My favorite is sometimes I carry a book I've had for sometime to reread for a refresh. It's a book that relates to my work. It's received comments in the past. Not sure what comments it would elicit in this new era of hyper-sensitivity. The book title: "Why Planes Crash".

Don't forget the related offense, "flying and photography while looking Arab." It's just as serious.

No just photography is enough, a couple or family or whatever of brown people were talking pictures last fall of the foliage at the reservoir in the next town, and they responded with everything they had thinking terrorists were going after the water supply.

There were actually people who said things like "glad we have a well instead of city water"

And the other group down at the cruise port in Florida who were doing what so many other people do, take pictures of the ship, but they were brown so they too were brought in for questioning.

Hey, I have that book! :) As I remember, its paper jacket had lurid Kodachrome photos of the more spectacular case studies. (Non-engineer, amateur mechanic, human-factors geek here.) Some folks understand how the lessons of accident deconstruction can be more generally applied, most don't.

On the other hand, I do understand why some of my fellow pax were disturbed to see me reading Alive as we crossed the Andes on ancient-even-then DC-3s. But none ever tried to get the FAs or policía to evict me.

That's not a valid crewmember instruction - I hope you refused, told her off and threatened to file a complaint with HQ.

What is it with these psycho paranoid United employees?? Enough already.

FWIW, I regularly take pics of the cabin, my F meals, and record videos of takeoffs and landings from interesting airports or aircraft.

If one of these paranoid lunatics thinks that's a problem, I suggest they browse YouTube - where they will find hundreds of videos taken from the cabin, and even the flight deck *gasp*. Oh My Dear Lord - what if a terrorist learns how to fly a plane from watching some of those videos! The horror! :rolleyes:

Just wondering how anyoOne is taking photos during taxi and tAkeoff when all Electronic devices should be stowed and shut Off.

By having the camera out you are already disregarding well published airline guidelines and disobeying reasonable inflight crew instructions right?

That's enough to raise suspicion as far as I'm concerned. Skin color secondary.

Suspicion of what exactly?

Thats exactly what an investigation would need to see.
1) Are they hearing impaired so need identified as such in an emergency
2) Are they drunk and unable to follow orders and need off the plane?
3) Do they not understand english and need special attention in an emergency
4) Are they just DYKWIA's who just need hit on the head
5) are they part of a secret terrorist cell that needs identified
6) were they just disrespectful and needed reminded about how to follow the rules.

I cringe anytime I see someone whip out a camera after they are to put electronics away. At minimum they are breaking the well established rules, at worst they are plotting something horrible, and likely they fall in between the 2, but in our current world, we lean towards the worst though out of over caution. this is well known to be the aviation industry standard, so shouldn't be so shocking when something like this happens.

the investigation will show which it is if any or if something else.

follow crew member instructions. failing to do so, will subject yourself to scrutiny you may not care to go through, but you bring it on yourself by not following crew member instructions.

"I cringe anytime I see someone whip out a camera after they are to put electronics away. At minimum they are breaking the well established rules, at worst they are plotting something horrible"

Well, my old SLR isn't "electric"; and wouldn't any photos being taken for nefarious purposes have to used later for those "something horrible" plots?
(I've never been told that there were "well established rules" for not taking photos from planes, either.)

Because all cameras are electronic :rolleyes: . I've still got an ancient Yashica film SLR from my dad.

The well established rule is all carryons must be stowed. The camera is part of what was carried on. The just it to prohibit electronic interference and alleviate any objects from flying thru the cabin in case of emergency like why purses need properly stowed as well, even though they aren't battery powered.

I'd agree there are some cameras that aren't electrical still in use. But the vast majority today are electrical. But in any case the carryon must be stowed.

Before more can be said of this incident I guess we need to know if they had an old slr or if it was something purchased within the last 10 years. I'd go out on a limb and say the camera probably was battery operated but would agree to wait and see if that's the only stickler here.

:rolleyes:

So should somebody be allowed to sleep prior to take off or during landing because they're clearly going to be delayed following crew instructions in the event of an emergency and may be an obstacle if I have to climb over them or wake them up to get out in a hurry. What about a book? Is that a carryon? I'll bet you that I have books that weigh a lot more than some very small cameras. Can I no longer read during take off or landing? My book may become airborne during an emergency, right?

I agree that people should follow the rules but let the FAs enforce them if they feel necessary. There's no reason for other passengers to be tattling on each other like it's kindergarten.

Except that's exactly what the government wants us to do. "See something, say something ..."

As someone has put it ... when you enlist the aid of amateurs to help in security, you get amateur security ...

Speak for yourself.

Taking photos openly enough to be seen by other passengers isn't exactly 'secret', leaving aside the question of what possible use a photo taken from inside the plane would be to (gasp!) terrorists.

Cameras, digital or otherwise, have zero (repeat zero) chance of interfering with avionics.

Plotting something horrible ? Undoubtedly. Plotting not take any notice of asinine security 'rules', chicken little passengers and brainwashed cabin crew.
Sleep tight :rolleyes: .

How often do we hear about planes returning to the gate and someone was removed from the flight because someone used their electronic device after the door was closed?

How often do we hear that someone was removed from the flight because someone was considered to be 'suspicous'?

How often do we hear that the 'suspicious' person appeared to be of 'Middle Eastern descent'?