Guest C00LH4ND Posted June 27, 2005 Report Share Posted June 27, 2005 Wotcha :exclaim: Just returned from sunnier climes than those in the UK. In prep I populated my 1Gb Mini SD with all my summer hols songs and a couple of comedy MP3s for the 3 hr flights to and from as well as for time by the Atlantic. On boarding the plane each time I made a point of discussing using my using my mobile as an MP3 with the Stewardess talking her through how I will disable the radio and how well this feature it is accepted in the US. I showed understanding at her need to talk to the captain and would accept a negative response graciously. Each time the answer was the same. "Yes, but if the Captain notices any interferance I would be asked to turn it off". Can not say fairer that that :exclaim: Upshot, no interference and hrs of listening time without having to carry additional MP3 player and charger in my hand luggage.... Happy Days :) Spread the message, let this summer be the SPV 500s on Aircraft :D :D :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Big_Dogg123 Posted June 28, 2005 Report Share Posted June 28, 2005 This is something I've thought alot about recently. I still reckon loads of "Trolly Dollies" / Captains would refuse to let you use your C500, not understanding the functionality of the flight mode, even after an explanation. I think I'm heading to Turkey with my family this year. If I am, I'll hopefully be using my c500's MP3 player onboard the flight! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest richard_hogg Posted June 28, 2005 Report Share Posted June 28, 2005 I've had a mixed response to this.. EasyJet state in the safety breifing that they're not allowed even in flight mode. BMI give flight mode the thumbs upm BA were cool about it, BMI Baby were OK too. I think it depends on the airline, but then again, a blanket ban makes sure that no one accidently leaves it in normal mode or turns it to normal mode. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Miniman99 Posted June 28, 2005 Report Share Posted June 28, 2005 But how many mobiles are left on in handbags/holdalls that are completely forgotten about and stay on the whole flight? For example I know my parents and other non gadget people (for want of a better description) have a mobile but only for emergency etc, I'm betting quite a few are left on. Blanket bans are easier for an airline, what with MP3 players, handheld gaming units, cameras all merging no one can know what is capable of transmitting radio waves or not. Good to see some enlightened airlines. I didn't use mine on a recent Easyjet flight (in flight mode) because the very camp steward looked dodgy and I was scared to ask him a question :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mupwangle Posted June 28, 2005 Report Share Posted June 28, 2005 I suppose it's going to be a moot point when the ban is lifted. (They are currently talking about it in the US) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest C00LH4ND Posted June 28, 2005 Report Share Posted June 28, 2005 It will be... Is there any timeline yet as to when the US ban will be lifted? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rbrewrr Posted June 29, 2005 Report Share Posted June 29, 2005 It will be... Is there any timeline yet as to when the US ban will be lifted? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Delta flights I took a few weeks back didn't have a problem if I put mine in Flight Mode. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Pagemakers Posted September 21, 2005 Report Share Posted September 21, 2005 (edited) Can't use flight mode on my airline. BTW: Sky News - Today "IN-FLIGHT MOBILE CALLS It seems one of the last phone-free zones is about to fall. From next year, at least one airline is beginning experimental and limited use of mobiles at 30,000 feet. Calls are currently banned in case signals interfere with a plane's navigation system. But a system to be tested by British airline bmi avoids this problem by diverting signals to a base station installed in the cabin. The station transmits the calls to a satellite before they have a chance to interfere with the plane's computers. The target market for bmi will be mainly business travellers flying out of Heathrow airport. "Our research tells us that our premium passengers have two key concerns," chief executive Nigel Turner said "These are getting quickly through the airport and the ability to be able to carry on working during their journey." He went on: "This trial will guide us on usage patterns and some of the social issues in using mobile phones on aircraft. "It will also help us to confirm the business case for rolling the service out across the remainder of the fleet." The airline plans to trial the scheme on a 130 -seater Airbus 320 from late next year. If it proves popular it could be extended to the entire fleet within three years." Edited September 21, 2005 by Pagemakers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Br1an_g Posted September 21, 2005 Report Share Posted September 21, 2005 i heard on teh radio it will cost an extra £1 a minute to call from the plane.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest James Posted September 21, 2005 Report Share Posted September 21, 2005 wonder how much to recieve ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Pagemakers Posted September 21, 2005 Report Share Posted September 21, 2005 It's going to be so irrating on long flights because many people don't have the manners to switch their phone to vibrate alert or even talk discretly when they are on a call. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mossywell Posted September 21, 2005 Report Share Posted September 21, 2005 [snip] "Yes, but if the Captain notices any interferance I would be asked to turn it off". <{POST_SNAPBACK}> A spurious reply, because interference isn't the reason they don't allow mobiles on planes. (Not according to Horizon, or was it Watchdog? Easily mixed up. I forget which.) The reason is that there is a theoretical risk of the radio waves causing a spark in electrical circuits - not good with a wing full of fuel! The same is the rationale for not using mobiles in petrol stations. However, not only has there never been a case of such an incident, but the power required in the radio waves is orders of magnitude higher (I can't remember how much but we're talking a 1 with lots of zeros after it) than that generated by a mobile. The crazy crew on Braniacs put the whole thing to the test in amusing fashion by dousing the inside of a caravan (what else?) in petrol and then taking a dozen mobiles, placing them in the caravan and setting them all off at once. No bang. No smoke. Nothing (except some awful ringtones). That's what happens when the theoreticians get there first and start setting the rules! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Griff_FFOC Posted September 22, 2005 Report Share Posted September 22, 2005 I'm glad people can't make/recieve calls on a plane. It can already be a nightmare with the usual annoyances such as small seats, kids running up and down, babies crying, people pulling chairs etc without people being on the phone in the seat next to you. Don't get me wrong here, I love flying and travelling, but i'm sure people can wait a few hours til they land. I do think that you should be able to use the pysical device on a plane though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mupwangle Posted September 22, 2005 Report Share Posted September 22, 2005 >>The same is the rationale for not using mobiles in petrol stations. Apparently the main risk is that they might be dropped and the contacts on the bottom cause a spark. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mossywell Posted September 22, 2005 Report Share Posted September 22, 2005 Apparently the main risk is that they might be dropped and the contacts on the bottom cause a spark. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I didn't know that. It really does make my mobile sound like a lethal weapon in the wrong hands. :o Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest witchnut Posted September 27, 2005 Report Share Posted September 27, 2005 I've taken quite a few flights recently and used my C500 as an MP3 player, stuffed in my shirt pocket, in flight mode. I didn't consult the stewards who I would have expected to have said no, just because they didn't know. I'm a bit cynical about all this, seems like now that the airlines (BMI being the first) can find a way of making money out of us, there wasn't really a problem with mobile interference at all!! And don't airlines have some other silly rules? lights dimmed and window blinds up for take off and landing - whats all that about? Witchnut Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Pagemakers Posted September 28, 2005 Report Share Posted September 28, 2005 (edited) And don't airlines have some other silly rules? lights dimmed and window blinds up for take off and landing - whats all that about? Witchnut <{POST_SNAPBACK}> That's to adjust your eyes to night vision in the hours of darkness in case of a take off or landing incident. Edited September 28, 2005 by Pagemakers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tish_D Posted December 3, 2005 Report Share Posted December 3, 2005 I'm a Pilot for a Major UK Airline, and I've always been an Avid User of Smartphones !! My SPV C550 and M5000 Are always in Flight Mode during my Flights and They accompany Me in the Cockpit ( Until That is, I figure out a way to Wire my Portable DVD player onto one of our system Displays :) ) ! I've never had an issues with interference on our instruments so far whilst in Flight mode, and it's also a good source of music thru it's small but powerful speakers on our Turnarounds ! For Laughs I sometimes do searches for other Bluetooth Devices in Fight, and it's Unreal the amount of people who keep their phones Switched on ! 99% Nokia Users ! Anyway, More to the point, I've spoken to some of our Cabin Crew, and as some of the Replies earlier suggest, almost all of them are unaware of this "thing" called "Flight Mode" ! So I suggest that you refer to your Device as a PDA rather than a Mobile Phone if asking permission to Keep it Switched on. The Word "Mobile Phone" automatically gets Crew into Defensive Mode so no matter what you may say, the damage Has been done because the Dreaded word was spoken and you WILL Have to switch it off so there's no point arguing! Some Airlines have taken allowing PDA's to be left Switched on into consideration now, due to the vast number of business travellers they carry, and may eventually be allowed at some point next year 2006. Rumors are that it will be around Spring. But there are some Cabin Crew who have a slightly more indepth knowledge about this technology and will allow you to use it at their Discretion. It's usually the Male Cabin Crew who are more aware of this. ( No Disrespect meant to the Female Crew in any way ) So If ur gonna ask anyone, Make sure it's one of the Lads ! And not the Type of lads who cant catch or throw ! Mobile phone signals DO interfere with Instuments, mainly the more sensitive one's such as the Insrument Landing System, Even More so if it's a CAT II or CAT III as the Sensitivity is FAR FAR Greater than on a Regular ILS due to us having to Fly with Zero Visibility. I can confirm this is so Because on one flight we Started getting Odd readings ( Telling us to Fly Left, when the Runway was in Plain View straight Ahead of us !! ) and a couple of seconds later the Other Crew member in the Cockpit felt a Vibrating feel on His Leg ! He had forgotten to Switch off his Company Mobile ! Thankfully this was a Day with Good Visibility ! If it wasn't the Case, and we were in Low Cloud or Fog, we would have obeyed our instruments and it would not have been pleasant if there was say a Tall Building or a Mountain to our Left. As a final Word, Just make sure it's switched off during Take off and Landing as cabin Crew will NOT allow ANY electronic devices to be left switched on during these phases coz these are the most critical stages of Flight, Specially in Bad weather ( Fog, heavy Rain, Snow etc ) cos we could do with reliable instumentation at times like that To get you all Home safe ! Anyways Here's a Pic I took from my office on the 3000th floor with my C550 ! Enjoy ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest shadamehr Posted December 4, 2005 Report Share Posted December 4, 2005 Three things... 1) In response to the last post, if your device is in Flight Mode, how do you search for other BT devices... on my SmartPhones, enabling Flight Mode disables ALL Radio transmission on the device, including BT. 2) Brittania are another of the arlines who's safety announcements specifically state "this includes devices with a Flight Mode setting - please ensure these devices are switched off too" - in other words they wont allow, or take the risk, that Flight Mode is off. I take the view this is becasue the staff are not sufficiently qualified to check whether an individual device is actually in flight mode or not, so just make you turn them all off regardless - suppose this makes sense. 3) I read somewhere very recently, but I can't bloody find where now, that the US is set to completely DITCH plans to allow phoes to be used on planes, but I can't remember the reason why, other than it was totally UNRELATED to any interference issues, and was for completely unrelated reason. Wish I could find the link to it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tish_D Posted December 5, 2005 Report Share Posted December 5, 2005 Three things... 1) In response to the last post, if your device is in Flight Mode, how do you search for other BT devices... on my SmartPhones, enabling Flight Mode disables ALL Radio transmission on the device, including BT. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Sorry! I should Have Clarified That The Bluetooth Search was done with my Company Phone which is a Nokia E70, and at 30,000 Ft, there's little Risk of interference ! So it was just something to do to combat the Boredom ! :-" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pisquee Posted December 5, 2005 Report Share Posted December 5, 2005 If you look in the inflight magazine on BA, in the inflight saftey section it specifically mentions that FLight safe mode phones are OK. Also, so does Eastern Airways. So, if using your phone in flight mode, just have the magazine ready at the page as reference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest GDawes Posted December 8, 2005 Report Share Posted December 8, 2005 I have just returned from Singapore ,on Singapore airlines, at the departure gate I was asked if I have a PDA or laptop and was given a 30 minute internet access voucher to use onboard with the planes WIFI. Shame I had only had my pro a few hours before departing the UK. No time to install voip s/w. I promptly connected and sent many texts from the plane over the caspian sea, using the t-mobile web site. Somne sites including the registration site do not seem pocket ie or mobile device friendly. But hey I could read modaco from onboard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest redders1986 Posted December 8, 2005 Report Share Posted December 8, 2005 I didn't know that. It really does make my mobile sound like a lethal weapon in the wrong hands. :) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> then surely they should ban coins in petrol stations as they are far more likely to spark than a phone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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