Gps & Commercial Airplanes

[sergv]

I know you are not allowed to use 2-way transmitting devices on the airplanes-is GPS one of those? Are there any safety concerns for using a GPS on the commercial airplane?

 

Thanks

[CenTexDodger]

I know you are not allowed to use 2-way transmitting devices on the airplanes-is GPS one of those? Are there any safety concerns for using a GPS on the commercial airplane?

 

Thanks

 

AFAIK there are no safety issues with using a GPS on an airplane; however, most airlines hae a specific policy about them. Check with the airline beforehand.

 

Also you might do a search, this has been discussed numerous times beofre. Somewhere there is even a list of airlines that allow them.

[+JohnInDC]

Yes, there is a list - sad to say I don't know the link. But at least confirmation that it's out there may inspire you to look longer for it! I took a quick look at it the time I saw it and concluded that most airlines (most) don't care -- that is, they consider a GPS to be like any other "portable electronic device".

 

Northwest is one of the benign ones. I just flew from Washington to Detroit and midway through the flight one of the flight attendants caught sight of my unit and asked, "where are we?"

 

Try to sit next to a south-facing window!

[peter]

I know you are not allowed to use 2-way transmitting devices on the airplanes-is GPS one of those? Are there any safety concerns for using a GPS on the commercial airplane?

 

Thanks

 

AFAIK there are no safety issues with using a GPS on an airplane; however, most airlines hae a specific policy about them. Check with the airline beforehand.

 

Also you might do a search, this has been discussed numerous times beofre. Somewhere there is even a list of airlines that allow them.

Here's the list of airlines and their policies which is kept pretty current:

http://gpsinformation.net/airgps/airgps.htm

Note that the flight crew has the final say at all times.

 

To use your GPS while on the flight reserve a window seat and hold the receiver's antenna near the window, at least until it gets a decent lock. You may need to initialize it with your approximate location to speed the signal acquisition process.

[+TeamCNJC]

I just flew from Washington to Detroit and midway through the flight one of the flight attendants caught sight of my unit and asked, "where are we?"

 

 

At least it wasn't the pilot asking.

[+JohnInDC]

At least it wasn't the pilot asking.

 

Indeed.

 

We were in Pennsylvania, where I was surprised to learn from the track line that we actually detoured around Pittsburgh rather than fly directly over it. At 35000+ feet I can't imagine what we'd have risked running into! Just one of the fun reasons to run a GPS on a plane I guess -

[+Woodbutcher68]

At least it wasn't the pilot asking.

 

Indeed.

 

We were in Pennsylvania, where I was surprised to learn from the track line that we actually detoured around Pittsburgh rather than fly directly over it. At 35000+ feet I can't imagine what we'd have risked running into! Just one of the fun reasons to run a GPS on a plane I guess -

 

Usually the only thing to worry about at 35,000+ feet is another plane.

But hitting one of them is enough to ruin your whole day!