Surface 3 approved for use by ExpressJet pilots as their Electronic Flight Bag

More and more airlines are replacing heavy pilot manuals with tablets. The latest example is the ExpressJet regional airline, which has received approval from the FAA to use Microsoft's Surface 3 as its Electronic Flight Bag for nearly 4,000 pilots.

Microsoft says:

"By running Windows 10 on Surface devices, ExpressJet has seen improvements in safe decision-making, employee morale, and communication with team members. "Our job is to provide as seamless and as safe of an operation as we possibly can," said Greg Wooley, VP – Flight Operations at ExpressJet. "The Jeppesen Windows 10 EFB app allows our pilots to be an active manager of the operation – it's not just a replacement for paper, it's a platform for expansion."

In addition to saving pilots time in accessing information versus flipping through paper pages, the lower weight of the Surface 3 will cause ExpressJet to save fuel on their planes as well. The Surface 3 is already being used by pilots on another regional U.S. airline, SkyWest.

John Callaham