Google Glass on the Flight Deck

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In the wake of various reports of techie pilots using Google Glass while flying, two pilots at Adventia European College of Aeronautics in Spain went public with the use of Google Glass in the cockpit to demonstrate the potential benefits of using the devices while flying an aircraft. A Google developer partner called Droiders created the pilot training app in partnership with Adventia, based off the surgery checklist app that is in use with Google Glass at Stanford University’s Faculty of Medicine. On the test flight, pilots Juan Riquelme and Diana Rodriguez used Google Glass for their pre-flight checklist, takeoff procedures, navigational maps, landing checklist and final approach for their Beechcraft King Air C-90.

Adventia estimates a 10 percent increase in productivity, as a benefit of real-time updates for meteorological data, NOTAMS, navigational information and checklists. For the few airlines still using the cumbersome paper flight bag, it can provide a substantial weight reduction when paired with the electronic flight bag – which in turn would reduce weight and fuel burn, therefore saving money. As seen in the video, pilots can work through checklists by validating each item with a voice command. The app would not allow checklist items to be skipped, reducing the possibility of mistakes. With the recent announcement that Oakley and Ray Ban will be making stylish versions of Google Glass, pilots may also be able to avoid the current dweeb-factor involved with using Google Glass.

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