Pilots testing tablet computers

Pilots at American Airlines have begun a six-month program testing hand-held tablet computers that provide access in the cockpit to electronic flight, airport and operations data.  The “electronic flight bag program” enables pilots to receive instantaneous updates on takeoff, routing, approach, landing and emergency procedures.  Instead of carrying the paper charts and documents — as pilots have for years — in a flight bag weighing up to 35 pounds, cockpit crews can retrieve the same information on a 1.5-pound Apple iPad tablet computer.