Medium Large Transport
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 240; Flight Crew Total 17000; Flight Crew Type 8000
Human-Machine Interface
Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe
General None Reported / Taken
Human Factors; Equipment / Tooling
My iPad frequently closes out of the application I am using with no action from me. I have noticed at least three occurrences in the past week at home while studying for simulator training that while scrolling through pages the application closed and required me to re-login. While traveling to the training center for the simulator; I was using my iPad to review some FOM material when it closed again. This time I could not log back in due to a lack of wireless connection for authentication of my password. I was locked out of all content material for the remainder of the flight. What happens when this occurs to two pilots simultaneously after all ship sets have been removed from the aircraft? The iPad needs to have improved reliability before it is a suitably safe alternative to printed charts.
The reporter believes that the spontaneous closing of the application is a glitch or bug in the program that will need to be corrected; but does not understand why a wireless connection is necessary to log in.
Air carrier pilot laments the lack of reliability of the EFB application provided by his company and suggests that paper charts cannot be replaced by the iPad until this situation is fixed.