Hi Fly is now in full unrestricted use of the Electronic Flight Bag across all of its Airbus fleet.
The introduction of the EFB helps flight crews to perform flight management tasks more easily and efficiently with less paper. Apps replace bulky paper manuals and allow pilots to access the most up-to-date information and zoom in on digital navigation charts. Furthermore, the software can complete performance calculations previously done by hand, reducing the volume of paperwork, decreasing the margin for human error thereby allowing for more precise calculations.
According to the company’s Flight Support Manager, Katia Vidal “this is a huge achievement for us as we are pioneers in introducing this type of Electronic Flight Bag setup in Portugal. We are moving forward towards the future of aviation pioneering the shift from paper to technology in the country.” She continues by highlighting that “above all, the implementation of the Electronic Flight Bag has a major impact on efficiency and safety, mitigating possible errors and enabling more cost effective and accurate calculations.”
The Electronic Flight Bag avoids the need for constant manuals replacement that otherwise would have to be physically updated every week, as well as other flight deck documentation that would also require periodic revisions. All updates are now sourced in the server enabling immediate availability of information and upgrades at a distance through the simple push of a button. Specific navigation data can also be prepared prior to the flight and uploaded to the devices optimizing the whole process and eliminating the dependency on paper-based data.
This was a process that started four years ago and relied on the commitment and dedication of Hi Fly’s administration, flight operations and training, who put great effort into making this a smooth and effective transition. While required certifications and regulatory procedures were being performed, needful internal adjustments were also taking place allowing pilots to become familiar with the software and learn as the process was developing.
The trial period started in March 2017 with the introduction of the first EFB’s onboard Hi Fly flights and the pilots’ yearly recurrent training ensured they were kept well informed and accustomed to the device guaranteeing a gradual and appropriate shift in cockpit procedures.
Withal, the EFB project has not come to an end as there are further manual processes that can also be changed and incorporated into the Electronic Flight Bag. New Apps features and options that may be added require constant assessment, approval and implementation processes.
