Originally Posted by sluggoaafa
it's not so much about knowing where the exact location of the plane is.....there are web sites that pretty much track the planes up to 100 miles.
When the GPS personal unit first started becoming popular, pilots themselves started buying them and playing with them in the cockpit. Well, low and behold, planes started getting off course becuase they were actually interfering with the navigational systems in the cockpit. THAT is the reason they aren't to be used on board, in flight.
Sorry. None of the multiple years of research that I have done makes this statement credible. It is a control thing, pure and simple. I would gladly apologize if you can provide an independent source for this information. as well as providing documented proof of the aircraft affected.
If this was true, then the following airlines would not allow them:
Aer Lingus (as of 4/05)
Air Canada
Air New Zealand
Air Malaysia
Air Tanzania
Alitalia
Braathens
British Airways
Cathay Pacific
CAAC (China Airlines, Mainland China)
Continental Airlines (as of 4/05)
CrossAir
Delta Airlines (well documented in their flight operations manual..I've seen the page)
EasyJet (Europe)
Egypt Air
FinnAir (as of May 2003)
First Choice Airlines (UK) (If No, ask staff to check flight manual)
Frontier Airlines(as of December 2004)
Icelandair
Jet Airways (India)
KLM (Flight operations book under rule 120.8.5)
LOT Polish Airlines
Maersk Air (Denmark)
MidWest Express (USA)
Nationwide Airlines (South Africa)
NorthWest Airlines (Flight operations book under rule 120.8.5)
Qantas
Precision Air
Ryanair
Singapore Air Lines
SAS
SN Brussels Airlines
South African Airways
Southwest Airlines
Sun Country
Swiss
Tunis Air
United Air Lines (may ask if your GPS is FCC Class B approved. All handhelds are. Show them in the manual.)
US Airways
Vanguard Airlines
Virgin Airlines
WestJet Airlines
Also, American banned the use of them before September 11, 2001. This was not a decision made by 9/11.