Jump to content

What If 100 People Had A Gpsr On A Plane?


halhal

Recommended Posts

Also, there is no restriction on Laptops, PDAs, etc. The difference with GPSrs is that they have an antenna. AM/FM radios are also banned, because in the event of a malfunction, could possibly use that antenna to send out interference.

:rolleyes: Laptops and PDAs with WLAN or BT have antennas too ... and not only for receive... IMHO interference from such devices could be more dangerous than from small GPSr..

Link to comment

Cabin pressure is usually set at about 8000ft. At 10,000 - 12,000 feet and up supplemental oxygen is required, lest you get hypoxic and do weird things, though I do believe short flights at levels about 10,000 are allowed without pressurization.

 

I've been in an altitude chamber at 25,000 and 35,000 feet without an 02 mask on and one's time of useful consciousness (TUC) decreases dramatically as the altitude rises. I'm lucky. My hypoxic symptoms are tingling and euphoria. Feels good, but makes one less apt to react and notify of a potential slow decompression because it feels sooooo good.

 

Using a barometric altitude reading in a pressurized plane will typically top out at 8000ft.

 

Oh yeah. Let me say "GPS" and "airplane." Sorry about sliding off topic a smidge.

Link to comment

Hi, New poster here. About 4 years ago I was on a British Airways flight to the middle east and they had a little video screen in the back of the seat in front of you. One of the channels you could select was a GPS map with location speed and alt. I thought that was pretty cool seeing how we went around Iraq to get to where we were going. I think I heard some of the newer american carrier planes are getting the screens too, and you can even listen to the pilot talk to ground control.

 

GHOTI123

Garmin GPS V

Link to comment

:) To all those who replied-yeah, and I do mean all of YOU!

thank-you for posting your answers and observations! My curiousity is well quenched.

I figured there was a pilot or two amongst the group who could fill in the gaps. I figured out how to get a GPS only altitude on my 60cs. Thats the one issue I have with this thing.. Too darn many menus! :)

Link to comment

As a former airline pilot, I can say this:

 

1. All that stuff that the airlines says you can't play with in the back of the plane, we play with in the front :)

 

2. No, all those GPS and cell phones will not cause the plane to crash. The airlines (not the government) don't want youto use them because:

a. They want you to pay to use the ultra-expensive inflight phones on the plane

b. They don't want you to compare your GPS to what the pilot says s/he is flying (not that I would personally care)

c. Legit reason for banning all stuff (cd players etc) on takeoff: so you can hear the flight attendants command an evacuation, and so that all this equipment everyone would be using doesn't end up blocking people from evacuating the aircraft.

 

3. If you want to use your GPS on an airline, just be discreet about it. If a flight attendant asks you to turn it off then just do so. Don't argue. It isn't worth getting fined or arrested over (yes this stuff unfortunately happens)

 

I can't count the number of times I've forgotten to turn off my cell phone to hear it start ringing on the takeoff roll.... :)

Link to comment
Hey Team360, your line isn't straight!  Either the pilot was drunk or you use a magellan.

I am thinking the pilots had to fly around the crowded airspace of some cities, or they were sharing some Boone's Farm....

Air traffic routes zigzag across the country. Very rarely do planes get a "direct".

 

Another story from my brother's sector.

 

EDIT: After a brief moment of consideration, I removed this good story, as it involves certain privledged flights and the last thing I need is a gov't agency banging down my door. Suffice it to say in order to get a direct, you need a good reason, either VIP or emergency is the general rule. Sometimes, if the area is slow, you might get one, or if a controller needs to get you out of the way.

 

-T

Edited by the8re
Link to comment
Had to check with my brother, since he is a controller with the FAA.

 

He referred me to the following document.

 

http://techreports.larc.nasa.gov/ltrs/PDF/...01-cr210866.pdf

 

His quote was: "For once they made a rule before they lost a plane, in contradiction to their "normal" policy of losing a plane before making a rule"

 

-T

Ah yes, our tax dollars hard at work. Finally back on page 25 we see that it is the cell phone yakkers causing the bulk of the problems. Not one incident reported from a GPS user. :) (yes I know the report only ran trhough '99)

I had mine on during the flight home from Philly Sunday. Very entertaining, especially when you feel the speed drop and then can see it on the readout.

 

<snip> 1. All that stuff that the airlines says you can't play with in the back of the plane, we play with in the front <snip>

You got game-boys and XBox up there too? :)

Link to comment

OK so I'll throw this into the mix.

Are digital cameras allowed on planes?

I believe they have the "FCC warning" on them too.

What about digital watches?

Anything with a microprocessor has interference potential. Many cannot be turned off.

Seems to me the shielding of aircraft systems has to be pretty adequate for the expected risks and the wanted signals are sufficiently strong to overcome most normally functioning devices that might be brought aboard- since no one really knows what and how many devices are on board at any given time- way too many to keep track of.

Link to comment

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----

Hash: SHA1

 

Just wanted to comment on a couple of earlier issues posted:

 

A) Airline Rules: It seems that they are loosening up. For example, a

couple of years ago I checked and Northwest did NOT have GPS on their

approved list. However, I personally asked the individual captains of

my flights and they okayed GPS use. This year, I sent an email to

Northwest citing the rule book page for approved devices, and got a

response that GPS use was OK with them at cruising altitude (when

other electronics are allowed). I printed that email and took it with

me on my trip. Of course, it is always up to the captain. I only

explicitly ask the captain to use it if GPS use is prohibited by the

airline in general. So far, the flight crew has always allowed it. If

it isn't prohibited in general by airline policy, I feel free to use

the GPS without asking (but of course, I would turn it off if ordered

by the flight crew, in accordance with federal law)

 

:D Barometer/altimeter readings: My understanding is that GPS

altitude, while not as accurate as GPS 2D position coordinates, is

still more accurate than barometric altimeters in general. My

Meriplat has a barometer, and the "weather" screen shows the pressure

adjusted for sea level (it requires a 3D fix to record pressure so it

can know how far above sea level you are). It turns out being in a

pressurized cabin at 39,000 feet really messes that up: it showed

something like 70inHg--way higher than reality, of course.

 

C) Course: There are apparently specified air corridors that might

explain the curve of TEAM 360's track. I noticed on flights between

Ft. Myers and Detroit that in both directions we appeared to fly

almost directly over Atlanta and then adjust course at that point

toward the final destination (instead of a direct straight path

between the destinations, which would have tracked further east). I

assume that this is due to Air Traffic Control issues. The curves

could also have to do with the projection of the map, however.

 

John

 

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----

Version: PGP 8.0.2 - not licensed for commercial use: www.pgp.com

 

iQA/AwUBQG2zE0crpacku1SeEQKfUgCfQRR06dqZDRsZOCXp8364Cfkm3ScAnAkD

x3ZAm6TQYrHYSl+pZBa9vDRV

=HQtf

-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

Edited by Team Shredded Bark
Link to comment
snip: what is the point of a gps on a plane

GPS's are used for more than geocaching and are primarily used for more than just geocaching. They are used so one can locate oneself anywhere on the planet, which can be helpful in extreme places like the Amazon river, Africa, Antartica, etc. With a GPS on a plane, you could now where you are precisely, as opposed to just anywhere over your route.

Link to comment
Which benefits you, how?

Oh. come on. It's just plain (plane?) interesting. ;)

 

I often look down and wonder what city or area I'm looking at. It's a learning experience. It's fun to guess and then verify. Sure it isn't required for me to be able to get through the trip, but it is an excellent way to relieve the tedium of just sitting for a few hours.

Link to comment
Um...I flew back from Spain to Philly with my GPSr in the window from somewhere just north of Portugal to Atlantic City, NJ. Nobody complained and I learned that my flight path took me close enough to see my freakin' house's location in Boston (where's a parachute when you need it). I also got to see my GPSr record a 700+ mph *legitimately*.

 

I even took digital pictures of Boston, Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, and what I originally thought to be Providence (I haven't cached there yet to have any waypoints).

 

In case you were interested in seeing them.

nice photos..... thanks for sharing.

Link to comment

1. All that stuff that the airlines says you can't play with in the back of the plane,  we play with in the front

I'm not even going to touch that one because I would be really afraid of being accussed of going way off topic on this one. Nope ain't gonna go there.

Edited by Wanderingson
Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...