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Using electronic devices during take-off and landing (was:CyberFlying???)
Tom P wrote:
What annoys me is being forbidden to turn on a GPS receiver in flight. I've never let any such rule stop me from using my GPS. Or my AM/FM radio. There's really no AM reception possible inside the plane, but I've listened to many FM stations while crusing at 35k feet. Most people (including FA's) can't tell the difference between an FM radio and an MP3 player (and some devices are MP3 and FM radios). AFA not being a threat, the question is, are devices certified as not being a threat? As long as there is no certification, that's the end of the story. The embargo on electronic devices during take-off and landing is bull****. We all know that prohibition is there to remove a possible source of interference or lack-of-attention between the crew and passengers in cases of emergency (which are more relavent during taxi/takeoff/landing than during other phases of the flight). I guess the theory goes that if you're playing with and focused on your electronic gadget in your lap, or if you're wearing headphones connected to your own audio device, then your attention will not be on the crew if they need you do to something or act quickly in an emergency situation. They don't really want to say that's the reason, so they invent this bogus bull**** reason that your electronic device will interfere with the control and navigation systems of the plane. They seem so anal about it that you wonder why they don't force you to take the battery out of your wrist watch for christ sakes. The prohibition against recieving devices (radio's and hand-held TV's - remember those?) is really to keep the passengers in the dark about external world events during the flight. You can keep better control of the cattle - er I mean the passengers - if they don't know and get worked up about what's happening elsewhere in the world. But I love using my GPS while on flights. It tells me if we're going into a holding pattern, or which runway we're lining up for, and gives me a good ETA to know if I've got to hussle for my connecting flight. I know what cities I'm passing over, and what actual route we're taking (is it a straight line? Frequently - no it's not). |
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