NextGen, designed to replace radar and overhaul the nation's air-traffic navigation system by 2020.

The real-time technologies aim to do more than save paper: reduce delays, allow planes to fly more direct routes, save fuel, increase safety, and provide air-traffic controllers and pilots more accurate information to keep aircraft safely separated in the sky and on runways.

"If it was up to me, this would be like the 'Starship Enterprise,' " said pilot Galle, referring last week to the fictional starship in the Star Trek television shows and films. "I like the updated technologies."

A big advantage of ditching reams of paper is to reduce weight and save on fuel. "Every pound you fly around, you burn a certain amount of fuel," said US Airways pilot Ron Thomas, director of flight technical operations. With two and often three 40-pound pilot kit bags on a plane, that's a reduction of 80 to 120 pounds, he said.