Question about electronic gadgets and airliners

[fiveoboy01]

I know the FAA recently relaxed the rule about electronic devices on commercial flights, but I don't know the details. I want to say they changed the rule to allow phones/etc to be on during takeoff and landing, but I'll need to check on that.

My question is, can I fire up my Dual GPS reciever and ipad and use foreflight during the flight? I think it would be sort of neat to track my flight that way. I'll be flying AirTran to Mexico on vacation in February, and this crossed my mind.

I know I've used my ipad with in-flight WiFi in the past, but I'm not sure about using the GPS function while airborne and what is and isn't allowed.

 

[murphey]

GPS in the iPad is a receiver, not a transmitter. But it is still the decision of the cockpit crew to allow any device to be used.

 

[FastEddieB]

GPS in the iPad is a receiver, not a transmitter. But it is still the decision of the cockpit crew to allow any device to be used.

FWIW, I've twice had receivers wreak havoc on other radios.

Once was a Garmin 55XL (I think) interfering with certain frequencies in my nav/com. It was a long time ago and I forget if it was the nav or com side.

The other was an XMRoady taking the strength bars of the #2 430 on the Garmin in my Cirrus to zero. Known issue with a particular unshielded chip set in that model, fixed with a recall.

I think you can take two AM radios, both receivers, and orient them to interfere with each other.

So it is possible, if maybe unlikely, for receivers to cause issues.

 

[John221us]

You can use electronic devices under a pound (no laptops) gate to gate now. They have to be in airplane mode, but, on Southewest anyway, Wifi is allowed. You cannot use cell service.

 

[AggieMike88]

You can use electronic devices under a pound (no laptops) gate to gate now. They have to be in airplane mode, but, on Southewest anyway, Wifi is allowed. You cannot use cell service.

On a SWA flight I took in late November, I had my iPad mini running FF from pushback to landing and none of the FA's said a thing.

I have also used a Dual XPS GPS puck on a flight with AAL. Had it tucked between the window and the pull down screen. Didn't do much to improve the GPS reception. And I lost the signal about the same frequency as if I wasn't using it.

 

[jonnyjetprop]

I've gotten fairly poor reception on my IPad running ForeFlight when at altitude in airlines. I wouldn't count on it working too well. It's still fun to run the sectional chart and figure out where you are.

It's easier from the cockpit, but I won't go into that

 

[Sac Arrow]

I was playing with the Foreflight on my Iphone on a flight to Hong Kong and found that above about 10,000 feet on the airliner I couldn't get a GPS fix - probably because GPS reception is shielded and location services are from cell towers.

Well for whatever reason, I managed to get a brief GPS fix at 40,000 feet somewhere over Russia.

 

[oldShar]

GPS in the iPad is a receiver, not a transmitter. But it is still the decision of the cockpit crew to allow any device to be used.

Yeah, but they are hetrodyne receivers ===> They have "intermediate frequency" transmitters in them to refine and improve the received signal quality prior to "detection" ( stripping the intelligence from the carrier)

 

[fiveoboy01]

Ok, so it looks like I can do this. I'll give it a try, but I figure GPS reception at altitude will be spotty.

 

[AggieMike88]

After doing a few flights with the Stratus II (including coming back from Leadville at 15,500 MSL) and getting <1m GPS resolution, I wonder how well that unit would work at 30k-40k altitudes.

 

[Immelman]

It is up to the airline and crew as to whether this is allowed. Where I work approval for gadgets ON, but in AIRPLANE MODE (no cell signals) was given for one aircraft type very quickly... a few weeks later, in the plane I fly.

 

[Yellowbird]

I've used a GNS 5870 MFI GPS on several flights now. I tack it to the window with some double sided tape and it usually gets good reception. (I'll discreetly stash it in my pocket when the FAs come around for beverage service, though.)

 

[poadeleted20]

The regulations published by the FAA allow the airlines to allow their passengers to use the equipment, but it's up to the airlines to put out their own rules within the limits of the FAA rules. So, the only way to know what's actually allowed is to ask the airline on which you're flying.

 

[Ghery]

United and Alaska specifically say in their in-flight magazines that the use of GPS receivers is allowed. That said, my experience with the GPS receiver in my Nexus 7 tablet is that you'd better have a window seat, and then you need to be lucky.

 

[drotto]

Has it ever been conclusively documented that properly shielded devices cause any problems with avionics? The FCC requires extensive testing on the vast majority of chip sets that are in consumer devices. I have seen TV shows (Mythbusters for one), and other more proper studies using common personal devices, and never has anyone produced results that could affect avionics (again with standard shielded devices). I have also been in GA planes on many occasion with people running a litany of devices as well as talking on a cell phone, and nothing bad happened.