Electronic Devices on Airplanes
It amazes me how airlines are still so strict about the use of electronic devices during takeoff and landing. I guess I can understand how a hundred people using cell phones at the same time could possibly generate enough electromagnetic or radio frequency interference to cause a disturbance in the plane’s instruments, but what about things like MP3 players, PDAs, and handheld gaming systems? Those shouldn’t be a problem, right?
Wrong. I was asked to shut off my PDA, on which I was simply reading an ebook, until we got the “all clear” signal from the captain. It was just 20 minutes and not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but still. You’d think that airplanes would feature the best in RFI Shielding technology these days so that passengers would be free to enjoy these gadgets at any time during the flight. I mean it’s a bit scary to think that a bunch of kids playing their DS Lites while the flight attendants aren’t looking could cause serious problems to the plane!