GeoGuru Posted October 21, 2002 Share Posted October 21, 2002 Has anyone taken their GPS on an airplane? Do they allow you to use it in flight? Is there any problem getting through security with one? Any info would be appreciated. Planning a trip to SC and would like to add some caches to my list. GeoGuru Quote Link to comment
+McIrish Posted October 21, 2002 Share Posted October 21, 2002 Took my GPS several times with me on flights to North Carolina and Hawaii from CA. Just got back from a flight to NC on Continental Airlines. They treated it just like any other electronic device on board. They requested it was off during take-off and landing. You have to have a window seat for it to work. (At least with mine you did). Some people have asked permission others have just used it and figured they would turn it off if requested. You will have to use your best judgement there. As far as the screeners go at the baggage counter, nobody ever asked me. I would make sure it has fresh batteries and is operational if asked to turn it on. I have not flown since they have added new federal employee screeners, so things may be different now. It should be fine. "Happiness is not a destination. It is a method of life." Quote Link to comment
+Prime Suspect Posted October 21, 2002 Share Posted October 21, 2002 This has been discussed many times before on this board. Do a search on "airplane" and you should find the relevant threads. In a nutshell, some airlines say 'yes', others say 'no', others say 'no' but don't really enforce it, and some leave it up to the captain's discretion. Quote Link to comment
+juanbob Posted October 22, 2002 Share Posted October 22, 2002 As an employee of Continental Airlines, I can say the following: There is no specific ban on GPS use onboard the aircraft, except for the normal electronic device restrictions below 10,000 ft. It is still best to ask. With the current atmosphere, you don't want to be seen huddling by a window with a strange device. Let the crew know what you want to do and if they say no, respect that decision. Juanbob Quote Link to comment
+sbell111 Posted October 22, 2002 Share Posted October 22, 2002 We have flown on SouthWest several times in the past few months. Their inflight magazine specifically includes GPSrs as devices that can be operated in flight. Since they specifically include the devices, I do not ask to use mine. I have yet to have a flight attendant comment on it. Quote Link to comment
+geopower Posted October 22, 2002 Share Posted October 22, 2002 I have taken my yellow Etrex on many flights and have not had anyone question it. I have not been able to get a signal on the bigger jets. I think they have more shielding. I am going to take my Magellan Map 300 on a flight tonight to see if it gets a better signal. Quote Link to comment
+The Leprechauns Posted October 22, 2002 Share Posted October 22, 2002 I used my Garmin V on a recent cross-country flight, with no problems. It was fun to tell nearby passengers what town we were passing over (by looking at the basemap), our airspeed, and estimated time of arrival (I had waypointed the destination airport). Never lost reception once. I did take a nap from Kansas to Illinois. One of the coolest things in the last 40 minutes of the return flight was watching all the "geocache found" icons zip by on the map. I could look down and spot reservoirs, forests and parks that I had cached in. x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x What if the Hokey Pokey IS what it's all about? Quote Link to comment
+sbell111 Posted October 22, 2002 Share Posted October 22, 2002 I have pretty good luck with the signal as long as I'm in a window and can position the unit close to the window. We actually velcroed the unit to the window on one trip, but thats a different story... Quote Link to comment
+Trafcon Posted October 22, 2002 Share Posted October 22, 2002 quote: It was fun to tell nearby passengers what town we were passing over (by looking at the basemap), our airspeed, and estimated time of arrival As they thought, "What a geek." Just kidding. Seriously though, I have always asked permission of the captain or crew if I see them in the gate area. Never had a problem except when a senior flight attendant got a little pissy and I politely told her the captain said it was ok if she wanted to check with him. Even though it won't interfere with the guidance on the plane, I always turn mine on or off according to the "electronic devices" rule. KTF !!! GBWY !!! Quote Link to comment
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