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Gpsr And Airport Security


julz91

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I'm sure someone has already asked this somewhere, so a pointer in the right direction would be welcome.

 

In two weeks, I'm flying to Pittsburgh for my college reunion, and it looks like there are some great caches nearby. I'd like to take the GPSr with me, but I don't know if airport security would allow it as carryon (as I'm only going for the weekend, I won't be checking any bags). Does any one know for sure if GPSr's are allowed on planes, as long as they stay off? I haven't had a problem traveling with laptop, iPod, Gameboy, etc., but I don't want to risk my GPSr being taken away from me at the airport.

 

Any advice is more than welcome!

 

Julie

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Not only are they allowed (and I'm too lazy right now to link you to the MANY threads on the subject) but many airlines will allow you to use them "in flight" once other electronic devices are allowed. If in doubt about your particular airline, ask a member of the flight crew once aboard. I did, they said it was fine once electronics were "ok'd" for that flight (once we got to cruise altitude).

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I'm sure someone has already asked this somewhere, so a pointer in the right direction would be welcome.

 

In two weeks, I'm flying to Pittsburgh for my college reunion, and it looks like there are some great caches nearby.  I'd like to take the GPSr with me, but I don't know if airport security would allow it as carryon (as I'm only going for the weekend, I won't be checking any bags).  Does any one know for sure if GPSr's are allowed on planes, as long as they stay off?  I haven't had a problem traveling with laptop, iPod, Gameboy, etc., but I don't want to risk my GPSr being taken away from me at the airport.

 

Any advice is more than welcome!

 

Julie

You'll see answers all over the place. If it were me and my unit, I'd get to the security gate early enough so that if I got bad news, I'd have time to consider alternatives. It seems as though not even the airlines have a consistient policy. Some in here have reported never having a problem with several airline trips. Others report problems with checking them in baggage. When I next travel by air, I plan to take my unit on board and use it unless told otherwise. I personally do not believe that the TSA can or will confiscate the unit so long as you do not make a scene or try and continue thru security. Another option might be to mail it ahead to a friend for safe keeping. The problem with this would be for me at least, is that I want to see how well my unit works when airborne. What ya gonna do, eh?

 

From our friendly TSA: http://www.tsa.gov/interweb/assetlibrary/P..._16_2005_v3.pdf

 

They seem to be more concerned with stuff that could possibly be used as a weapon.

 

Hope this helped.

Edited by Team cotati697
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The only precaution you need to take is to be sure you have (charged) batteries in it. They may want you to turn it on, to confirm that it's actually a working unit, and not a shell hiding something else.

 

This pre-dates 9/11. It goes back to the Pan Am Flight 103 Lockerbie bombing (December of 1988), where the bomb was a Toshiba radio-cassette player filled with Semtex explosive.

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gps is an almost totaly passive system. Your reciever emits no signal so there isnt much chance of it disturbing the aircrafts electronics.

 

For quite some time pilots were carrying hand held gps units to bump against the aircraft navigation systems as a cross-check and even as an emergency back-up system.

 

Not really true anymore due to the fact most modern airliners have GPS installed as an intergral part of the aircraft's navigation systems.

 

general aviation however is a different story, the availability of cheap accurate hand helds with charting abilities has been a boon to pilots of small personal aircraft.

Another reason those of us in the industry wonder how those two idiots wandered into restricted airspace over D.C. last week. So far I havent heard an excuse that I was willing to accept.

 

I wonder what ever happend to all those hand-helds that the government handed out in the 90's? Probobly went home in peoples pockets. ;)

Edited by wargroom
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The only precaution you need to take is to be sure you have (charged) batteries in it. They may want you to turn it on, to confirm that it's actually a working unit, and not a shell hiding something else.

 

This pre-dates 9/11. It goes back to the Pan Am Flight 103 Lockerbie bombing (December of 1988), where the bomb was a Toshiba radio-cassette player filled with Semtex explosive.

I have a Handheld PC and the first time after 9/11 I was asked to turn it on, like all of the other laptop computer carriers. On my most recent flight, I turned it on and the TSA agent said "no, no, no... we don't do that anymore. We figure if it really IS a bomb, the last thing we want you to do is turn it on in the terminal." Apparently there has been a policy shift, so like other posters have said, I doubt they would even ask you to power up the device.

 

FWIW,

Kenny

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On my most recent flight, I turned it on and the TSA agent said "no, no, no... we don't do that anymore. We figure if it really IS a bomb, the last thing we want you to do is turn it on in the terminal." Apparently there has been a policy shift, so like other posters have said, I doubt they would even ask you to power up the device.

Yes, that policy has certainly shifted. They used to want you to demonstrate that all electronic devices turned on and seemed to function. Then there was a brief period when they asked that batteries be removed so of course they couldn't ask for them to be turned on anymore. Now they don't seem to care about either leaving the batteries in place or about showing that the devices are functional.

 

But the above statement sure seems like an awful reason for the change in policy - I hope he wasn't being serious.

 

While airline policies certainly do differ on the question of using your GPS receiver during the flight, I have heard no reports of any special problems with bringing one aboard, either as checked baggage or as carryon. The closest to that have been some extra inspections of bags containing the Garmin beanbag mounting pad. It appears to contain some lead shot and is probably rather opaque to the x-ray machines and would therefore raise concerns that it might be hiding something.

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I fly very frequently for work, although not as much as I used to, and have never had a problem with any electronic gear... I usually travel with a laptop, pda, gps and ham radio. They usually ask me to take the laptop out of the bag, but that is about it. However, one time I forgot and had nail clippers in my carry on....you would have thought I committed some major crime or something. The TSA is a big waste of time and effort and money, and has made flying an inconvenient hassle. Now, if I can drive somewhere within a day, I drive rather than fly.

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I too, have never had a problem on any flights while using my emap. I usually turn mine on as soon as we're taxiing, and I believe I've only been told once to turn it off until the "all clear" is given. When I say it's a GPS, most flight attendants are pretty understanding, which is logical since the same exact thing is guiding the tin can through the sky.

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OWT:

gps is an almost totaly passive system. Your reciever emits no signal so there isnt much chance of it disturbing the aircraft’s electronics

Every consumer GPSr I know about is classified by the FCC as a "Class B digital device", as are PDAs, laptops, and calculators. As such, they can be dirty as all get out in the EM emissions department, and the FAA (not the FCC) does not certify them for installation on an aircraft. That's why they all have to be shut off during the "sterile cockpit" phase of any commercial flight. It isn't that they will disrupt electronics on the aircraft, it's that they are an unknown variable that needs to be eliminated during the critical phases of flight. For the cruise portion of the flight, go for it. They are probably cleaner than most laptops.

 

Just a note: 10,000 feet is the magic number for the sterile cockpit. Lot's of rules change at 10K. I've never noticed when various airlines turn off or on the "no electronic devices" sign, but it definitely won't be below that elevation. The last flight I took, the plane cruised around Puget Sound for what seemed like forever (probably <20 minutes) at 10,150ft according to Garmin, waiting to get sequenced into an approach to SeaTac. The sign lit up moments before we started descending again.

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exactly why I said "Almost" totally passive blindleader. if you want to get technical your wristwatch can be pretty dirty. we actually used to play hide and seek with watches some years back, not easy to pll them out of the other noise but possible.

 

but they will never go that far......will they?

Edited by wargroom
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I just posted this in another thread.

 

Every time I have flown I have had my GPSr with me. I have never been questioned about it and in the past they even allowed you to use it. Now, my most recent flight (on NWA) from Pittsburgh-Detroit-Duluth, I had no problems carrying it on, but they specifically stated to not use, Cell phones, radios, TVs, or GPS unit.

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