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Delta Next Airline to Roll Out M1 iPad Pro to Pilots

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Delta Air Lines will upgrade all of its pilots to the cellular M1 iPad Pro, AT&T has today announced.

m1 ipad pro 1
Following the announcement that all Delta flight attendants would receive an iPhone 12 in April, the airline has now said that all pilots will be given an ‌M1‌ ‌iPad Pro‌ as part of their pilot electronic flight bags (EFB).

The ‌iPad Pro‌ will be used for a range of pre-flight management tasks and processes, where flight data and aircraft load information will be delivered directly to each pilot's EFB, which use custom-built apps. 5G connectivity, supplied by AT&T, will also be essential to how pilots use the device.

iPad Pro is extremely versatile in aviation, with its thin and light design, and bright, immersive display. The powerful new iPad Pro with 5G features the breakthrough Apple-designed M1 chip for a massive leap in performance, an all-new 12MP Ultra-Wide front camera, and advanced Liquid Retina display technologies with ultralow reflectivity for an unmatched viewing experience on the ground and in the air.

Delta follows JetBlue, which started rolling out the ‌M1‌ ‌iPad Pro‌ to pilots last month, but the airline has been equipping its staff with iPhones and iPads since it dropped Windows devices in 2017.

Related Roundup: iPad Pro
Tags: AT&T, Delta
Buyer's Guide: iPad Pro (Caution)

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Top Rated Comments

P
perplx
67 months ago

Paper charts don't need batteries.
Sure just carry paper maps for the entire planet and manuals for a dozen airplanes.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
FlyBry Avatar
FlyBry
67 months ago

Paper charts don't need batteries.
You don't fly IFR in multiple aircraft often, do you?
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dmr727 Avatar
dmr727
67 months ago
Every major airline in the US uses the iPad for charts, manuals etc and has been for years now. My airline bought the Air 3 a few years back and we're due for a refresh soon. I think an Air makes more sense than a Pro - I'd rather carry the lightest device possible for a given screen size.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dmr727 Avatar
dmr727
67 months ago

Sure, it's a computer that replaced an entire paper system. But we also don't know what other apps are being installed. So I doubt it's "one app only". Probably an entire suite of apps dedicated to flight management. One thing the ipad does better than other computers of the same ilk and different operating systems.
In the early days the iPad was essentially a digital chart reader, but to Jeppesen's credit they hired some programmers/designers that really understood Apple's vision for tablet computing and as such their chart viewer was much, much nicer than what was available for tablet Windows XP machines (remember Motion Computing?) at the time. The iPad quickly became ubiquitous in commercial flight decks - generally first in corporate/charter aviation (think private jets), then later to the airlines. The iPad's success got the attention of other app developers, and eventually a bunch of various aviation related tools became available.

Anyway, it's not just a chart and manual viewer anymore. We have landing performance apps, anti/de-icing checklists and holdover calculation apps. Comprehensive weather and planning apps. I can talk to dispatch or the maintenance folks via VoIP over the aircraft's wifi, and even have the call sent directly to my headset via bluetooth. We have aircraft systems and FMS trainers to keep sharp. And probably a half dozen other things that I can't remember right now. :)

It's come a long way from just being a glorified pdf viewer!
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
I
iPadified
67 months ago
I wonder why they did not get a Mac to get a real computer and a real finder app? After all, everyone (at Macrumours) has been told repeatedly that the iPad is a TOY and not a computer for professionals/S

Note the /S
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
N
nebulosan
67 months ago
Though some Delta employees will keep their Windows Phone OS phones, since those are the only “business grade heavy duty phones fit for certain pro business pilots that take their productivity seriously“, Delta and Microsoft said in a joint statement
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
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