GPS in an Airplane

[Hensaid]

Has anyone ever brought their GPS on an airplane? If so, will the altimeter correlate the altitude from the cabin pressure? And will the speed reading show a realisticly (large)reading? I have a garmin Vista, and just curious.

[+orange]

Unless you are going to open a window and stick your hand out and hold your GPS out there, I don't think it will work. The satellite signals will be too weak to penetrate an airplane skin so your GPS will never acquire any satellites. GPS in aircraft need to have an external antenna.

[Hensaid]

even if you're by the window? no signal at all?

 

darn

[Atilla the Pun]

Click on "search" near the top of the page, type "airplane" in the top field, click the Find button.

 

http://opentopic.Groundspeak.com/0/OpenTopic?a=tpc&s=1750973553&f=3000917383&m=9690941024&r=2190906324#2190906324

 

That's the first link, but there are others with good info.

 

AtP

[+HowieH]

My GPS V works great in planes. You have to hold it up to the window, or better, get a Mighty Mouse antenna and rig it to hang in the window. It's pretty cool. You can see all the places you are flying over, and your speed will get in excess of 500 mph. Some airlines don't mind you using them on board, but some do. Some of the flight attendants don't understand that it is only a receiver and doesn't transmit anything. Also, I think they do not want to make other passengers who may not understand GPSR's uneasy, in light of the events of 9/11/01.

 

Scott

[irvingdog]

All you need is a window seat. I was in Vegas last weekend. Max flight speed, 551.1 MPH, altitude, 31,122. Fun, fun, fun. "hey, what river/city/lake is that".

 

[+3/4 Irish]

Used my Map 330 when I flew to Cleveland in December. Showed altitude, speed, and location. Was a little nervous using it during the takeoffs and landings but all turned out well. Was cool seeing how high and fast we were traveling.

[+park2]

Do it all the time, this monday for example.

 

With my new Vista, apparently we flew over the Canadian Rockies and only reached 2620 meters max elevation. I'd have to say we were a little higher than this, so yes, the models with a barometric altimiter only show the altitude calculated from cabin pressure.

 

Does anyone know if you can force a Vista to read/display the GPS calculated altitude?

 

I didn't have my cable with me, but I believe the altitude coming out the serial port is GPS based so you could have that displayed on a laptop/PDA

[+apersson850]

This is an infamous, if not bug so at least consequence with the Vista. So far, Garmin has refused to allow the altimeter to use the GPS altitude. It always uses the barometric altitude.

 

If you update to 2.25, you get the ability to show the GPS altitude numerically in the satellite screen. Still, you can't configure a trip computer field or use the GPS altitude in the altimeter.

 

Another way is to calibrate the altimeter to the GPS altitude (third choice when doing the calibration manually). However, at a certain altitude (about 10000 meters) this will no longer work, since you'll end up outside the operating conditions of the barometric altimeter. It will simply not allow you to calibrate it to, say, 11000 meters.

Besides, such a "fake" calibration is only true as long as you fly at the same altitude. It will not follow descents or ascents.

 

The NMEA altitude data is indeed GPS based.

 

Anders

[+orange]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Irvingdog:

All you need is a window seat. I was in Vegas last weekend. Max flight speed, 551.1 MPH, altitude, 31,122. Fun, fun, fun. "hey, what river/city/lake is that".

 

http://www.hunting-pictures.com/members/Irvingdog/boo2.jpg

---

 

I stand corrected. I will have to get a window seat and try this the next time I fly.

 

Thanks

[The Artful Dodger]

American Airlines has a policy of NOT allowing GPS units to be used on board.

 

[Atilla the Pun]

Yes, but all the other threads have clearly stated that the Captain of the flight has the final authority, regardless of company policy. So always ask the Flight Attendants to ask the Captain if it's ok to use your GPS. One guy was even asked to ride in the cockpit (on an older plane) because they didn't have a GPS built in.

 

AtP

 

PS I am serious about advising you to search the board for earlier threads, this is not just a "I'm too lazy to write a proper response". There's just too much info for me to do it justice.

[+Desert_Warrior]

EVERY RECEIVER, from the early REGEN design to the current super-het and IF-conversion designs all have one ACTIVE component. An Oscillator. This oscillator IS a type of low-power transmitter. I could tell you stories of military security copying data by listening to the oscillators, but many of you know this already. The point is, these oscillators CAN and DO cause interferance to aircraft systems. You have to ask yourselves, was that KAL flight shot down by the russians off course because someone with a GPSr was playing around in the passanger cabin?

 

Mike.

[Waveguide]

After flying for the last two months with my Legend, I must say that I no longer sleep on the flights... Just off a flight from Rochester, NY to JFK (Jet Blue) I recorded a max speed of 607 miles/hr. (ground speed, not air speed) I've even marked the approaches of many of the airports and inclues them as a route (works well if the plane uses the same approach).

 

Window seats work well... (the only way short of a external antenna that mounts on the window) Be sure to turn off the lock on road function... and ask before using... Flight attendents get really serious if they don't understand...

 

Waveguide

[+TijerasGC]

Southwest Airlines is OK with GPS receivers. They are listed in the inflight magazine along with laptops and CD players as devices that may be operated in flight, but must be stowed for takeoff and landing. My eTrex Vista worked great as long as I kept it right at the window. The pressure altimiter is reading cabin pressure altitude, of course, but the GPS altitude displayed from the satellite page with the new 2.25 software worked great.

 

My flight from Phoenix to Albuquerque of 331 miles took 47:20 at a maximum speed of 599 MPH at a cruising altitude of 33677 ft.

 

The coolest part was when the Captain came on the intercom and verified that my Vista was right on the numbers with his dual redundant ring laser gyro inertial navigation flight management system.

 

N 35° 5.079'

W 106° 23.389'

[Jimbo&Frogcatcher]

My first post, so sorry in advance for any errors. I have used my Magellan 315 on several flights on US Airways since 9/11 with no problems. I have to hold it up to a window to get a good satellite lock, but it works fine. I haven't had any problems going through security with it either.

[darford]

Looks like Northwest/KLM allows GPS too.

 

Check out Joe Mehaffey's post on sci.geo.satellite-nav.

[appletree]

I have used my Vista on several flights and it works great, as long as I can bring it to the window regularly. The calibration trick gives me periodic altitude readings, but far better is using it connected to my Dell laptop running MapSource. I hang the Vista from a suction cup hook on the window and have a large, full color extremely detailed map with a side panel displaying the GPS info including the speed, bearing, and altitude in real time. Zooming in and out is a snap, as is scrolling ahead to see where we will be going. It makes flying a whole new experience.

[TriCityGuy]

Good to know some airlines do allow and that there is an osciallator in them that does transmit a signal. I would imagine that the field generated is of minimal risk and have taken to sort of tucking my Garmin Legend under my elbow on Delta after we hit 10,000 feet.

 

I've gotten to fly right seat on a friend's Cessna Citation a few times and was thrilled how much easier it was to get a signal compared to a sideways facing passenger window. Comparing position and details with the plane's far more featured GPS the pilot joked that he wished he had bought my unit over the $50,000 plane unit and had more gas instead. (as he taps the fuel gauge and smirks)

[+Dan_Edwards]

I just took my GPS with me on my Flight to San Antonio. No problems and I was pulled just before the boarding for the special random screen. No questions at all. I checked with United months ago if GPS was ok in-flight, but forgot to ask when I got on the plane. I recorded all of the flight except for takeoff and landing. No questions or problems from the flight staff, but then my GPS is a Handspring Visor, and I was using the keyboard as a stand to hold the GPS near the window, so they might not have thought it was a GPS. I can't wait to play back the fight on Topo USA.