An ex-pilot for Virgin Australia is suing the airline for one million dollars relating to back injuries he alleges he suffered due to lugging around 18kg of flight manuals, something he states could not have occurred if the information was stored on an iPad.
The Daily Telegraph reports on the case. David Linton Kloster was a pilot for Virgin back in December 2009, when he suffered a back injury. Surgery followed, but he’s suing Virgin for economic loss relating to the injury, and as per the Telegraph report, documents lodged in the Queensland Supreme Court state that
The defendant (Virgin Australia) exposed the plaintiff (Mr Kloster) to a risk of injury which could have been avoided by the exercise of reasonable care. (Virgin Australia) failed to have in place a system of work whereby charts and rules could have been left on board its aircraft or kept electronically on an iPad.
There is one slight problem with this theory, at least from a dating point of view. As TUAW points out, the injury took place in 2009; it wasn’t possible to buy an iPad in Australia until May 2010.
While I can’t comment on the case per se (I don’t wish to get sued today) , but it’s certainly something I saw in action on my recent UK trip; the head of the BA flight crew on the plane I was on had an iPad to track passenger numbers, something he told me was part of a company-wide rollout of around 2,000 iPads. [Daily Telegraph]
Picture by Don Arnold/Getty Images
Charles
Friday, February 10, 2012 at 1:32 PMWaaaaaaaaaahhh. This guy I know was telling me this story about a company in QLD that is so full of buaeraetcratcic bullshit, that the removalist company he works for was hired to move a SINGLE OFFICE CHAIR from Brisbane to Toowomba.
Jeff
Friday, February 10, 2012 at 1:44 PM@ charles, I used to work for a removalist company, we once got paid $220 to go into a office building and move a desk… the desk was cleared and empty and the spot it was being moved to was clear and empty too.
I asked why we had to do it and why they didn’t (because the guys their actually worked out and were bigger than us) he told us because if they hurt themselves moving it the company would risk being sued….
We had many jobs like that, but that one I will always remember.
Charles
Friday, February 10, 2012 at 4:04 PMYeah all that sorta culture is kinda lame. Cmon! Where is the personal responsibility? Ah well.. I guess its the way it is.
Jazz
Friday, February 10, 2012 at 1:39 PMI’m with you, Alex. Read the first two paragraphs and thought “hang on, when did the ipad come out?”.
Is this pilot originally from the US?
Stew
Friday, February 10, 2012 at 1:44 PMAnd if the battery is flat or the screen smashed or the manual accidentally deleted? Hard copies are the most reliable for many reasons, and when it comes to aviation you kinda want “reliable”.
Grim
Friday, February 10, 2012 at 2:34 PMMy thoughts too. He’d just end up with 19kg of manuals plus an iPad.
The comment about being permitted to store the manuals and charts on the plane doesn’t sound unreasonable. Although I don’t know why they don’t do that already.
Lillee
Friday, February 10, 2012 at 1:45 PM“Captain we’re going to crash in 1 minute, quick what is the abort code on page 1043 of the manual?”
“Ahh… do you have an iPod dock I could borrow? I seem to be out of batteries…”
TSH
Friday, February 10, 2012 at 2:45 PMnah, more like Bejeweled sound FX and the Captain looking up 10 seconds later “huh?”
Ozoneocean
Friday, February 10, 2012 at 2:10 PMIpad? Yeah, this guy is a dick and a nut. His manuals could’ve been on any notebook, netbook, laptop or tablet, they’ve all been around for ages, his focus on the ipad shows his infantile understanding of the subject. And all the other pilots had to lug around those books too and none of them are suing. Time to man up.
Tim Vic
Friday, February 10, 2012 at 2:56 PMMaybe in some year they might have an implant memory, so will he sue them because he was an idiot and they did not implant him. His point for suing the airlines is wrong, but organisations that can spend but do not for bureaucratic reasons are wrong.
simon
Friday, February 10, 2012 at 3:28 PMand why not, the pilots back in the 90′s/80′s/70′s/60′s etc had the luxury of the ipad, surely our virgin pilots should be allowed the privilage
Just This Guy ...
Friday, February 10, 2012 at 3:43 PM18kg and this guy hurt his back from it?
How on earth did he complete the physical required for being a pilot in the first place?
What a wimpy whinger!
Could he not afford to get his own tablet/laptop on his salary?
Richard
Friday, February 10, 2012 at 5:58 PMWhy didn’t he use a small bag with wheels on it like 2/3 of the passengers are probably using.
MD
Friday, February 10, 2012 at 10:41 PM19kg is less than 20, that is the limit allowed for one person to lift…
BTW, Sue me….
I’m pretty sure that CASA regulations (FAA,JAA, etc etc) are that a paper copy of Aircraft Procedures and Airline Operations must be in paper format, for the very reason that in an emergency (power outages etc as already mentioned) the Paper won’t suffer an outage… Correct me if I am Wrong….
Also leaving them on the plane (Airline operations manuals) Would be a breach of Commercial in confidence, and taking reasonable measures to keep the documents secure….. Another airline could just pay a Cleaner to lift a set of the manuals…. leaving them (The airline) open to invalidation of legal action if they were to sue some other organisation for copying their Procedures (I’m sure they are all ‘modified’ photocopies of PanAm, or TAA operations anyhow..)
What a Joker….
Sure Back Injury is no Joke, I know a bunch of ‘hard working’ people on Pensions for back injuries, you would never know it, the way they work around their own place…
Makk
Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 2:49 PM+1
Whatever happens in the future with iPads on flight decks, as with the rest of the plane, there will still be the need for printed manuals, almost everything on board has a redundant system. Batteries go flat, apps freeze, screens smash and iPads fail.
Biggest fanboy ever.
Jaqui
Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 9:03 PMMan up – Get Real! Those other pilots are the ones who never stood up and said anything! But this bloke did! This happens in every workplace – people become sheep and fear rocking the boat! And so he should! If common sense were to prevail, airline companies would employ airport based persons to meet the pilot prior to entering the plane and to give them the manuals. Easy solution as well as looking aftern the welfare of workers! Remember, we are all only born with ONE back, and when it goes, it never goes back to normal! This man will need his back for the rest of his life, and not only for work! Workplaces appear to forget that most people have significant lives outside of work, and if injuries occur, the stress on the home life can be extensive. Actually, it becomes quite arrogant that workplaces expect so much from employers, signalling this is the MOST important part of our lives. IT IS NOT! IT DOES NOT MAKE YOU WHO YOU ARE! WHAT HAPPENS OUTSIDE OF WORK DEFINES US!
Mmmmm
Sunday, February 12, 2012 at 9:48 AMSo ypur suggesting to pass the risk on to another employee, someone who is employed to chase after the pilot?