> Me wrote:

>> "Sylvia Else" wrote in message
>> news:48c5151b$0$28212$afc38c87@news.optusnet.com.au...

>>> Me wrote:

>>>> "Sylvia Else" wrote in message
>>>> news:48c23010$0$31804$afc38c87@news.optusnet.com.au...

>>>>> JB wrote:

>>>>>> I remember a fellow like that.... He was going to Christchurch for a
>>>>>> 'very
>>>>>> important' meeting. But, he just didn't want to put the laptop away,
>>>>>> and
>>>>>> for some strange reason thought that I couldn't do anything about it.
>>>>>> He
>>>>>> missed his meeting.
>>>>>>

>>>>> It's a strange mindset that leads people to disobey the crew in such
>>>>> situations. Perhaps the position just isn't being made clear enough:
>>>>> "I need you to turn that off now, because if you don't, the plane may
>>>>> crash."
>>>>>
>>>>> Sylvia.

>>>> I query the safety aspect of such a direction.
>>>>
>>>> Yes, I know the usual blurb is that such equipment "may interfere with
>>>> aircraft systems". But how true is this?

>>> The active word is "may". There have been some incidents. Whether it was
>>> really the passengers' gear that was causing the problem is in question,
>>> given the lack of reproducibility on the ground. But why take the
>>> chance?
>>>

>>>> Several years ago, I was furtunate to be on a very interesting looong
>>>> charter flight. The nature of the flight meant that every passenger had
>>>> some type of electronic equipment ranging from digital cameras to video
>>>> cameras, from laptop computers to "home made" gadgets where the EMR
>>>> shielding would have been quite questionable.
>>>>
>>>> There was absolutely no restriction on when, where or how this
>>>> equipment was used - at any phase of the flight.

>>> Perhaps given the nature of the flight, it was considered that the risk
>>> was acceptable. Indeed, on flight in VMC in an aircraft that has
>>> mechanical or hydraulic controls, there would be little risk anyway.
>>>

>>
>> But over possibly the most inhospitable place on Earth? Both in VMC and
>> IFR?

>
> Even scheduled passenger airlines allow passengers to use their devices in
> the cruise, including, I assume, on flights over the poles. It's only
> during the climb and descent phases that such electronics have to be
> turned off.

>
> Sylvia.