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The FAA has given permission for Pilots/Flight Crew to use iPads

Passengers can't even use them while sitting on the tarmac after you've pushed back from the door. So even if the plane is just sitting there, you theoretically can't use them. Even in airplane mode.
 
I guess those electronic devices don't interfere with the aircraft after all.

"Do as we say, not as we do..."
 
The FAA's reluctance to allow wireless devices to operate on planes has no basis in reality. The airlines have cell phones you can use for a fee. If it were dangerous those wouldnt be allowed either. Airplanes are bombarded with radio waves all the time from all directions. They even did extensive testing using a 737 in 1996 and found no adverse effects. What devices are they worried about a cell phone will interfere with? The radios and NAVs are on different frequencies.
 
Genx87 said:
The FAA's reluctance to allow wireless devices to operate on planes has no basis in reality. The airlines have cell phones you can use for a fee. If it were dangerous those wouldnt be allowed either. Airplanes are bombarded with radio waves all the time from all directions. They even did extensive testing using a 737 in 1996 and found no adverse effects. What devices are they worried about a cell phone will interfere with? The radios and NAVs are on different frequencies.
Click to expand...

Mythbusters did tests as well and IIRC they couldn't get anything to interfere.
 
I always thought that if you really could bring down an airplane by leaving your cell phone on, then the terrorists would have a much cheaper and easier method of wreaking havok than bombs...

On the flipside, I have heard that one of the reasons why cell phones are banned on airplanes is that the cell phone carriers (ie. Verizon/AT&T) have a hard time with really fast tower-to-tower hand-offs as the plane flies by overhead and that it would really screw up the cell phone tower service to have a whole lot of people with their cell phones on talking while in planes... and this made some sense to me.

But I'm not sure that I really want the people that I sit with to be chatting away on their cell phones the whole flight. It would be more than a bit irritating. I'm fine with a ban on cell phones... I don't care... I just want to be able to use a Kindle (non-3G) while the plane is sitting parked on the runway.

I'm not much of a fan of Mr. Baldwin, but I am glad the discussion is happening again about whether this ban makes sense.
 
"Interfere" does not necessarily mean "with electronics". Sometimes they just want you to pay attention during the more dangerous parts of a flight.
 
Fingolfin269 said:
"Interfere" does not necessarily mean "with electronics". Sometimes they just want you to pay attention during the more dangerous parts of a flight.
Click to expand...

i had my old ipod nano in a pocket and turned off, but had the ear bud in my ear still, waiting for them to stop talking so i could turn it back on. they made a HUGE stink about my ear bud still being in my ear, and cited a public emergency hazard as the reason i had to put it away. completely. apparently if there were an emergency my ear buds being visible would have cost lives, getting in the way and such.
 
I was once yelled at for cleaning my iPad screen while waiting on the runway, and it wasn't even on. The guy next to me was reading a book and they didn't say anything to him. Damned hypocrites.
 
I never turn off my phone on flights. I don't even put it in airplane mode. Most of my friends do the same. /shrug
 
Genx87 said:
The FAA's reluctance to allow wireless devices to operate on planes has no basis in reality. The airlines have cell phones you can use for a fee. If it were dangerous those wouldnt be allowed either. Airplanes are bombarded with radio waves all the time from all directions. They even did extensive testing using a 737 in 1996 and found no adverse effects. What devices are they worried about a cell phone will interfere with? The radios and NAVs are on different frequencies.
Click to expand...

iirc, it has to do with phones jumping cells too quickly or something. dunno why the FCC would care about that, but it's what i've heard. the FCC asked for that restriction and the FAA obliged.

as for not having stuff while on take off/landing, they don't want stuff sliding out of your hands and becoming a missile or tripping people trying to exit a burning airplane.
 
ElFenix said:
iirc, it has to do with phones jumping cells too quickly or something. dunno why the FCC would care about that, but it's what i've heard. the FCC asked for that restriction and the FAA obliged.

as for not having stuff while on take off/landing, they don't want stuff sliding out of your hands and becoming a missile or tripping people trying to exit a burning airplane.
Click to expand...

That makes sense. However, why would they say something to the guy with a tablet and ignore the guy with a hardback book? Uninformed attendant?
 
We have been using the ipad app in the work plane for a few months. Replaces a pile of charts and books that you have to keep track of.
I can tell you that if you don't turn stuff off in that plane you get the static interference, popping sound in the headphones if the phone is not in airplane mode.
 
Fingolfin269 said:
"Interfere" does not necessarily mean "with electronics". Sometimes they just want you to pay attention during the more dangerous parts of a flight.
Click to expand...
Nonsense.
Anywhere I'm traveling internationally, I always buy WSJ newspaper at the airport and read it. No flight attendant has ever stopped me from reading it during take off/landing.

I certainly don't pay any more attention by reading the WSJ newspaper over their Android app.
 
I would hope it is just one of them at a time lest the flight deck be like Doonesbury the past few days. I wonder if they consulted with Alec Baldwin?
 
ElFenix said:
iirc, it has to do with phones jumping cells too quickly or something. dunno why the FCC would care about that, but it's what i've heard. the FCC asked for that restriction and the FAA obliged.
Click to expand...

That also doesn't make any sense. I have left my phone on before, but at that altitude you don't get reception anyways. at least I didn't.
 
Fingolfin269 said:
"Interfere" does not necessarily mean "with electronics". Sometimes they just want you to pay attention during the more dangerous parts of a flight.
Click to expand...

Bingo. I forget the exact number, but most plane crashes occur on takeoff or landing and at fairly high speeds. They want everything stowed and strapped down because in a crash anything that isn't is going to be flying around the cabin. A person might survive the crash, but if everyone's phone, tablet, or other personal items are zipping around like bullets, it could kill or seriously injure passengers.
 
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