FAA okays electronic devices right through flights

[Marc]

As anyone who's ever travelled by commercial aircraft in recent times, electronic devices have to go away during take off and landing.

Now the FAA in the U.S has lifted the ban which could see other countries lift the ban

Do people thing it's a good idea?

It's long been claimed the interference risk from devices is non-existant (though even with the ban lifted, devices will have to put in aircraft mode).

But to my mind there's another aspect.

Take off and and landing are the riskiest parts of the flight, you don't want people distracted by electronic devices at a time when they might need to move quickly plus they can be extra clutter around the cabin when you might need to get out in a hurry.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

^ And that's the only reason the FAA ever banned these devices in the first place. Everybody knows they don't interfere with the plane's systems (hell, the crews these days all use IPADS in flight); the officials just want people to stare slack-jawed at the safety lecture.

 

[Marc]

^ And that's the only reason the FAA ever banned these devices in the first place. Everybody knows they don't interfere with the plane's systems (hell, the crews these days all use IPADS in flight); the officials just want people to stare slack-jawed at the safety lecture.

But they also want you to be able to pay attention to the cabin crew in case of emergency.

noticed on my last trip that Air Canada keeps the inflight entertainment running from engine start to engine stop but you can only use ear bud earphones plugged into the entertainment system (which is tied into the intercom).

 

[Lindley]

Receiving a phone call actually *can* interfere with the radios a bit. It sounds like a clicking noise. But just having a device? No, not really.

 

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

expanded use of PED's on flights

announcement from the FAA

Oh, good, sometimes the longest part of the flight is the time when they tell you turn the ipad's off and there's still twenty minutes before they let you turn them on again.. and by then you want to deplane...

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

Re: expanded use of PED's on flights

They're gonna allow us to use steroids on planes now???

Sweeet.

 

[Pondwater]

Re: expanded use of PED's on flights

So, we can complete that level of Candy Crush now.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Re: expanded use of PED's on flights

They're gonna allow us to use steroids on planes now???

Sweeet.

NINJA'D

 

[SmoothieX]

Re: expanded use of PED's on flights

Portable explosive devices? Great, it's such a pain to check them at the curb.

 

[Kirby]

A couple of years ago I accidentally left my phone on and in my pocket during a flight. After we landed and I pulled out my phone I half expected to be tackled and beaten by TSA, but alas, no such luck.

 

[Marc]

A couple of years ago I accidentally left my phone on and in my pocket during a flight. After we landed and I pulled out my phone I half expected to be tackled and beaten by TSA, but alas, no such luck.

Probably thought you'd turned it on after the plane landed (recent experience showed airlines allow cellphones to be fully active once you've landed).

 

[Kirby]

A couple of years ago I accidentally left my phone on and in my pocket during a flight. After we landed and I pulled out my phone I half expected to be tackled and beaten by TSA, but alas, no such luck.

Probably thought you'd turned it on after the plane landed (recent experience showed airlines allow cellphones to be fully active once you've landed).

Givien all the B.S. that the airlines give you about turning phones off and such, I had naively assumed that THEY knew I had it on the whole time and was intentionally messing with the operation of the plane. I can picture pilots sweating profusely and fighting the control stick the whole flight because some jackass in seat 9D didn't turn off his flip phone.

 

[tomalak301]

The only bad thing about this is what if I'm trying to sleep and someone sitting next to me is talking on the phone during the entire trip. There are times when I am thankful for the no talking on the cellphone rule during flights.

 

[Melakon]

I've not been on a plane since 1994. No TSA, just walk through a metal detector and run your carryon bag through the x-ray machine. Though sometimes the pins in my knee would register. Back in 1965 the flight attendant made me turn off a reel-to-reel tape recorder, but I suppose the shielding wasn't as good then.

 

[Lindley]

The only bad thing about this is what if I'm trying to sleep and someone sitting next to me is talking on the phone during the entire trip. There are times when I am thankful for the no talking on the cellphone rule during flights.

That can't happen. First, because there's no cell signal at 30,000 feet. Second, because this rule change still doesn't allow phone calls during the flight.

 

[RobertVA]

A magnetic tape recorder doesn't have high frequency clock signals like those in digital equipment like tablets, MP3 players, laptops etc. Like the drum on old rowing ships the clock signal is used to keep various components like the CPU and memory in step with each other. Since a 1960s era tape recorder would be completely analog there wouldn't be a clock signal.

Even the single MHz Apple ][ would interfere with TV receivers until Apple painted the inside of the case with conductive paint, added electrical bonding strips to the lid joint and iron loops for the floppy drive ribbon cables.

 

[Marc]

Sorry for the bump but it seems the Europeans have gone one step further and will allow 3 and 4G cellular communications from aircraft at all times (Seems they had already been allowing 2G)

http://www.itworld.com/internet/382766/europe-allows-flight-3g-and-4g-broadband

Can image the data roaming charges would be nasty.

from a vague memory check and Virgin Australian and QANTAS both had facilities on their aircraft for inflight cellular calls but don't know if was fully implented

http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/w...as-capability-to-use-mobile-phones-in-flight/

 

[Venardhi]

The only bad thing about this is what if I'm trying to sleep and someone sitting next to me is talking on the phone during the entire trip. There are times when I am thankful for the no talking on the cellphone rule during flights.

That can't happen. First, because there's no cell signal at 30,000 feet. Second, because this rule change still doesn't allow phone calls during the flight.

Only flight I've ever been on with in-flight WiFi had the woman next to me trying to make a skype call on her laptop for half an hour. The signal/bandwidth was so bad it kept cutting out and I don't think they actually managed to say more than 15 words to each other. I expect as the in-flight internet options get better and more people use VOIP services it will only get more and more common.

 

[trekkiedane]

Sorry for the bump but it seems the Europeans have gone one step further and will allow 3 and 4G cellular communications from aircraft at all times (Seems they had already been allowing 2G)

http://www.itworld.com/internet/382766/europe-allows-flight-3g-and-4g-broadband

Can image the data roaming charges would be nasty.

Exactly, roaming charges is going to make this a most expensive thing to do, and most airlines will have to install new devices into their planes first (and a new ground-infrastructure might need to be developed and build)... Personally I don't see the need, don't most airlines offer free Wifi during flights today anyway?