Has any body tried to surf at 30,000 feet?
Another way the iPhone could help pass some time.
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Another way the iPhone could help pass some time.
Just Curious?
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How does Edge work on an Airliner?
- Thread starter Antitorque
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Edge will not work when your in an aircraft.
Hence the Airline mode which disables this and lets you use the other feature on the phone.
It's not that phones mess with the plane's electronics, it's that they don't test all phone and POTENTIALLY a phone could INTERFERE with the electronics....
I know a few guys that turned there gps watch on to track their flight path from say new york to cali or hawaii....pretty cool
I know a few guys that turned there gps watch on to track their flight path from say new york to cali or hawaii....pretty cool...and presumably they have functioning GPS in all planes too
Some planes I've been on for long flights have actually had a display of the flight progress on the TV screens when not showing a movie or as one of the channels when there's a TV for each seat.If you've heard of mythbusters they tested a bunch of phones to see what would interfere. Conclusion was its very unlikely in our high tech jet liners but with every new phone theres the potential for new risks. Biggest threat came to small planes with less sophisticated technology.
ie. I've never heard a plane went down due to cell phone, but if everyone used one everyday eventually it would probably be an issue.
ie. I've never heard a plane went down due to cell phone, but if everyone used one everyday eventually it would probably be an issue.
I think regardless of whether it would actually interfere with the airplane electronics, that's the most important point. If you have no service, it's sort of irrelevant. Someday they'll probably offer WiFi on planes though (for a fee I'm sure)....
you can get internet through many airlines, its beamed in from space so either quite expensive or only for 1st class
Geez, I consider myself lucky to get a sandwich on a flight these days. What airlines are offering Internet access? How's the speed?
I realized too that you've been able to use the Verizon phones on a lot of planes for checking e-mail and some other access for a while too, though it's rather expensive. I for one am more willing to go a few hours without access than laying out a ton of money to kill the time on the flight. There's always the music and videos on my iPhone or iPod.
It's not that phones mess with the plane's electronics, it's that they don't test all phone and POTENTIALLY a phone could INTERFERE with the electronics....
It turns out that GPS systems were designed by the military and don't actually give out any signal of their own, presumable to avoid troops getting located by the use of their GPS systems. So turning one on while on an aircraft would make no difference and would not interfere with anything.
Like stated above, theres no way the FAA can test every new phone that comes out to every plane electronics in every situation. So to be safe and to obviously keep the planes for noisy passengers blabbing on their cell phones, they prevent them.
Course then you need to factor in the difficulties of connecting at 30,000 feet and the congestion of the system switching you from tower to tower rather quickly and you probaly wouldnt get a good connection period.
Remember it has been done before, phone calls were made on Flight 93 after it was hijacked.
Course then you need to factor in the difficulties of connecting at 30,000 feet and the congestion of the system switching you from tower to tower rather quickly and you probaly wouldnt get a good connection period.
Remember it has been done before, phone calls were made on Flight 93 after it was hijacked.
it doesn't. You can't have wireless communications on an aircraft. The iPhone will have to be set to "airplane" mode, and some airlines won't even allow that.
yeah you can, you can do whatever you want if you don't get caught. like the guy above said, flight 93. it is sketchy, but can work. don't expect good voice quality at all.
Commercial pilot friends of mine say mobiles and WiFI are unlikely to cause any serious interference with their communications, navigational or onboard systems telemetry, but most airlines want mobile phones off on flights by policy. So use airplane mode. These aren't the days to be trying to hit EDGE towers on approach or anything. TSA body cavity searches are not comfortable, or so I've heard.
Oh, to clarify, the reason they say this is often when they are *most* dependent on their electronics is on take-off, approach and landing, when they are smack in the middle of radio signal soup in large urban areas -- and they never have problems.
Has Anybody tried it?
What I was trying to find out was if anybody has tried it, and what was the result? I believe that they most likely do not interfere with the electronics on the airplane or they would be confiscated at the door. Do you think that the flight crew would let people have something that could bring down the aircraft and be "on their honor" to turn it off. They don't let you bring a gun if you "promise" to keep the safety on. If it doesn't work at 30,000, then fine. I figured more people would have tried to surf enroute and had an answer.
What I was trying to find out was if anybody has tried it, and what was the result? I believe that they most likely do not interfere with the electronics on the airplane or they would be confiscated at the door. Do you think that the flight crew would let people have something that could bring down the aircraft and be "on their honor" to turn it off. They don't let you bring a gun if you "promise" to keep the safety on. If it doesn't work at 30,000, then fine. I figured more people would have tried to surf enroute and had an answer.
Qantas will be offering internet access on it's A380 and Dreamliner fleet once we get the planes. There will be ethernet jacks in all seats, power supplies and also USB ports that have been rumoured to allow you to plug in your iPod and access the music via the onscreen menu.
Not sure if it's in regular economy but it's definitely in the new Premium Economy class and upwards. Not that I care about the great unwashed in cattle class though...
Not sure if it's in regular economy but it's definitely in the new Premium Economy class and upwards. Not that I care about the great unwashed in cattle class though...
I believe this has already been rolled out on a limited basis in Europe and is a possibility in the US in a year or 2.
Old(ish) wsj article on the topic from April '07.
WiFi in the Sky:Airlines Prepare Cabin Hotspots
Old(ish) wsj article on the topic from April '07.
WiFi in the Sky:Airlines Prepare Cabin Hotspots
not really it does depend on how the shield condition on the plane. If there is a small hole in it GSM phones will really mess with it. Plus it can really mess with ground to air communication.
There is a reason it is against the law and that is because there is a chance that it will screw with the plane very sensitive electronics.
As for working on 30k it will work just fine since there is nothing to stop line of sight to a tower.
I have been on a plane while we where on the ground the polite came on the speaker and stated "Some on in the cabin has a phone on. TURN IT OFF NOW. We will not leave from the gate until they do so." I am guessing the antenna in the plane was picking up static because of the phone and i am guessing it was a GSM phone since the CMDA phones seem not to effect it.