Cockpit Crew now allowed to use iPads by FAA

[AmericanFlyer]

F.A.A. Approves iPads in Cockpits, But Not for Passengers - NYTimes.com

[stepwilk]

The one thing that everybody seems to be missing about these electronics-shutdown rules is that they actually have nothing to do with imagined "radio interference." The reason for these rules is that the airlines and the FAA want passengers paying attention, undistracted, able to hear cabin-crew instructions during the crucial phases of flight. They don't want them playing word games, or having earphones clamped on their heads, or making cellphone calls when they should be at least minimally paying attention.

You can argue all you want about whether the stuff needs to stay off till 10,000 feet, or whether sitting at a gate with the door closed counts as "flight," but the whole frequency-interference thing is a red herring.

The airlines would be better off making this point rather than to continue hinting that the electronics "could interfere with avionics," which nobody believes anyway. A few people might at least minimally accept the explanation that they should not be distracted.

But then I'm an old fart. After logging thousands of hours as a pilot and millions of miles as SLF over the last half-century, I still check the exit locations and opening procedures on the seatback safety card when I'm a passenger. And I listen to the safety lecture not because I don't know how to fasten a seatbelt but because my mother always told me it's impolite not to pay attention when somebody is speaking to you.

[Type1106]

Stepwilk

Best comment I've heard on this subject and I agree with you 100%!

[Atcham Tower]

Agreed, especially the last sentence!

[alouette3]

Thank you Stepwilk! My sentiments exactly!

Another twist on the cell phone usage:This actually comes from the cell phone companies petitioning the FCC. A cell phone at altitude, can strike several cell towers, set miles apart, simultaneously. This causes a bit of a problem for cell companies to bill calls and track them.Hence the "electronic interference" red herring.Of course, aircraft manufacturers will also tell you that thay have done testing and there is a "possibilty" of interference with the highly digital cockpits today.
Every conspiracy in not necessarily a theory.

[grounded27]

I have personally gone through FAA approval for STC of RF transmitting devices we planned on operating in our aircraft. We had to basically operate all avionics, and allow the FAA designee to monitor that we experienced no failures. There is no practical ability to control personal items in your bag/on yourself.

[daikilo]

What is the real issue?

What if the Captain/Pilot flying came into the cabin and announced that he would not take-off if he was not comforable that all passengers had llistened to the safety announcement?

I do not have another solution as I feel sorry for the cabin crew doing their duty in front of a sea of newspapers and other distractions.

[Escape Path]

stepwilk

+1

As other have said, best comment I've read here in a while

And I listen to the safety lecture not because I don't know how to fasten a seatbelt but because my mother always told me it's impolite not to pay attention when somebody is speaking to you.

They should tell/teach that to kids these days

[aviatorhi]

Stepwilk, I agree with everything you say, but just because I like to be difficult I'll add that while I agree with the sentiment of paying attention when spoken to I have a tendency to not pay attention when somebody is talking to me as if I am 3 years old.

I fly boxes for a living, but I pay a lot more attention to the "comedic" briefings rather than the "professional" type when in a passenger cabin.

[Jetpipe.]

More and more play these safety announcements on tape these days and cabin crew is just standing in the rows making the safety moves.. Some airlines have even gone a step further with both audio and visual on the screens.. Is it a way to standardise procedures and make things more convenient for the crew or maybe a better way to get pax attention?

Jp

[rasobey]

So when are paper books and magazines going to be banned during critical phases of flight? I was banned from using my Kindle on a recent flight, during the descent/approach. The same reading material printed on paper would surely have been allowed.

Note that I'm not the sort of pax to disobey any order from CC - I fully respect the industry - but this is a crazy situation.

Edit: to clarify - "banned" = I asked if I could continue reading, and was politely informed no.

[RainingLogic]

If homeland security was actually trying to keep bombs off the planes, there wouldn't be any electronics in the cabin.

Personally, I have heard serious buzzing in my headsets due to cell phones..once identifying the offender, it went away.

Laptop wifi? Not sure...no doubt some guy is going to try to hack in to the AFIS uplink or something from the back...there are also issues of RF interference in fly by wire.

As much as the Airbus guys want to believe that lightning can't screw with their controls I think they are just putting their heads in the sand.

[aviatorhi]

As much as the Airbus guys want to believe that lightning can't screw with their controls I think they are just putting their heads in the sand.

The same can be said of any aircraft which doesn't have some sort of mechanical linkage between both ends of the flight controls.

[ImbracableCrunk]

My airline is one of the iPad users. We were told the big hold-up was mounting the devices securely, not whether they were on or off..