In the ongoing effort to save on fuel costs, airlines are trying to ditch the heavy paper documents required on board in favor of electronic alternatives. American Airlines is testing a program that lets pilots leave their 35-pound flight bags of maps and documents on land and carry iPads instead, reports Paul McNamara at Network World.

The airline's trial run with the iPad is the final testing ground prior to a decision from the Federal Aviation Administration to approve the tablet computer from Apple as an alternative to Class 1 Electronic Flight Bags. An application provides electronic charts and digital images showing travel routes, meaning not only less weight for the plane to carry but less weight for pilots to shoulder as well. Airline officials believe they can save an estimated $1.2 million in fuel expenses annually.

But airlines are not immune to the challenges of bringing consumer-oriented devices into professional environments, McNamara reports. At least one pilot has expressed concerns about safety and reliability.

"The cockpit is a place where everything is perfectly designed, perfectly reliable and responds immediately to commands, exactly as intended," one commented on the AppleInsider site. "I can think of nothing worse than battling with a flaky consumer device (freezing, apps quitting, et al) while trying to fly the plane...I won't take to the air without the paper! Sorry--no way."

For more:
- see Paul McNamara's post at Network World

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