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Southwest Airlines passenger restrained and arrested after refusing to turn off his cell phone.

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An altercation broke out on a Southwest Airlines flight after a passenger refused to turn off his cell phone. The incident occurred on Monday as the flight from Phoenix was coming into El Paso. (www.dailymail.co.uk) Daha Fazlası...

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HunterTS4
Toby Sharp 0
what is the matter with people
Dedwards84
D Edwards 1
They think they are too important to have to play by the rules. Plus they are way to unintelligent to understand that cell communications during flight could cause an air disaster.
canuck44
canuck44 0
Ah, Toby, he was obvious part of the "Entitlement Class" and the airline had not received sufficient notification of his anointed position.
HunterTS4
Toby Sharp 0
John, it sure seems that way. America, land of the "do what you wants"
alistairm
alistairm 0
This is interesting. I realize that people are not supposed to use their mobiles on takeoff or landing; though, on the other hand, airlines seem to promote the usage of mobile devices on board aircraft these days. With all the ways you can plug your mobile devices in and i believe one airline is actually going to offer wireless internet!?, is not the airline partially to blame??
Dedwards84
D Edwards 1
NO!!! You do not know what is used for these mobile device programs, it is the airplanes own hardware that communicates outside the aircraft not your phone. You communicate (play games) through the airplane hardware.
xmacfly
ALLEN McLEAN 0
I recently saw an incident where a flight attendant threatened to take a phone away from a 20 something who just smiled at her and went on texting. On about the fourth request he shut it off and waved it at her. I would have been ok with throwing him off the flight. What are people thinking?? I hope all aircraft are cell phone free without exception. Nothing worse than being in the aisle with a texter during boarding or getting off or listening to the "delayed on the tarmac story" to everyone the person knows in rapid succession. Turn them off!
linbb
linbb 0
Hey dont they have a way to let him land ahead of everyone else? Just open the door and ask him to take his call outside and by the way watch the first step. Damn people think they are above doing what the rules say at least he didnt pee on anyone.
cj7272
Why can't people just do what is asked of them on flights, too many people are just too attached to their electronic devices, it seems we did just fine 20 or so years ago when most people did not have any of these devices, so why would it hurt to just hang up and enjoy the ride for just a little while.
alistairm
alistairm 0
@Christopher Davis: 20 or so years ago puts us in the 1990's, last years of the 80's. yes, people had mobile phones back then!! So, people were not doing without. Of course, they were not as prevelant as they are today. The airlines are partially to blame for this, since they are the ones who help passengers connect all these devices. Give a person an inch, they will take a mile!
N5827P
N5827P 0
The passenger was stupid and rude and deserved to be detained. That said the electronic devices rule is also stupid. Several airline and charter operators are issuing iPads to their pilots. What do you suppose they do? Shut off the charts when approaching the airport? Just when they need the data the most, do you think they shut them down. Don't be stupid.
alistairm
alistairm 0
@N5827P: YOu can turn off Wi-Fi and 3G on an iPad; therefore, no signals being trasmitted.

Turn off Wi-Fi: If you know you’re not going to be using Wi-Fi, you can turn it off to save power. Go to Settings > Wi-Fi and set Wi-Fi to Off. Note that if you have iPad with Wi-Fi + 3G and use it to browse the web, battery life may be improved by using Wi-Fi instead of cellular data networks.
Turn off 3G (Wi-Fi + 3G model): Using 3G cellular networks when you’re out of range of Wi-Fi connectivity allows you to stay in touch but may also decrease battery life, especially in areas with limited 3G coverage. To disable 3G, from the Home screen choose Settings > Cellular and set Cellular Data to Off. Note: You will no longer be able to send or receive data via a cellular data network.
N5827P
N5827P 0
Yes you can. Then why do you have to turn them off in the cabin? You can also place a cellphone in "airplane" mode. I'm not advocating resisting legitimate flight crew instructions. I just believe the airlines Have seen enough studies that, while not transmitting, electronics are safe and thus use them in all phases of flight. Why can't passengers?
alistairm
alistairm 0
@N5827P: You're right, why should we have to turn them off!? Well, i think it is because most people would say, "yes, i have put it in flightmode", but they really have not. Also, most people probably don't even know how to turn off WiFi and 3G on their iPad. Therefore, instead of taking the word of the passenger, they just ask for it to be turned off completely.
wsblaylock
wsblaylock 0
Testers found that just one blackberry could reek havoc with the systems..... Guess the pilots have there hands full when they flymover a cell tower!
7express
max lyons 0
I can go without my blackberry for an entire night's sleep which during school is about 6 hours and during the summer closer to 9 or 10 hours. A flight from Phoenix to El Paso should take no more then 60 minutes in the air. Hell, I lose (don't know where my phone is) in my house for 60+ minutes a couple times a week, and I can make it through.
7express
max lyons 0
@N5287P

How do you set a phone to airplane mode??
sheltonrl
Ron Shelton 0
So, what is the difference in using wireless devices in side an airplane and having the airplane fly over millions of wireless signals? If your wireless signal interfers with the AC's instruments then so does the AC's wireless navigation instruments like it's GPS. I wonder just how many transmitting cell phones you fly over on approach to Atlanta.
N5827P
N5827P 0
A study was done a year or so about this very issue by (I believe) the NTSB. I read the study myself, but don't remember all the details. The NTSB followed up on several "reports" of interference. In some cases they took the exact airplane on the same route and at the same time of day to try and duplicate the "interference". In all cases, they could not find any interference present. The instrumentation and avionics were not affected at all. The conclusion they reached was that there was no demonstrable or evidence that could be duplicated that electronic devices caused problems.

I fly myself using an iPad with electronic charts. It rests on my lap about 2 feet from the avionics and has never caused any problems. Anecdotal "evidence" of interference seems to be rampant, but lots of things cause aircraft instruments to read erroneously or fail completely. Always has, always will, that's why there are redundancies. The airlines are paranoid of anything new, always have been, always will be.

My comment still stands about why is it acceptable for the crew to use them, but not the passengers?
alistairm
alistairm 0
@N5827P: I thought i answered that? Again, i don't think that the iPads that a flight crew will use, will be transmitting any signal on takeoff or landing. As i said before, if you ask a passenger to turn the WiFi off on their iPad, they will just say, "okay" and not do it. This because most passengers are just ignorant of how it can affect avionics and just don't care. So, rather then trust that the passenger is going to turn that functionality off on their iPad or mobile device, they ask for it to be turned off completely.

@Ron: Mmmm, i am not sure that the aircraft's own GPS will interfere with it's own avionics. I am quite sure that companies like Boeing, along with the avionics manufactures, make sure that everything plays nice which each other. As you may know, pretty much every mobile phone radiates a different amount of energy; therefore, they most likely have different antennas. Further, there are new mobile phones coming onto the market all the time. Manufacturers of avionics just can not keep up with that.

This is what i think.
WALLACE24
WALLACE24 0
Lots of good comments and points posted here. The simple fact is that for now the rules are "cell phones off". Most of us don't have a problem understanding that and complying. Only the truely ignorant can't get it.
99NY
99NY 0
Lifetime bans should be explored by airlines for people like this. Too important to shut off your phone? No prob! You cant fly Southwest anymore.
Dedwards84
D Edwards 1
Or any other airline......
goettsch
freddie goettsch 0
I use an iPad in the cockpit. Downloaded charts are available in flight without a 3G or wifi signal.
There is no cell or 3G signal at altitude.many cell phones would be dead on arrival at the destination if allowed to spend the whole flight searching for a signal. Cell phones also need to be off during takeoff and landing so passengers attention is available in case of a need for emergency instructions from the crew.
smoki
smoki 0
When you board a commercial passenger airplane, not your private property, you are subject to the rules of the operator, period. Yes, you have paid for the privilege but that doesn't exempt you from obeying the operator's rules. All this bru-ha-ha about these portable electronic devices to which we seem to have become addicted as if communication etc. at all times is indispensable. Reminds me of the rule change after many years of putting up with smoke in the enclosed cabin tube with its recirculated polluted atmosphere produced by all those smokers along with all the other "human emissions." People complied though there was the occasional defiant one who had to be "restrained." If nicotine addiction can be put on hold for the duration of a flight irrespective of length then surely spewing electro-magnetic radiation omnidirectionally can as well! You gotta go along to get along sometimes.
danshere402002
Dan Kilpatrick 0
Throw their hiney off the plane. If the get tossed at 35000 ft they can simply open the flap on the phone and hopefully slow their fall.
jdunning61
john dunning 0
The issue is not if the device is on or off... the issue is that he refused a flight crew instruction! No matter that some flights have wireless or that ipads are on on flight deck.. he did not do what was requested by persons resposible for safety of all on board . Put him on the watch list and prosecute.
mhlansdell00
Mark Lansdell 0
It's fascinating to me that some folks can't or won't turn off a cell phone for the last 15 or 20 minutes of flight time. I listened while a guy who was grocery shopping cleared every item with his wife as he put it in his basket. She only saved the time of transportation to and from the market. She may as well have gone herself. It seems that people are that insecure or need that much control that they can't shut down a telephone for a short time on the chance that it MIGHT interfere with navigation instrumentation or safety directions in the event of a problem.
mhlansdell00
Mark Lansdell 0
The airlines say electronics can mess with the avionics the drivers are working with, but that's easier to justify than telling you you can't talk on a cell phone and listen to emergency directives at the same time. I wounder how many cell phones were being used in the passenger compartment or the Airbus that landed in the Hudson River as opposed to listening to the flight attendant trying and save their lives. Pilots may use ipads in the driver's seat but they can see anomalies on the panel immediately, and you can't hear a F.A.with earbuds in you ears.
pete480
pete480 0
Maybe this will get people to TURN OFF THEIR PHONES!!! But I doubt it.
flashgorman
Tom Gorman 0
I really wouldn't want to fly in a plane in which the signal from 1 cell phone "might cause systems to shut down". Having said that, the part about "obey all direction from the flight attendants" takes precedence over my need to check for voice mail or email 10 seconds earlier than everyone else...
AABABY
AABABY 0
If written boarding instructions are not clear enough for you, I'm sorry for your inability to comprehend simple commands.
But when a crew member asks you to turn the thing off, Is there a really compelling reason not to? That is unless you are really determined to be a source of annoyance to all around you.
AABABY
AABABY 0
How about going back to the Old Wild West Days?
Check your electronics devices at the DOOR, pick them up when you leave!
raco
Robert Cowie 0
Somebody tell me...if I put my iPhone in "Airplane" mode does that meet the requirement of shutting it off?
CaptainArt
Arthur Baumanns 0
Hey Toby Sharp, don't be hater. Because of a few you but us all down. Do you know how many people live in America? How live in your country. If it wasn't for America, you be speaking German or Russian now. Grow up and stop with the hating. America has done more for the World than any 10 countries combine.
ianhoward
Ian Howard 0
Outstanding!
jeffspc88mx
Jeffrey Knight 0
I don't understand - If cellphones are so dangerous to avionics/nav, why are they allowed on at all? You have to believe that on any given flight, some phones are left on accidentally. And if that's been the case for 20 years now, then how come planes aren't falling out of the sky?
aclufffa
Alan Cluff 0
@N5837P, what kind of avionics are you using in the airplane you fly? Of course steam gauges will not be affected. It is a known fact that mobile phones can interfere with GPS reception. I've seen it happen in my own plane. This becomes a very real risk in today's "glass" equipped flight deck.

WALLACE24
WALLACE24 0
JEFFERY---I DOUBT A FEW CELLPHONES ARE DANGEROUS. MAYBE 200 ARE DANGEROUS. I DON'T KNOW. I HAVE USED MINE IN MY AIRPLANE MANY TIMES WITH NO PROBLEM. SOUTHWEST IS NOT MY AIRPLANE AND THEY AND THE FAA SET THE RULES.
md69
Martin Dennett 0
@Arthur Baumanns - although deviating from the immediate topic, a) Toby Sharp's profile says his language is "English (USA)" (a "languange" invented by Microsoft - there is no such language), and b) had you thought he was English (from the east side of the pond), please do not insult those of us who are PROUD to be British, by saying that "If it wasn't for America, you be speaking German or Russian now." Forgive me for saying, but us Brits had kicked the German's butts long before America woke up to the fact that the Japanese were bombing Pearl Harbour. You were only in for half the war. Never let the truth get in the way of a good story.

@Alistair Morrison - "20 or so years ago puts us in the 1990's, last years of the 80's. yes, people had mobile phones back then!! So, people were not doing without. Of course, they were not as prevelant as they are today." Correct. But in that period, "mobile" phones had batteries the size of APUs, so weren't really that mobile.

Not so long ago, it was prohibited (at least in the UK) to use a mobile phone in a hospital as it could "interfere with equipment". Now, there are no such rules. You can use them freely. What *conclusive* proof is there that an aircraft's systems can be/are affected by phones? On the Mail Online page, a captain states "I have seen where, we in the cockpit could tell when some one had turned on a cell phone..It did not cause problems..but we could tell..and we had the Flight Attendant go back and ask them to turn off..but we can't pick-up all of them ..only certain locations in Passenger section.."

So if a pilot says "it did not cause problems", have we been misled all along? Is it a ruse to stop all the similar conversations that people have on trains or buses where they feel the need to shout out so that everyone within hearing distance knows their business?

I had such a situation a while back where the train passenger on the opposite side to me felt that the whole carriage needed to know that he had to rearrange a business meeting, and went on for around 10 minutes. (Bear in mind we were at the start point of the journey and the train was still at the platform. He could have got out to make his call). In retaliation, when he'd finshed his call, I got my own phone out and dialled my son's number. I knew it would go to voicemail, but I left a rather loud message, just to let everyone in the carriage know. The look on the woman's face opposite the guy said it all. She was finding it difficult to surpress her laughter. But she knew why I'd done it. As I got off the train, I just turned to the guy and said "You're a FOHOSI".

In what way do mobiles "interfere" with aircraft systems? Is there a frequency conflict? I find that difficult to imagine. Surely the FCC wouldn't issue a frequency range that would interfere so badly?
raco
Robert Cowie 0
Martin Dennett, could you offer atranslatioin of "FOHOSI" please?
md69
Martin Dennett 0
@Robert Cowie - Full Of His Own Self Importance
ritasinger
Rita Major 0
My phone has a setting for planes. If I absolutely had to use a cell phone during a flight, which I cannot imagine, I can use this safe setting. What is the matter with people nowadays? NO manners, no courtesy. If you are asked not to use electronics during a flight, don't do it. You'll live!! It doesn't matter why they ask...they don't want to bother passengers or anger them without reason, so assume there's a good reason and follow the rules. You may save your own life.
md69
Martin Dennett 0
@Rita Major - "If I absolutely had to use a cell phone during a flight, which I cannot imagine". How about reading an e-book? I have several on my iPhone.
MattU470
Matthew Unger 0
OK yes, you need to obey flightcrew instructions. That is their job and their responsibility while operating. In the Army, when you step aboard our (CH-47 or UH-60) helicopters, the flightcrew are considered "GOD" for the duration of your time aboard, regardless of rank. You don't like it? You can and will be appropriately made to comply.

That being said, the whole issue of electronic aboard aircraft rule is a crock. On a recent military (C-17) flight from Kuwait to Kandahar Afghanistan, one of the USAF loadmasters was on her (toughbook) laptop the whole flight. We didn't crash and burn, especially poignant since our aircraft and electronics are all made by the lowest bidder.

Delta Airlines even has inflight Wi-Fi on some of their flights. So how can these devices be somehow dangerous to flight operations?
devsfan
ken young 0
It's time to crack down hard on these idiots.
The penalties for failure to heed instructions to power off electronic devices should be so draconian that no one would ever think of not complying.
Look you jerks, your yakking on the phone can wait. Shut the hell up!
rwf1001
Robert Fleming 0
dumbass passenger
anthonybriggs
anthony briggs 0
now i guess thats first class A-hole
anthonybriggs
anthony briggs 0
Now thats a first class A-hole if u ask me.
rwf1001
Robert Fleming 0
first class A-hole in Coach? How'd that happen? You know, people should heed what they're told, ESPECIALLY NOW! If there's a reason FA's tell you to do something, and btw FA means flight attendants for anyone not familiar with the shorthand, you do it...turn OFF cell phones, pull UP baggy pants, hell if the FA's tell you to pull your head out of your ass or get booted from the flight, DO IT! People are so damn ignorant these days!
anthonybriggs
anthony briggs 0
i understand what u r saying rob but i amgoing to b A&P mechanic soon but i dont think i would go that far
rwf1001
Robert Fleming 0
I was being sarcastic-but the point was, that once you're onboard, you're better off listening to FA's, because usually if they give instructions, its for a good reason, not because they want to be a bunch of hardasses.
Sskylane
Stan Still 0
The aircraft had landed and the use of the cell phone was probably perfectly safe but Southwest or any airline has to have a policy. The employee has to implement that policy for the safety of all. Cell phone use cannot happen until the aircraft door is opened...period! Let one do it and they all do it...they sneak a call as the autopilot follows a radio beam to the runway. A frequency loss from a defective phone pulls the needle slightly to the right and the aircraft lands with one wheel in the grass. It spins, flips and bursts into flame and they blame it on pilot error. Can it happen? Will it happen? Southwest is not taking the chance and demonstrating that safety is their prime concern when transporting their paying passengers. I am proud of them!
anthonybriggs
anthony briggs 0
True that, i didnt mean anything bad by that comment either
raco
Robert Cowie 0
@Martin Dennett Thanks for the translation, Martin. That one will come in handy sometime soon, I'm sure.
mhlansdell00
Mark Lansdell 0
@N5827P I don't think the rule is stupid at all. You can't listen as well when you mind is occupied with another activity. It's no secret that landing and launch are the most critical part of any flight. Is it too much to ask that passengers are told to shut off and stow away electronics during these critical time periods. Not everyone of the flying public are able to multitask like some of you and some of you can't multitask as well as you think. A sudden stop at 170 -190k will tear that laptop, iPad, cell phone, gizmo out of your hand creating a missile or occupy your mind enough where you might miss a safety directive. It's not just you on the aircraft. Further, it's like having 3 school teachers in a class of 200 kids. Individual attention availability is limited particularly on a short hop. And it's not your freedom either. You made an agreement to mind the F.A. when you bought the ticket.
WALLACE24
WALLACE24 0
As I said earlier; it is swa's plane and they and the FAA make the rules. Doesn't matter if cell phones interfere or not.
wallypiper
Wally Piper 0
eegad.
"Flight mode" on your phone turns off the cellular radio (but not wifi). Not all phones have wifi. You cannot make or receive a cellular call in "flight mode". You could make a VOIP call as in Skype or Vonage if your phone has that capability. Some do, some don't.
Many airlines now offer wifi on board.
Nearly all US airlines allow cell phone use as soon as the plane has landed, not just when the door is opened.
I'm not sure what kind of phone and GPS devices interfere with each other. My phone has GPS built in as does nearly every phone sold today.
Whether you believe there is a valid reason for the ban on electronic devices during take off and landing or not, it's the rule. You have to be in your seat with your seat belt fastened. You have to turn off all electronic devices (not just phones). You have to put your tray away and your seat back up. You have to stow all your stuff. Those are the rules. If you can't live with them, don't fly.
They should make it clear that ignoring the request to turn off a device, even for a minute, will get you arrested and put on the no fly list. That would end it.
old51crow
Matthew Thrasher 0
A "former" airline 'steward' spent 10 minutes arguing with a real Stewardess on Jet Blue flight 604 (09/01/11). It ended with him in lispy hissy fit saying, "Its off. Now are you happy". Meanwhile, the fool in front of me couldn't figure out the difference between 'off' and 'airplane mode'. Even better, he was using his Blackberry to send and receive emails during the flight. I wish there was a clear 'what to do' for law-abiding citizens in this case.

@ Martin Dennett : If you Brits were doing so well against the Nazis, why did you all need all the Lend-Lease materials (including food). WHy did your PM, Sir W. Churchill, make calls to, have meetings with President Roosevelt for help? Considering how well the British planned, Operation Market Garden, went, I suppose the USA didn't really need to show up at all. I think your perspective on WWII lacks depth.
md69
Martin Dennett 0
@Matthew Thrasher - where did I say Nazis? There's just a tad of difference between Nazis and Germans. But hey, let's gloss over the finer points shall we? As I said, it's not part of this thread, but just remind me which was the last war that the Americans won without any help.
mhlansdell00
Mark Lansdell 0
The F.A.s tell you the rules for using electronic devices at or near boarding the aircraft. No one seems to hear the directives because they are using their electronic devices and not listening. We go back to my multi-tasking argument. The last flight I was on with Southwest in May the only asked that yu turn them off for takeoff and landing. What's so difficult about that that you can't just say OK and comply for the 20 minutes or so it takes to take off and land. No matter if it's a scientific fact that electronics interfere with Nav. aids or not, it's what you agreed to when you bought the ticket and confirmed when you paid for it. Pretty simple if you ask me. You comply and you don't get disciplined. You get disciplined you walk home from where ever they abandon you. It's a very simple game.
old51crow
Matthew Thrasher 0
@ Martin Dennett:

Yes, there is a difference between Germans and Nazis. Many Germans would argue so. You were the one who initially 'glossed over finer points', as well as bringing the subject up, regardless if it was relevant to the thread. So who were you Brits were fighting in WWII, strictly Germans, strictly Nazis, Nazis that happen to be Germans, Germans that happen to be Nazis, or some combination of all of the above? I certainly never meant to imply there was any sort of ultimate battle superiority or perfect 'no help required' record for the US military. It would be ridiculous in my opinion value one persons effort over another in the regards to Allied efforts in WWII. To me, it was the efforts of the many people from all over the world that made the Allied victories possible.
md69
Martin Dennett 0
@Matthew Thrasher - it's outside the context of this thread. You wanna continue; inbox me.

@Mark Landsell - yes, the FA tells you to turn it off. Same as hospitals used to. Same reason you're not supposed to use your phone on a petrol station forecourt. Ask someone who works in a petrol station why you can't use one there - they won't know the answer. Why does standing 1cm outside of a petrol station forecourt present any less danger? Answer: it doesn't. But because some doom-monger decided long ago that there may be a one in a billion chance that a conflagration could start should you use a phone there, it became gospel.

I never heard of a petrol station being engulfed in flames when CB radios were popular. Similarly, taxi cabs are not asked to switch their radios off. Nor are the emergency services. So why discriminate against something that in reality, either nobody knows the real answer to, or just plain isn't telling the truth?

For years, repeated use of mobile phones could "cause" brain cancer. Now the "experts" are divided as to whether or not that's the case. Airlines choose to jump on the bandwagon of "please turn all electronic devices off for take off and landing" because they are ignorant of the facts. Back in the days when the Sony Walkman was the "in" electronic gadget, airlines didn't ask you to turn those off, did they? And please, don't say it's because they don't transmit. You're asked to turn ALL electronic devices off currently, regardless of whether they transmit or not. I've not been allowed to take photographs on take off or landing on some flights - because it's a digital camera.
mhlansdell00
Mark Lansdell 0
@Martin Dennett. I go back to the argument: right or wrong according to science, the rules you agreed to when you contracted the ticket to fly with the airline and confirmed when you paid the fee apply. Second, it interferes with the flight crew's ability to communicate mandatory safety directives. Finally, the F.A.s are in charge of the aircraft cabin and have the authority of the Captain. If you don't agree with the rules you don't fly on that airline's equipment, plain and simple. It doesn't matter if an Iphone will blow up an airplane or a service station, it's against the rule you agreed to. Push the off button, power down for 20 minutes and behave yourself. If you feel it's a violation of your rights go charter a G5 and you can make up your own rules.
old51crow
Matthew Thrasher 0
@ Martin Dennett: If it's not in the context of the thread, why bring it up in the first place?
old51crow
Matthew Thrasher 0
@ Martin Dennett: My apologies. In a way, it was Arthur Baumanns' and Toby Sharp's initial comments that lead you to express your view of history. But why, comment in the first place if it was outside the thread's context?
md69
Martin Dennett 0
@Mark Lansdell - I'm not disagreeing with the rules. Just the idiots that make them. The FAs are chanting a mantra when they give safety demos, etc. They were taught it in ground school and they repeat it on every flight. The point I'm making is that they were taught it because someone somewhere believes that having your mobile phone on will interfere with the aircaft's systems. It hasn't been proven conclusively.

As for the the mandatory safety directives - well I refer you to the above paragraph. All airlines say "the safety feature of this aircraft may be different to those on other aircraft on which you may have flown". Err... don't think so. The emergency exits may be in different places, and I always check and point out to whoever I'm travelling with where they are, but "safety features" - hmm.... what's different between a 737-800 & an A380?
md69
Martin Dennett 0
@Matthew Thrasher - I wanted to highlight the comments made by the others you mentioned. No other reason.
mhlansdell00
Mark Lansdell 0
@Martin Dennett
The safety demos have been mandatory ever since I have been flying and DC3s were old then. You have heard the routine so many times you can recite it and probably give that part of the course. You are unusual if you note the exits to travel companions. Most get on like it was a bus to down town. I wounder how many knew where to look for their flotation vest when they plopped into the Hudson that icy day. It only takes one or two who didn't pay attention because they were listening to an Iphone rather than the stu. The airlines have an awesome safety record but they have an awesome potential liability. My guess is they want as many of the cards as they can hold. If three F.A.s are totally occupied with three passengers who didn't pay attention that leaves the balance of passengers on their own with little direction in a critical period.
old51crow
Matthew Thrasher 0
@ Martin Dennett: Understood, and have fun with that Skyhawk.
md69
Martin Dennett 0
@Matthew Thrasher - on the times I've flown on a Cessna, I've not had an FA doing a safety demo. I have on a B200, but not on a 4-seater. Or do you mean the single seat A4 attack aircraft?
old51crow
Matthew Thrasher 0
@ Martin Dennett: I was referring the Cessna (N229ME) that can be seen on your members page. I was assuming you were the owner/pilot. Just a little jealous, if you are. :-) LOL, That would be a hilarious comedy skit to have a FA doing the safety demo and trying to get snacks and drinks to the passengers in a Cessna or even an A4. It must have been a very 'personal' safety demo on the B200
md69
Martin Dennett 0
@Matthew Thrasher - sadly, no it's not mine :-) It belongs to Tom Wood Aviation in Indianapolis. I have friends who live there; both my friend and her son have PPLs and fly out of Indy Metro airport. I have handled the controls on a number of occasions and was learning to fly back here in the UK until health issues grounded me.

As for the personal demo on the B200 - well yeah ;-) The instructor who taught my friends to fly worked (works?) for Tom Wood Aviation (or Indianapolis Aviation as it was at the time); my friend works on the FBO at weekends. On a visit there in 2004, instead of hiring 2 172s (Millennium Editions, hence the "ME" in the registration, instead of Skyhawks ;-) ) for a day trip, we were treated to a flight in the B200 instead! It was just me & my family, and my friend & her family, so all very frequent flyers. It was more of a case of "there's the emergency door, keep your seatbelts fastened loosely, and help yourself to the free drinks & chocolate/cookies which we have on board". Well it would be rude not to, wouldn't it?0

As for a demo on the 172 - well next time I'm in Indy, I'll see if I can video one and get it onto YouTube ;-)
robertl30
Robert Larson 0
at what point will the FAA get realistic about these rules. A cell phone, iPad, or handheld game can't flummox a commercial airliner. I fly with a Droid or an iPad strapped to the yoke on most of my flights (in a Warrior!). These are tools not hazards. That said, yes, we should all obey the rules. But the rules need to be relaxed a bit as they make no sense.

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