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Can iPhone be used in flight mode when in an airplane?

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stevetim said:
If it were passenger/communication safety they would ask me to remove my headphones. They never ask me to do so.

I think it has more to do with multiple phones being connected to cell phone tower, rather than a single electronic device. And in that regard, had more to do with the old analog wireless wavelengths versus the newer digital spectrum. Those analogs sure as hell could throw out some radio interference. The FAA may have based their current policy on the analogs. Just a thought.
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Not to mention edge can cause a nice buzzing sound in the pilots headphones.
 
Small White Car said:
Yeah, when I take my company's private plane the pilots don't care what we do.

I surf the web during takeoff until I lose signal (usually about 30 seconds in) and then switch on flight mode for the rest of the flight to save battery. I can often get a signal for the last 5 minutes before landing too since they come in slower than they take off.

I'm not sure what the airline's rules are for but I guess they have their reasons. The cell-phone ban is mostly because they know passengers would all annoy each other by talking too loud. I get that. But why can't I watch a movie on my iPhone during takeoff? I have no clue what that rule is for.
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The reason they want you to put your stuff away when you take off and land is becasue if there is an emergency (is more likely during first 6 min of take off and landing) than everyone is attentitive and ready to act. If you were busy listening to music or watching a movie your reaction time is longer.
 
-aggie- said:
I thought one of the reasons lately was that a terrorist could get a lock on the plane using the iPhone and shoot it down?
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Terrorists are everywhere waiting to shoot down planes when they can get a lock on them with their CELL FONE LOCKING SAMS! :eek:



Anyone ever keep GPS on and track their flight? I've always wanted to do that.
 
Have a great trip!

I've been to Thailand twice and I used my iPhone in flight mode both times with no problems.
 
I guess it is not such a simple question since more airlines are offering wi-fi. That was one of the reasons I bought my iPhone now instead of waiting until after the holidays--to use on my flight over the holidays. As for policies I guess that would vary from airline to airline, I know AirTran includes smartphones in the category of acceptable use devices during flight.
 
Airplane mode

Under FAA rules your device must be turned off during take off and landing this means that your device under airplane is a no go it must be shut off. Once the plane is in the air, they will announce you can now use electronic devices then you can turn the device on. You should be able to use the WIFI but are not supposed to use the phone. I have read articles where some say you can turn on the wifi when in airplane mode and others say you cant, I have not tried this yet so you need to try it and see if it can be done. If wifi wont work in airplane mode then you need to take it out of airplane mode which would be a violation of the FAA rules since the phone would now be active as well.
 
NinjaKid said:
Under FAA rules your device must be turned off during take off and landing this means that your device under airplane is a no go it must be shut off. Once the plane is in the air, they will announce you can now use electronic devices then you can turn the device on. You should be able to use the WIFI but are not supposed to use the phone. I have read articles where some say you can turn on the wifi when in airplane mode and others say you cant, I have not tried this yet so you need to try it and see if it can be done. If wifi wont work in airplane mode then you need to take it out of airplane mode which would be a violation of the FAA rules since the phone would now be active as well.
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You don't need to wonder if wifi works in airplane mode. It does. Airplane mode turns everything off, including wifi. However, you can then turn wifi back on. The 3G and EDGE radios will still be off. Try it.
 
Oh . . . in FLIGHT . . . I thought the OP meant in FIGHT . . . and then I wondered if the iPhone had sufficient mass to be effective in a physical confrontation . . . never mind . . . :D
 
stevetim said:
If it were passenger/communication safety they would ask me to remove my headphones. They never ask me to do so.
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I've been asked to, numerous times. The lack of consistency on enforcing that is yet another sign that it really isn't a critical issue.


Hellhammer said:
And if cell phones were really dangerous, they would be collected in security check and returned after flight. I agree that it seems to be the decision of airlines that they just don't want people to be talking on the phones, same as smoking thing.
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Uh, smoking really is a safety issue. It's an enclosed space with a limited air supply that people can't easily escape from in-flight. That doesn't sound like a fire hazard to you?
 
aloofman said:
I've been asked to, numerous times. The lack of consistency on enforcing that is yet another sign that it really isn't a critical issue.




Uh, smoking really is a safety issue. It's an enclosed space with a limited air supply that people can't easily escape from in-flight. That doesn't sound like a fire hazard to you?
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Don't be a noob, smoking is not for safety it's for comfort, people have been smoking in planes since the 50's and it's never caused a plane to crash yet.

I have been in tons of short and long haul flights in the 80's where the whole back of the plane was ingulfed in a mass fog as all the mums and dads would rush there and spark up. Now with political correctness and stupid effing rules on smoking the whole flying experience has changed for the worse :(

And here's the FAA's guidelines on the use of portable electronic equipment..

When can a passenger use a personal electronic device
While the FAA's Advisory Circular 91.21-1A from October 2000 provides general guidelines about how portable electronic devices can be used inside of an airliner, the following suggested guidelines reflect current practices of many U.S. airlines:

•Devices that can operated at all times on an aircraft
implanted medical devices such as pacemakers, electronic nerve stimulators, hearing aids, digital watches

•Devices that can operated before pushback and after landing
Cell phones, pagers, and devices that can send or receive email or text messages.


•Devices that can operated during cruise
Typically, the following can be used once the aircraft reaches 10,000 feet (about five minutes after takeoff) until the approach phase about 15 minutes before landing: laptop computers, hand-held computers, devices that can compose or read email and text messages without transmitting or receiving, cell phones in "game" or "airplane" mode, digital cameras, DVD or CD players, GPS receivers, hand-held games, calculators, PDAs, medical devices such as pacemakers, electronic nerve stimulators, hearing aids, digital watches.


•Devices that may not be operated at any time
AM or FM radios, televisions, scanners, two-way radios, remote controlled devices, wireless mouse, other transmitters (with the exceptions noted earlier)
 
Real reason for cell phone restriction is so you can pay $8,000 a minute using one of their phones above the food tray.
 
This is just off the top of my head, so I might not be 100% correct:

Ryan: Do you guys want to hear about Thailand?
Pam: How was Thailand, Ryan?
(long pause)
Ryan: It was indescribable.
 
I think the original question has been answered... there are PRSI topics to discuss things like the politics of not allowing wireless devices on airplanes and smoking and so on. Cheers. :)
 
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