Air Mobility Command has approved the use of tablet computers in place of paper flight manuals at all AMC wings, according to a press release. AMC began the electronic flight bag initiative in 2010 as a cost-saving measure, and they estimate that replacing 120 pounds of paper with a tablet saves almost $3.8 million per year across the command. The savings come in reduced fuel consumption and paper printing and distribution costs. AMC has also taken security precautions with the new system. “Working with the Defense Information Systems Agency’s security technical implementation guide, we know how to configure the tablet for government use, and how to configure each tablet to ensure it has the most secure cyber posture,” said Richard Quidgeon, requirements manager for the program.
Retired Col. Carlyle "Smitty" Harris, known for introducing the "tap code" by which American POWs in North Vietnam could surreptitiously communicate with one another, died July 6. Harris was brutalized by the North Vietnamese over almost eight years of captivity.