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FAA OKs iPad for Pilots’ Charts


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That's a price of $520 each the same week the price dropped to $450. But hey, what's $1,260,000 among friends?

I wouldn't be surprised if the ones we're contracting for aren't refurbished models that come from one of the buyback programs. In which case we'll be paying higher than brand new retail price for refurbs.

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That's if we decide to buy all 18000 iPads too. I bet we get 6900 of them at a price of $1300 a piece.

Actually, the first few will be really, really expensive. But rest easy, they get cheaper with each copy. Hell, the last iPad they buy might have only cost them $250 or so.

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Actually, the first few will be really, really expensive. But rest easy, they get cheaper with each copy. Hell, the last iPad they buy might have only cost them $250 or so.

Yeah, but that will be in 2040.

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  • 3 months later...
  • 4 weeks later...

http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123309969

Little Rock is doing a 6-month trial with tablets for FLIP.

Will someone at LR answer these, please?

-Who is going to maintain these, hardware and software? Comm squadron, PFPS contractor, SELO, SARMs, duty dog, or some poor copilot?

-Are these issued by the duty dog to stepping crews or are they issued to individuals to keep?

-Is paper FLIP still used for local-only flights?

-Is there a provision for NVG use in place?

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Charleston is in the process of issuing iPads to individual pilots. So far, the briefing required before receiving said iPad involves the many ways you will be Q-3'd if you _______ [fill in the blank]... up to and including changing the background screen. No FLIP on it (for now), simply an e-pubs reader that doesn't eliminate the need for us to still carry the Panasonic ToughBook and the 50+ lbs of worldwide paper FLIP.

To sum it up, we get this expensive limited-use new toy which turns out to be just another burden on those of us trying to keep our noses clean in this ever-growing minefield. Sorry I can't answer for The Rock, but expect to see something similar in the near future.

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AMC has a Concept-of-Employment signed. As having escaped to the beach/fishing/etc for two weeks, I'm temporarily out-of-the-loop as to most up to date info.

The CONEMP specifically addresses some of your questions.

https://private.amc.af.mil/a3/a3v/publications.aspx

"HQ AMC Electronic Flight Bag"

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Ours have been in a storage room somewhere on base for a few months now, while the management figures out the logistics of updating and securing them. Reliable rumor says they'll be locked-down to ePubs and (maybe) FLIP only. The IT pros, Apple fanboys, and hackers in my SQ are already plotting their first attempts at breaking Big Blue's grip on the iPads...

edit - haven't read the AMC link yet, maybe tomorrow in the office

Edited by JarheadBoom
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Anyone found any off-the-shelf filters for NVG compatability?

I think I remember some helo bubbas talking about it a couple months back.

Edit: may have been B-1 guys, too.

Edited by Champ Kind
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Anyone found any off-the-shelf filters for NVG compatability?

I think I remember some helo bubbas talking about it a couple months back.

Edit: may have been B-1 guys, too.

Yes, Sporty's has them. http://www.sportys.com/PilotShop/product/17186

$542.00 each.

Using this custom filter provides night vision compatibility in accordance with MIL-STD-3009 to the iPad. A special material chemistry formulation allows optimal chromaticity rendering a filtered display by absorbing near infrared energy that would otherwise impact night vision goggles.
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Or you could get into the compatibility menu and turn on "white on black" and manually turn the brightness down. Yea, it's not truly compliant but damn if it doesn't leave more money in your pocket. Works good enough.

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Or you could get into the compatibility menu and turn on "white on black" and manually turn the brightness down. Yea, it's not truly compliant but damn if it doesn't leave more money in your pocket. Works good enough.

Oh, no money will leave my pocket.

This will all be on Uncle Sugar.

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Quick question: For any of you who have started using iPads for Electronic Flight Bags, are you using them for checklists? If so, what are you using? Are you just loading PDFs into a reader or are you using some other app?

Using good reader for our epubs

Oh, no money will leave my pocket.

This will all be on Uncle Sugar.

Here here!! Uncle Suga better be spending those dimes on those tactical

iPad covers or our tactically flawless will wither...

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I know a guy who used it for his training in T-1s. Said it was the easiest thing in the world... after he finally got his IPs to warm up to it.

2T-1v3 specifically prohibits EFBs.

The IT pros, Apple fanboys, and hackers in my SQ are already plotting their first attempts at breaking Big Blue's grip on the iPads...

That will endanger their security clearance. On my PR I was asked questions about computers, networks, etc, that weren't asked in my initial investigation 8ish years ago. They are taking that stuff pretty seriously.

The other issue they have is that the iShit is all flash (memory) based and currently no flash memory connected to computers on the network, so their going to need a hella lot of "airgap" stations or get some rules changed. Wireless is a hard road to get down with USAF regs as well.

Really don't understand why they don't go with an Android/Linux based solution that they could pay some small business dev company to rework the android framework to do specific functions (like checklists, approach plates, enroute charts, etc) and sync to a single off-net server. Wouldn't be that hard and it could run on much more cost effective (and maintainable) hardware. I heard one of the higher ups at Scott pushing this program was an Apple lover and that's why we've not really looked in to anything but the iMaxi

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2T-1v3 specifically prohibits EFBs.

That will endanger their security clearance. On my PR I was asked questions about computers, networks, etc, that weren't asked in my initial investigation 8ish years ago. They are taking that stuff pretty seriously.

The other issue they have is that the iShit is all flash (memory) based and currently no flash memory connected to computers on the network, so their going to need a hella lot of "airgap" stations or get some rules changed. Wireless is a hard road to get down with USAF regs as well.

Really don't understand why they don't go with an Android/Linux based solution that they could pay some small business dev company to rework the android framework to do specific functions (like checklists, approach plates, enroute charts, etc) and sync to a single off-net server. Wouldn't be that hard and it could run on much more cost effective (and maintainable) hardware. I heard one of the higher ups at Scott pushing this program was an Apple lover and that's why we've not really looked in to anything but the iMaxi

AMC tested many tablets. The iPad was the best product in the test.

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AMC tested many tablets. The iPad was the best product in the test.

Noted. But didnt you hear what he said? It seems like the test results may have been skewed by the apple fanboys on the test team who love the iShit/iMaxi.

They were probably some of those new gays we've been hearing about, too.

LOL

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