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Airplanes are loaded with electronics...say, maybe even...GPS? If passenger devices interfered with the plane's electronics, the plane's own electronics would interfere with each other. It's totally ridiculous and I would have *told* the FA she was a moron.
And you would have been put off the plane.
Then could have posted here about how unfairly you were treated.
As to your allusion that aircraft avionics are the interference equivalent of personal electronics, nothing could further from the truth. Personal electronics are built to a price point. Aircraft avionics are built to a performance standard. There is a huge difference in interference potential, not to mention price.
As to your allusion that aircraft avionics are the interference equivalent of personal electronics, nothing could further from the truth. Personal electronics are built to a price point. Aircraft avionics are built to a performance standard. There is a huge difference in interference potential, not to mention price.
Surely, anything that could interfere would be banned - by law - and enforceable. But it's not.
Rules, however, are at the whim of the airline. Like those rules against the "price point electronics".
It's their plane, their rules, I get that. But don't try to explain it away with some malarkey that some common electronic and, in and of itself, bring down a rightfully over-engineered airliner.
It is what it is - the continued 14 year knee jerk reaction to 9-11.
First world problems. Oh the horror. You had to put your toy away. It wasn't that many years ago that we didn't have all these toys. Maybe next time try using your Walkman or Discman. No problem with them!
Interesting. My husband is a pilot and flies back and forth to Dallas, many times riding in the cockpit with the captain and first officer. He flies on American, and he has frequently used his gps right there in the cockpit with not a word of objection from the two flying the plane.
If I were the FA or captain, I would have been concerned that you were using the handheld GPS to transmit the plane's location, which is something a terrorist might do. Why else would you use a HHGPS and not a phone? Having no way to study the internal electronics of your device, I would require you to turn it off.
I realize that a phone can also transmit your location but why would a passenger insist on using a nonpermitted device instead unless they were up to no good?
So much ignorance here. This is why flying is becoming unbearable.
Devil advocate here. I feel you papafox.
At PDX I was taking pictures of the Salmon thirty salmon theme plane Alaska has. Instantly some idiotic TSA dolt came and told me "photography of aircraft is prohibited." I know this is not this is not the case. He tries to sound all smart like he has credibility and says "in that direction there are military aircraft that are considered in a sensitive area." blah blah blah. So I pull up airliners.net and show him pictures of those very airplanes in vivid detail. Then he goes "sir, those are sensitive how did you find them?" He said "sir, after 9/11 an airport is a very sensitive area full of blah" again trying to sound smart but stumbling over his words. Then he says "sir, you must comply and move along, or I will be forced to escalate the issue." he gets on his stupid radio and says "stand by for possible code blah blah. move along now sir have a nice day." BS! I hate the TSA.
Same thing as you. kind of.
I was flying on AS to Tucson and it's a CRJ which has great visibility we were doing a rare east departure at sunrise and the clouds looked awesome and I wanted to get a picture of Mt Hood with these brilliant orange clouds. So I get ready on the ground. The flight attendant looks down at my seat belt and says "its going to be a beautiful view." I smiled and nodded and said "hopefully the window doesn't play tricks on me." a minute passes the older flight attendant looks down notices my camera and says "sir, your going to need to put that away for takeoff. FAA and Skywest do not allow portable electronic devices during take off for safety reasons." I say. "It does not mention cameras and I have use my camera on mainline Alaska many times." "Wellll siiirr, Skywest does not allow it."
It's not safety, It's not security. It's plain and simple ignorant unhappy people on power trips. Anytime you give a stupid person too much power such as in the case of a TSA agent or the in air "safety" gestapo we used to call flight attendants you end up with corrosion of freedom and high tension.
Pictures? I can show you a picture of any aircraft in the world with a trip to Google. Including B-2s and Air Force One.
Exact Location? Flightradar24.com ADS-B or flightaware or any other free flight tracking service. Plus if they have weaponry sophisticated enough to hit a flying airplane then they aren't worried about it's location. They either see it and lock on to heat signatures (DHL at Baghdad) or rely on very advance radar (MH 17.)
Schedule? That's also public information, published months in advance.
Safety in the event of an evacuation? BS. The idiots coming out of that burning BA 777 in Vegas proves people are going to do whatever the hell they want including grabbing carry-on luggage while standing in a burning coke can filled with gasoline. My camera in my lap is the least of anyone's concern.
I'm also convince sir or ma'am is no longer a meaningful way to address someone, it's the tone. Depending on how it is used it becomes very condescending.
If I were the FA or captain, I would have been concerned that you were using the handheld GPS to transmit the plane's location, which is something a terrorist might do. Why else would you use a HHGPS and not a phone? Having no way to study the internal electronics of your device, I would require you to turn it off.
I realize that a phone can also transmit your location but why would a passenger insist on using a nonpermitted device instead unless they were up to no good?
I'm way behind, but do HHGPS devices actually transmit their location to other devices?
I'm glad at least many here get what I'm trying to say
Orders? No. 'The book'? Yes. We live and die by our polices and SOP's. It's what keeps us safe and legal and employed.
If you go back to the first page I stated I felt the policy was stupid. I agreed with you. Yet you refuse to see it from the employee's eyes, whose hands are tied. Your beef is with corporate, not the front line employees.
Surely, anything that could interfere would be banned - by law - and enforceable. But it's not.
Rules, however, are at the whim of the airline. Like those rules against the "price point electronics".
It's their plane, their rules, I get that. But don't try to explain it away with some malarkey that some common electronic and, in and of itself, bring down a rightfully over-engineered airliner.
It is what it is - the continued 14 year knee jerk reaction to 9-11.
Apparently you could not comprehend that the other posters were stating that there is no functional or quality difference between consumer electronics and avionics, and that unregulated use of just about anything poses no risk.
Fortunately for the flying public, you are flat wrong. Also fortunately for the flying public aircraft have multiple redundant systems, which when they fail, as they sometimes do, there is almost always a functioning alternative.
Nothing about air safety is knee jerk. In fact, knee jerk reactions bring planes down. Considered directives and quality redundant systems keep them safe. The United States did not get to have the world's best air safety record by letting random passengers dictate the rules or how the flying is done.
I'm way behind, but do HHGPS devices actually transmit their location to other devices?
I am not an electronic engineer, but I have no idea how my Garmin could possibly function as it does without transmitting its location.
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