Farnborough-based business aviation services company TAG Aviation has become the first UK operator to receive approval from the UK Civil Aviation Authority to introduce paperless cockpits in its fleet of managed aircraft. TAG says it is now in the process of equipping crews across its managed fleet with iPads (Class 1 Electronic Flight Bags) loaded with Vistair DocuNet and Jeppesen Mobile FliteDeck applications.
"The introduction of paperless technology will ensure that pilots have up-to-date, essential information at their fingertips," says Russ Allchorne, TAG's vice-president Flight Operations Europe. "Flights manuals, manufacturer's documents and aeronautical flight charts can be updated at the touch of a button instead of the time-consuming and wasteful process of manually updating hard copies," he adds.
Steve Card, director, Jeppesen Business Aviation Client Management, adds: "Transitioning from paper to digital flight information is a significant achievement.... Integration of Jeppesen Mobile FliteDeck reduces pilot workload, increases operational efficiency, reduces fuel consumption and lowers costs by eliminating paper materials."
TAG's Switzerland-headquartered parent company, TAG Aviation, plans to introduce paperless cockpits throughout its worldwide managed fleet of 140 aircraft, subject to regulatory approval from CAAs in Bahrain, Hong Kong, Spain and Switzerland - home to its other operations.
Source: Flight International
