FAA reviewing inflight electronics ban
March 28, 2012, 08:09 am
The Federal Aviation Administration recently announced it will be reviewing its in-flight electronics ban. The FAA promises no changes to the ban will be made until safety is ensured to both pilots and passengers.
Another way to ensure safety during a flight is by purchasing pilot insurance prior to taking off.
The FAA has no intention of changing rules prohibiting use of laptops, tablet computers and smartphones at altitudes below 10,000 feet until there is proof that their electronic signals do not interfere with aircraft controls. The FAA has recognized that the use of certain consumer electronics during takeoff is a priority for many passengers and will be testing a variety of devices to ensure their safety.
Under current FAA regulations, airlines can allow use of electronics at all times when they test and determine the devices do not interfere with plane navigation systems. Because the process of testing the safety of the devices is very expensive and time consuming, most airlines simply follow FAA regulations.
Julius Genachowski from the Federal Communications Commission works with the FAA to regulate cellphones on aircrafts. Genachowski said he supports a change in the rules and is encouraging the FAA to review its current ban.
In an interview with The New York Times, Laura Brown, deputy assistant administrator for public affairs for the FAA, said the administration will focus its review of electronic devices on planes to ereaders, tablets and other small gadgets. The last time a review of the ban had been conducted was in 2006, before iPads and ereaders hit the market.
Abby Lunardini, vice president of the corporate communications at Virgin America, told the Times that the current guidelines require airlines to test each version of a device before it can be approved by the FAA. Conducting these tests is not an activity most airlines can afford to partake in. Plus, each airline must conduct their own unique safety test for each device generation before their passengers can receive approval of use.
The FAA told the Times it is working with manufacturers, consumer electronic associations, aircraft and avionics manufacturers, airlines, pilots, crew and passengers to find out how they can safely approve greater use of electronics on planes. This process is both time consuming and expensive, illustrating why it has been six years since the last review.
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