Warrior5B

I worked as a screener at TSA for while in between air traffic jobs. So this guy comes in as a selectee and as I was looking through his bag I noticed a GPS, two or three Jeep TBs, a half a dozen or so other TBs and some notes. The departure time on his boarding pass indicated that he had several hours to kill. I took a special interest in the notes and the GPS. I asked him several questions about why he was carrying a GPS and notes about hidden items. "Is there anything going on that I should know about?" His response? "So, you're a geocacher aren't you? Me too." So we had a brief discussion about our recent hunts and then, much to his relief, he went home.

The thing is that these "other" benchmarks are not something that I'm looking for. It simply seems that Oahu is flush with reference marks. As an example, the day after my last post I found six more unlisted marks while walking from work to meet my wife a few blocks away. Two of those marks were within 4 feet of each other. These marks are unavoidably "there" as it were. I have occasionally had my GPS with me and marked there locations. When I don't have my GPS with me I just remember where I saw it and approximate the search when I'm at a computer later. By approximate I really mean plot it on a map at home, enter it into my GPS using the MGRS grid from the map and then convert it to geographic grid. I have found several State of Hawai`i survey marks in the geocaching.com database but a significant number are obviously missing.

I apologize for the delay. It has been a very busy week or so. Anyway, the marks are State of Hawaii Department of Transportation Survey Marks. Both marks are on Oahu. One is at Honolulu International Airport (PHNL) and the other is on top of a small hot spot near Diamond Head. The HNL mark is Hawaii DOT Airports Division and the other is Highways Division. Those other routes have proven fruitless to this point.

I've happened across a couple of Survey Marks placed by the state of Hawaii. One was at an airport and the other near atop an extinct volcano. Does anyone have any idea if it is possible to log such finds? If so, how? Mahalos plenty in advance, Warrior5B

GPS recievers are by their very nature safe for use onboard of aircraft regardless of their size or age. I'm always entertained at the conclusions that people come to on different topics regarding aviation, ESPECIALLY from those who should no better. Enter the flight attendant. Between my own private flying experience and that as a crew member on Air Force tankers, I can assure you that a GPS receiver has NO effect on the avionics of an airliner. There is enough other electronic stuff going on in the cabinets between the cockpit and the cabin that no Garmin or Magellan product running on two AA batteries is going to interfere. A GPSr will NOT interefere with the avionics. It will NOT interefere with the aircraft's own GPS system or the Inertial Navigation System (INS). It will NOT interefere with a Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) or Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS). It won't make the engines quit or direct gremlins to mess with the hydraulics or any other system for that matter. If anyone has seen the OLD television show "Lassie', remember when the kids put together some sort of alien defense system or something and then later that day a light plane crashed nearby? This is the same thing. Unless your GPS has some sort of two-way communication feature, have no fear as you are receiving signals only and any potential output from stray voltage or whatever other excuse anyone comes up with is bunk. For the airlines, blanket restrictions on electronics are probably easier to deal with. As soon as an airline allows the use of one particular electronic device on board at anytime, somebody is going to be really upset because his or her favorite electronic toy, such as a cell phone, is not allowed. Then some idiot will complain that he isn't allowed to operate his radar gun onboard. Some people's kids, you know? However, remember that you also must comply with the instructions of flight crews lest you end up like Adam Sandler in "Anger Management." Don't forget about what FAs have to put up with in the jobs. You! On the other hand, they really are paid to provide customer service and some seem to have forgotten that part. Do you best to get along and everyone should appreciate that. Anyway, most things in life fall into the "Just Doesn't Matter" column. If someone is having a coronary about your little Gecko, it is probably wise to deal with the problem at the lowest level possible. If no one notices, track on. Mahalos for listening, err reading, Warrior5B