Windows 8 tablets land in flight decks

When we see the crew of an aircraft coming and going through the endless corridors of the terminals at an airport, they are almost always dragging or carrying bulky square suitcases , in addition to their own personal ones.

These suitcases are full of documentation. Flight plans, authorizations, takeoff, approach and landing charts, route and platform plans, and all kinds of bulky stationery that must also be used in the cabin during all phases of the flight.

Thus, logic is prevailing in a market where the transport of each kilo is paid for many euros, and paper is being replaced by Windows 8 tablets with applications specific and approved for aeronautical use.

Rugged and compatible tablets

Device features must join power to smoothly move operating system and documentation applications; Sufficient robustness for intensive and continuous use in an environment such as an aircraft cabin; tactile and e-ink interaction capabilities; data security according to international certifications; and standard connectivity to ground-based devices.

Thus, both BA CityFlyer and EasyJet have acquired tablets Panasonic Toughpad FZ-G1 as crew cabin equipment where they combine All the documentation and software necessary to manage flight procedures is a single device.

For example, in BA CityFlyer the aircraft's logbook has been integrated - where the relevant technical information of the flight is written - without the need to enter it by hand.

This speeds up and facilitates the transfer of data to ground technicians, and the review by the crews of the status of the aircraft and incidents arising or corrected.

For a cabin without paper

EasyJet, an airline with more than 220 aircraft operating at 23 bases across Europe, has also adopted the use of Windows 8 tablets to eliminate flight logs and material printed, saving half a million dollars a year in fuel.

Ian Davies, the company's Director of Engineers, has indicated that each kilogram of paper that can be eliminated from being transported in the cabin means a saving of some $20,000 annual fuel.

That is why EasyJet's plan is much more ambitious and plans to replace not only the flight log, but also the procedure and operation manuals and operating documentation such as charts and maps air.

Thus, on the Toughpads will run a software based on electronic ink developed by Sony so that the crews can carry out all the operations currently required before or after the flight.

Conclusions

It's good news for the airline industry that Windows 8 tablets have been approved for use in the cockpit.

The advantages over its possible competitors are very important and I can divide them into 5 large groups:

• Safety. Behind each device and the software it uses there is a company or firm responsible at the aeronautical level, which ensures civil and criminal correct operation and which will put security above any other requirement.
• Compatibility The operating system is the only one on the market that is 100% compatible with current devices and software used in the aeronautical industry. It is also compatible with all hardware that is capable of connecting to a Wintel system.
• Stability. Behind these projects are manufacturers that can practically ensure their existence in the coming decades, assuring stability in the evolution and maintenance of the systems.
• Features No competing device (Android or iPad) currently has the ability to scale the power or features of Wintel tablets . That right now they can use the most powerful processors on the market together with large amounts of RAM and storage.
• Easy to use. Bearing in mind that the operating system that they will use in the cabin is the same as that used in their personal computers or in offices on the ground, therefore no specific training is needed.

As an air freak, I firmly believe that this is the path that all companies are going to follow sooner or later, and I I can't wait to get my hands on those programs.

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