With all the turmoil surrounding questions of the FAA regulation stipulating the shut down of electronic devices during take off and landing of a commercial flight, news of a newly approved FAA policy might just spark a fire of public backlash. ZD Net reported on their website today that the FAA has given American Airlines permission to start using ipads in the cockpit.
If by now, you haven’t heard about the feud between Alec Baldwin and American Airlines, then let us fill you in. Baldwin was engaged in a rigorous game of Words With Friends while his flight was sitting idol at the gate. He was asked by the flight staff to power down his phone. This caused a dispute between flight attendances and Baldwin and eventually led to him being asked to exit the flight. Baldwin has cracked jokes through Twitter and Saturday Night Live since then and publicly stated his scorn of American Airlines. This incident brought about a concerning question. Do electronic devices really effect airplanes?
We recently reported on a piece done by the Today Show about the issue in question. It was reveal that while there is no effect to the on-board navigation or electrical functionality of an airplane, such devices as cell phones and ipads do cause a disturbance with the radios of a plane. When it was announced that American Airlines will be allowing their cockpits to use ipads in all facets of a flight, the facts that lead to the original FAA ban of electronics during altitudes below 10,000 feet are quickly called into question. Why, if they believe these devices may be unsafe, would they allow the cockpits to utilize them? They will be used as electronic flight charts and digital flight manual readers, which would allow planes to remove more than 30 lbs. of chart books (equaling out to an estimated saving of $1.2 million of fuel a year). One has to wonder why the FAA would ban the use of devices, but approve arguably the same policy for the cockpit.
As this method begins being used on commercial flights by American Airlines tomorrow, we can already see the headlines of the future. Most people are not aware that an online petition filed on the White House home page, is circulating with the mentality of repealing the FAA ban on electronic devices. This new FAA approval will no doubtingly bring about criticism from the participants of the petition. What’s more, if Mr. Baldwin gets wind of this, there is no telling what sort of hilarious mayhem he will perpetrate. I, personally, believe this is a pivotal point in what may very well turn out to be the end of electronic device oppression on airlines. All of this, because the man wouldn’t let Alec Baldwin play his word game for smart people.
Tyler Baker; OSM Writer
( Source : ZD Net )
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