And the last paragraph is:-

"The new bill intends to make an exception only for those laptops containing navigational tools issued to pilots by some airlines, the senator added. "

You can always trust the (US) government to do the right thing…

After they have tried everything else

Company only issues manuals on a CD… in the future I will be looking a lot more at manuals in-flight… not sure what windows will be open in the background though.

How is this supposed to be enforced?

1) As Ivor Toolbox mentioned, by security personnel confiscating suspicious equipment?

2) By FAA inspectors searching flightbags for IPods during ramp checks?

3) BY NTSB triumphantly announcing that among the charred remains of the aeroplane, captain's IPod was found ergo he didn't follow the rules so crash is plainly pilot's error?

Person who proposed this reminds me of a certain Spanish AFB. It's not Torrejon.

As written it would seem to exclude PDAs and similar that use weather & mapping software such as Anywhere Map with XM Weather. Also anyone who uses a PED for W&B, performance calcs or any other aviation related function. I use my smartphone to store key bits of data about the various aircraft I fly so now what?

Typical political knee jerk reaction: Write an all embracing rule in haste panicked by what are often isolated but high profile incidences and then capture legitimate uses in the net.

But something like this could not happen in the "land of the free"? or wait, could it?

In the U.S., unfortunately, only the president is subject to term limits (two, four year stints) but the Congress members (House and Senate) may serve (???) unlimited terms.

Anyway, term limits for all is overdue and the proposed cockpit lap-top ban is another dumb law that, if enacted, would be un-enforceable.

Many accidents on the US roads due to people texting on their phones while driving. Just go figure how many people get injured or killed due to this very stupid and irresponsible behaviour. Why aren't they banning cellphones from cars? Must have something to do with lobbyists.

At least guns are still allowed though.......suppose that's something to play with!

Not being one entirely up to date with present acronyms, so I am unfamiliar with EFB's or the such like, but I presume they are something akin to the computers that some choose carry about.

Damn lucky in my latter days if one could squeeze more than a flight bag, a copy of the Times, and a pack of Rothmans up front, but lately I've heard that even a quick ciggie is completely out of the question, when previously it was "tolerated."

Next came the "walkabout" ban that was previously an obligotorary duty, and if regulators continue at the same pace, soon I'm sure we will be banned from reading newspapers.

I LOVE corporate!

Photo of a Northwest Airlines Cockpit - JOKE
 

The first ridicule of the NW188 flight was the many "Top Ten Reasons" lists, followed by the satirical song, and now a "photo" of a Northwest Airbus flight deck.

"As a matter of fact, we're becoming an aseptic society where "everything" is forbidden and where there is no more freedom of choice nor a slight taste for adventure...I think our parents were happier than we are..."

Possibly. But let's face it, we're only playing catch-up to most europeans, who lost many of their liberties years ago and didn't even notice. At least over here some people are putting up a rearguard action.

Cheers.

p.s. politicians in the U.S. are less representative of your average Joe and Jane than they are across the pond. Thank goodness.

Quite a few airlines have stopped issuing the operations manuals that we all before carried around in our bags.
These manuals are now stuffed back into a area where we have to get out of our seat and find to look up the required info.
They now rely on the C/D and laptops to get the same info..
Yes there is still the QRH on the flight deck and a limited amount of info on the operations manual concerning systems or a expanded view of the QRH.
The most concern that I see is the Jeps, many airlines expect you to print out the jeps and runway analysis charts from a company provided laptop and on board printer for airports that are not the norm.
This is not the big airlines way of operation but a growing trend in the less than major way of operations.
Yet some how we all let this happen.
Some how those in power cannot see the forest for the trees!!!!

So lets all ban all laptops in the cockpit, we wont have the info we all need , when used properly, but the politicians will be happy.

I don't see this as a problem, and it never has. Sorry, but the senate is wasting time "solving" a non-problem by perhaps creating a bigger one.
Why don't they issue a directive prohibiting crashes. That'll be a valuable input into flight safety...

It is no problem to lock a PC so that only the company stuff is on it and stays on it without change. This should be the task and not a stupid "ban everything".

But it is clear that it is not a single case what happened in NW, just the most spectacular one.

I would ban pilots from flying because "it´s too dangerous and can cause death", let´s keep them away from the air so we all can be safe.

Just run the game on your phone instead.

Why don't we ban EFIS and Autopilot while we're at it! Surely that'll eliminate distractions? :ok:

Hold on while I repeatedly slam parts of my anatomy in the ditching dam!

After Ted Kennedy ran off the bridge with his girlfriend I am surprised congress didn't ban bridges to prevent it from happening again. That would make as much sense as banning laptops. The bridge or the laptop did not cause a risk. Next thing would be banning reading newspapers in the cockpit. How would we be able to stay current on world affairs?