Question about the push for all-digital manuals

Overheard a lead at my hangar in Phoenix say 'paper is dead' and we should trash all physical AMMs, but I've had three tablet failures during critical troubleshooting... how do you guys handle a full system reboot with no backup?

3 comments

3 Comments

morganhill26d ago

Oh man, I feel that. My last charter out of Tucson, the EFB locked up solid right before engine start. I keep a current, printed quick-reference handbook for the specific plane in my flight bag now. It has the absolute must-know limits, emergency procedures, and a few key checklists. It's not the full manual, but it got the APU lit and bought me time to hard reboot the tablet. Paper is a slow backup, but a dead screen is zero backup.

thea_wood8627d ago

My old Cessna 172's manual has more coffee stains than pages, but it's never needed a software update. Last month at Flagstaff, my iPad overheated and died while I was looking up a flap motor torque spec. Had to dig the paper binder out of the back. Going fully digital feels like putting all your tools in one box, then losing the box. What's your backup plan when the screen goes black?

the_caleb20d ago

Remember my buddy who flies cargo? His whole cockpit screen suite went dark over the Rockies. He said the only thing that saved his bacon was a grease-stained paper checklist for total electrical failure, folded up in his knee board.