Braathens Regional says it has taken another step into the future having received a trial approval from the Swedish Airworthiness Authority for an Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) Class 2 system based on the iPad.
“We see this as a big step towards the paperless cockpit. The usage and development opportunities for our EFBs are enormous” says Anders Fredriksson, NPH Flight Operations Braathens Regional.
By replacing a stack of paper manuals on board, the EFB system offers significant efficiency and environmental improvements, including measurable fuel savings for each flight.
Each of Braathens Regional’s 140 pilots has been equipped with an iPad as part of the EFB system and the full fleet of 17 aircraft – SAAB 340s, SAAB 2000s and ATR 72s – is currently being modified to include cockpit-mounting with power supplies to allow both pilots to use the iPad during all phases of flight.
Pierre Cronvall, EFB Project Manager at Braathens Regional, commented: “We’re confident that our fully integrated EFB system will deliver exactly what we need and we have documented the project process in detail to be able to offer know-how and documentation to other airlines.”
In the first stage of implementation, the Web Manuals Reader app will provide the aircrew with easy and controlled access to company manuals, crew bulletins and forms, both online and offline. Approach charts, performance calculations and a bespoke Line Check application will also be available from the outset.
Braathens Regional has selected AddPro to provide an iPad financing and management solution and AddPro Datacenter to support and update the technology platform and all applications.
Martin Lidgard, CEO of Web Manuals Sweden AB, added: “We have dedicated ourselves to creating the most easy-to-use document reader that fulfills EASA requirements and the IOSA standard. We’re delighted that an IOSA-certified operator like Braathens Regional has chosen Web Manuals.”