37000 Feet

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An air carrier pilot noted that flight operating manuals (fom) and aircraft operating manuals (aom) are now in digital formats and pilot may not know what changes have been made to them. Also; since pilots cannot use the electronic devices on the flight deck they may not know what to study in order to remain current.

Narrative:

The changeover from a paper copy of the fom and aom to a digital format was done without any information given to the line pilots. With the daily revisions and continuous changing of information; I understand the cost of paper updates. However; this leaves line pilots unable to review; study; and learn the completely new manuals. This will create a growing gap of understanding and coordination between crew members that will weaken standardization because of the varying levels of recalling the updates and inability to find items in the new books. It is my desire to study the manuals and keep informed of the continuous changes; but I am unable to do so with the now digital format. I am willing to learn to use a digital format; but no information has been given on how to track changes; or when it is updated; how to download it; and if company it will assist if we have complications. The issue is not passing or failing a pc; but my liability to the FAA for the documents I am governed by. I am not to use electronic devices on the flight deck; nor am I to read documentation not pertinent to the flight. I am liable for a document that I cannot touch and don't have the hardware/instructions to digitally use. Problems will arise if there is an accident or incident where the FAA finds non-compliance with our fom or aom. I am unable to determine if my actions are appropriate or not.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: An Air Carrier pilot noted that Flight Operating Manuals (FOM) and Aircraft Operating Manuals (AOM) are now in digital formats and pilot may not know what changes have been made to them. Also; since pilots cannot use the electronic devices on the flight deck they may not know what to study in order to remain current.

Narrative: The changeover from a paper copy of the FOM and AOM to a digital format was done without any information given to the line pilots. With the daily revisions and continuous changing of information; I understand the cost of paper updates. However; this leaves line pilots unable to review; study; and learn the completely new manuals. This will create a growing gap of understanding and coordination between crew members that will weaken standardization because of the varying levels of recalling the updates and inability to find items in the new books. It is my desire to study the manuals and keep informed of the continuous changes; but I am unable to do so with the now digital format. I am willing to learn to use a digital format; but no information has been given on how to track changes; or when it is updated; how to download it; and if Company IT will assist if we have complications. The issue is not passing or failing a PC; but my liability to the FAA for the documents I am governed by. I am not to use electronic devices on the flight deck; nor am I to read documentation not pertinent to the flight. I am liable for a document that I cannot touch and don't have the hardware/instructions to digitally use. Problems will arise if there is an accident or incident where the FAA finds non-compliance with our FOM or AOM. I am unable to determine if my actions are appropriate or not.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2013 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.