EasyJet Transitions to Paperless Cockpits

British carrier EasyJet has opted to move toward paperless cockpit operations by eliminating traditional paper-based navigation charts in favor of digital ones — reducing fuel and paper costs to the airline. At the end of May 2014, the airline switched to Lido/eRouteManual cockpit solutions as well as the Lido/iRouteManual and Lido/Enroute apps. The low cost airline now relies solely on the Lufthansa Systems’ aeronautical solutions for flight operations. 



The electronic Lido/eRouteManual provides EasyJet with navigation charts for take-off and landing procedures as well as airport and route charts. The charts are based directly on the Lido navigation database and contain all important route information including altitude and airport data. The digital navigation charts display true-to-scale geographic information such as terrain features and rivers. The charts are updated once every two weeks and are available for download by the carrier’s pilots. 

Lido/eRouteManual has been gradually rolled out to the easyJet fleet since April 2014 and also includes the Lido/iRouteManual and Lido/Enroute apps, which display Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) charts and Enroute charts on the Apple iPad.

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Best views from the cockpit

Choosing from more than 180 different routes, British Airways' pilots have taken part in a poll to select their top 10 views from the air.

British Airways' chief Boeing pilot, Captain Al Bridger, said: "We get some spectacular views from the cockpit and many of these can be seen by everyone on board."

The Top Ten sights are:

1. Northern Lights - "If you're not already asleep this is an amazing sight three to four hours into most long North America flights. Well worth staying up for," said captain Dave Willsher, British Airways

2. Central London - Approach into Heathrow

3. Mont Blanc - Approach to Pisa

4. Sydney Harbour - Departure from Sydney

5. Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz and bay - Approach into San Francisco

6. Greenland - North Atlantic flights

7. Venetian canals - Approach into Venice 

8. Table Mountain - Approach into Cape Town

9. Dubrovnik - Approach into Dubrovnik

10. Mount Fuji - Approach or Departure from Tokyo (Narita)

...and finally the Soyuz 35S space craft

"While flying to Singapore I had the rare privilege of seeing the Soyuz 35S space craft returning to Earth," said BA captain Simon Wijker.

"I later discovered that in addition to the three astronauts on board, it was also carrying the Olympic torch which it had just been taking for a spacewalk for the first time ever."

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Ask the Captain: Do pilots argue in the cockpit?

Question: A flight I was on was delayed due to the captain and first officer having some sort of personal disagreement which resulted in the first officer essentially refusing to fly any longer with the captain. Another crew was found to complete the flight. I recognize that air crews are some of the most professional workers out there, but can also see that they aren't immune from the stresses and interpersonal issues we all have in our jobs. Is this common, and how is it handled by the airline?

-- submitted by reader John Scott, Iowa

Answer: Very rarely, personality conflicts arise forcing a change in a flight crew. Pilots are trained in crew resource management to improve communication skills. This training provides tools to help resolve conflicts. If a situation does force an unscheduled change in a crew, both crewmembers usually will have a meeting with their chief pilot to investigate the specific circumstances. Any further action is determined by the recommendation of the chief pilot.

Q: How are captain and first officer assignments determined? Does the individual pilot have a say in who she/he will work with?

-- Bob, Rockville Centre, N.Y.

A: Usually seniority determines when a pilot is eligible for captain training. Upon completing the training, captains will normally fly as only captains. Occasionally two captains will fly when there is shortage of first officers.

Some airlines have an "avoid" capability in the bidding process allowing a pilot to list a pilot that he or she would rather not fly with.

Q: Do the captain and co-pilot fly together every flight?

-- Racman

A: The paring of flight crew varies depending on the size of the operation. It is common for pilots to fly together for a month, then fly with other pilots. The scheduling practices of operators vary greatly. Some are seniority-based, while others are not.

John Cox is a retired airline captain with U.S. Airways and runs his own aviation safety consulting company, Safety Operating Systems.

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