Over 90% of all airlines still use a paper logbook. Japanese hardware manufacturer Panasonic, together with its UK partner Conduce, offers an electronic variant based on the robust Toughbook G1 tablet.
A technical logbook, a legal record of the technical condition of the aircraft and its journey, must be completed for each flight. Records include things like any defects and fuel consumption. The logbook also includes maintenance carried out on an aircraft between scheduled servicing. Before each departure, the captain goes through the technical logbook and signs it off indicating that the aircraft meets legal standards.
According to Panasonic, the vast majority of flights are done on paper. Together with Conduce, which contributes its eTechLog8 technology developed for aviation, the company offers a digital alternative in the form of a Toughbook G1 tablet. Instead of on paper, pilots complete the logbook using the eTechLog8 software on the tablet. Upon completion, the data is forwarded to the airline.
The tablets, which can withstand impacts, drops, rain, dust and extreme temperatures, come with the Windows LTSC operating system pre-installed. This is the same version of Windows used in ATMs. This means, according to Panasonic, that updates are strictly controlled and internet access is locked.
For data transfer, the device is equipped with an integrated 4G LTE multi-carrier mobile broadband chip that supports satellite and GPS connections. To ensure continuity, all Conduce applications are factory installed on the device, meaning that even when there is no internet connection, the application continues to collect data and send it as soon as a connection is available. For backup in case of failure, Toughbook tablets are also equipped with a Micro SD card.