Bluetooth on a Aircraft?

eusap

I have been looking at some Wireless/Bluetooth headphones to pair with my ipad to use onboard flights. Are there rules against using bluetooth in flight i.e. does it affect instruments?

When i turn the Ipad into inflight mode bluetooth still works which make me wonder if it is allowed

Tenger

No transmitting devices permitted inflight. I would classify Bluetooth as 'transmitting'. I do know that wireless laptop mouse's are not supposed to be used inflight. (didn't want to go for the plural)

eusap

I was surprised to find In-Flight mode on my phone and tablet does not switch off Bluetooth since its a requirement

Chop Chop

eusap wrote: »

I was surprised to find In-Flight mode on my phone and tablet does not switch off Bluetooth since its a requirement

You need to call the manufacturer, everyone knows the aircraft will explode mid flight if Bluetooth is switched on:)

james142

Im sorry but all this phones, electronic devices "interfering with the aircraft" is alot of bull to me. If it was that dangerous, they would not be permitted in the cabin.

My personal opinion on this rule is just made to make the passenger feel safer. Its just like the "no liquids over 100ml aloud on the plane" rule.

eusap

I find it funny that a lot of airlines are replacing pilots flight manuals with iPads but yet the passengers are not allowed to have them on

jamo2oo9

Passengers are allowed to use mobile devices provided it's on Airplane Mode

eusap

But not during take off and landing

jamo2oo9

I've used my iPhone to record take-offs and landings and not once have I gotten a stern word from the FA or anyone.. My iPhone was on Airplane Mode

billy few mates

seanyleary

It ill be grand.

martinsvi

per normal operation electronic devices do not cause any interference, it has been tested many times by all sorts of agencies, activists and even myth-busters on discovery channel

however there are plenty of reports out there stating that electronic devices have indeed interfered with plane's instruments. Took me a while to find this article from way back - http://spectrum.ieee.org/aerospace/aviation/unsafe-at-any-airspeed/

I think the main concern here is that we never know when a normal device that should not cause any interference will suddenly make more radiation than it should. Take your bluetooth headphones as an example. If built according to standard, it should not exceed a range of about 20-30 meters. It takes one hungry kid in China to screw up and your head set potentially can make avionics go nuts..

personally I support these limitations. If they are removed, I believe it's only a matter of time when people will make flying less enjoyable by making endless phone calls or other annoying activities so often witnessed on other forms of public transportation

eusap

Thanks for a good explanantion.


I also agree that phones should not be allowed to be used on planes because i dont want to hear endless phone calls asking "Where are you" i am on a plane over the atlantic,

bk

martinsvi if electronic devices were any real threat, then they would be banned from flights completely or kept in a box that was a Faraday cage in the hold.

The reality is that every flight I've been on, I've looked around and I would say that at least 50% of the passengers never turn their devices off or put them in airplane mode. They simply hit the power button once, which just turns off the screen, but not the phone or even the wireless elements in anyway.

This is particularly obvious on London Dublin flights when you are just coming in to land and you hear all the phones start to beep as they connect to a cell tower and start to receive text messages!! Once I remember some ones phone starting to ring just as we are about to land, cue laughter amongst most of the passengers, aircrew said nothing.

If electronic devices were a danger, planes would be dropping out of the sky every day, yet there is not a single case of a fatal accident due to electronic interference, despite the fact that pretty much every passenger flight every day has at least some devices still turned on.

Hell even United Airlines and many other airlines now use standard iPads for the pilots in the cockpit during all stages of take off and flight, with maps on it etc.

Bessarion

bk wrote: »

.......This is particularly obvious on London Dublin flights when you are just coming in to land and you hear all the phones start to beep as they connect to a cell tower and start to receive text messages!! Once I remember some ones phone starting to ring just as we are about to land, cue laughter amongst most of the passengers, aircrew said nothing........

Hell even United Airlines and many other airlines now use standard iPads for the pilots in the cockpit during all stages of take off and flight, with maps on it etc.

In relation to your LHR experience, probably no point saying anything as at that stage it is too late to be getting out of your seat.

I would not reccomend landing while standing up.....(and yes I have done it several times on 3 different aircraft types)



I believe the FAA have regulated that iPads are for use on the ground and once above 10K feet.

Personally I think that newer aircraft will be designed with better shielding for their electronics....and in a few years most airlines while be allowing electronics for take off/landing. Its a learning process, Flight Mode may have been thought impossible to allow 10 years ago. As for the cell phone scanning issue, would it be feasible to have a mini cell on an aircraft, not to offer connectivity but to stop them constantly searching for a network?

martinsvi

bk wrote: »

If electronic devices were a danger, planes would be dropping out of the sky every day

interference doesn't mean immediate danger. just because pilot is witnessing instrument disagree or hears interference in his headset won't instantly make the plane to crash. It's a matter of ethics - how much do people respect guys in front doing their job. It's disgusting how people are willing to risk annoying flight crew just because they're too lazy or "important" to switch their devices off when asked

It's fine that pilots have ipads - if they witness anything funny, they can turn it off instantly.

H3llR4iser

martinsvi wrote: »

personally I support these limitations. If they are removed, I believe it's only a matter of time when people will make flying less enjoyable by making endless phone calls or other annoying activities so often witnessed on other forms of public transportation

THIS.

I just don't want to be treated to hours of Miss Righteous Diva going on about how all men are b@astards with her best buddy, Mr. Showoff Jerk describing his drunken night and how he "bagged a 9 in the club!" or some moronic Steve-Jobs-wannabe businessman barking at his/her employees from 37.000 feet above. There's much more than enough of that on trains and buses; Even a lunch break in a coffee shop will bear all that.

As for the interference, it has been explained above. Modern planes are shielded and interference from carry-on devices doesn't pose any threat; However, a malfunction in such devices can change things. There have been cases of malfunctioning WiFi routers blocking radio remote controls in an entire neighbourhood (car locks, gates and the likes would simply not work); More recently, there was a case with some of the UPC-provided Cisco power adapters going bananas and emitting far more interference than they should.

notharrypotter

martinsvi wrote: »

I think the main concern here is that we never know when a normal device that should not cause any interference will suddenly make more radiation than it should. Take your bluetooth headphones as an example. If built according to standard, it should not exceed a range of about 20-30 meters. It takes one hungry kid in China to screw up and your head set potentially can make avionics go nuts..

Just some numbers

Typical A320 or B737 holds 150+ passengers approx. and typically 75% full.

=> typical load of 110+ approx

Say 20 are infants.

Most of the 90+ passengers that are left have a personal electronic device

Your average flight from Ireland to UK is 1hr and each plane probably flies 8 times a day.

90*8*7*52 = 262080 electronic devices.

Because of the rapid evolution of mobile devices no one can safely say which may affect the electronics they err on the safe side and prohibit all.

Safety should be paramount and its not the end of the world to have to go without your fix for an hour or so.

bk

notharrypotter wrote: »

90*8*7*52 = 262080 electronic devices.

Most of which end up being left on and not in flight mode, yet after years of these devices being left on, not a single accident.

Again, if they truly posed a real risk, we wouldn't be allowed to carry them onboard.

I believe the FAA have regulated that iPads are for use on the ground and once above 10K feet.

No, you are wrong, see here for details:

http://airlinepilotchatter.blogspot.ie/2013/02/gate-to-gate-with-electronic-flight-bag.html

But in the end, the FAA agreed that the iPad was safe for daily operations and approved them to be used as EFBs during all phases of flight.

bk

Interestingly, it seems that in the US, the FAA are likely to change the rules to allow phones, tablets and ereaders to be used in "Airplane Mode" * during take-off and landing:

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/24/disruptions-f-a-a-may-loosen-curbs-on-fliers-use-of-electronics/

* This means you still won't be able to use your phone to make calls, but you will be able to use it to listen to music, watch movies, play games, etc.