Case Study - Electronic Flight Bags

David Maib
Chief Pilot, Target Corporation. 

David Maib first learned about Tablet PCs through a friend who had received a 48 hour demo model—and he was immediately impressed.  As chief pilot of a major corporation, he needed something to help with the massive amounts of paper he and his fellow pilots lugged onto each plane they piloted. 

Maib’s department flies company employees around all over the country.  There are seven pilots for the two airplanes, with two duplicate tablets on each plane, for redundancy and maximum safety. 

“Between navigation charts and manuals, we were carrying about 70-80 pounds of materials on each plane trip,” says Maib.  “We were looking for a digital solution that we could see in bright sunlight and that could hold as much information as possible, so we could access it during flights.”

After trying to use laptops in the cockpit,  Maib was seeking a better solution.  “Space is tight in a cockpit—we didn’t have room for all the cables and we were very concerned with reliability issues.”

Maib’s company purchased five Motion LS800 tablet PCs with the View Anywhere (outdoor viewable) screen, creating electronic flight bags. 

“Most pilots are burdened down with navigation charts.  They need to be updated manually and are bulky.  With the Motion tablet PCs we are able to update our charts electronically, saving us time and money.  What used to be a daily burden has now become so much easier”

A future goal is to take advantage of the Tablet PC’s Bluetooth and wireless capabilities so that the pilots can check live weather reports on screen.

“We have been very pleased with ALLTP and John Hill.  He’s great to work with—easy to get in touch with and anxious to please.  Working with ALLTP made me feel special—like I was getting the benefit of a smaller company with personalized service combined with all the resources and products of larger resellers,” added Maib.

“By creating electronic flight bags, we are carrying 70-80 pounds less than we did with paper charts and manuals.  This extra weight can be used for fuel or to carry additional  people—creating a win/win situation for us.” 

To get more information about the Motion LS800 Tablet PCs used by Target Corporation pilots, click here.