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   FAA to Expand In-flight Electronic Device Use

   Adam C. Engst

   When the actual White House blog calls out a fictional character '
   White House Communications Director Toby Ziegler of 'The West Wing' TV
   show ' on Twitter to commemorate a change in FAA policy, it's worth
   paying attention. The [1]tweet:

     'You're welcome, @Toby_Ziegler.' [2]http://go.wh.gov/vH4pDd
     #GadgetsFly

   And the [3]reference? A quote from the 1999 show, when Toby Ziegler
   responds sarcastically to being asked to turn off his cell phone on a
   plane:

     We're flying in a Lockheed Eagle series L1011. It came off the line
     20 months ago. It carries a Sim-5 Transponder tracking system. Are
     you telling me I can still flummox this thing with something I
     bought at Radio Shack?

   And the [4]news release that prompted this media geekery? The U.S.
   Federal Aviation Administration has announced that it is following the
   advice of the 28-member panel that recommended easing of restrictions
   on electronics in flight (see '[5]FAA Panel Recommends Easing
   Restrictions on Electronics in Flight,' 3 October 2013), something
   we've been tracking for the last year, starting with pilot Steve
   McCabe's article, '[6]Why Do Airlines Require Us to Turn Off Our
   Gadgets?' (5 October 2012).

   FAA Administrator Michael Huerta said that 'the FAA has determined that
   airlines can safely expand passenger use of Portable Electronic Devices
   (PEDs) during all phases of flight, and is immediately providing the
   airlines with implementation guidance.'

   The actual implementation will vary by airline due to differences in
   the specific airplanes involved, but the FAA expects that many carriers
   will verify that their planes can tolerate radio interface from
   personal electronic devices and allow their use ' in airplane mode! '
   from gate to gate by the end of 2013.

   There are a few additional [7]caveats besides the need to put devices
   in airplane mode. Most important, be sure to comply with existing rules
   for now ' this rule change takes effect only once the planes have been
   certified. As always, follow the directions of the flight crew '
   especially if they're giving them in [8]full song and dance. Even after
   the new rules come into effect, the pilot may require that all
   electronics be turned off during low-visibility landings. And while it
   will be acceptable to hold tablets and smaller devices during takeoff
   and landing, larger electronic devices like laptops will still need to
   be stowed during that time, to avoid interfering with emergency
   evacuations.

   IFRAME: [9]http://www.youtube.com/embed/DtyfiPIHsIg

   Lastly, as noted previously, these forthcoming changes do not in any
   way affect the use of mobile phones in flight. Those rules come from
   the Federal Communications Commission, not the FAA, and are aimed at
   preventing network confusion when in-flight phones light up multiple
   cell towers on the ground (see '[10]Peering Inside a Mobile Phone
   Network,' 6 October 2008).

   (As an aside, I clearly have too much real work to do, such that I
   hadn't realized that many of the West Wing characters have [11]chatty
   fan-run Twitter accounts that stay, well, [12]in character. Must not
   follow'¦)

   [13][tn_FAA-infographic.jpg]

References

   1. https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/395925827142955008
   2. http://go.wh.gov/vH4pDd
   3. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0745667/quotes?item=qt0508645
   4. http://www.faa.gov/news/press_releases/news_story.cfm?newsId=15254&cid=TW189
   5. http://tidbits.com/article/14157
   6. http://tidbits.com/article/13256
   7. http://www.faa.gov/about/initiatives/ped/faq/
   8. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtyfiPIHsIg
   9. http://www.youtube.com/embed/DtyfiPIHsIg
  10. http://tidbits.com/article/9796
  11. http://media.spotcoolstuff.com/television/west-wing-on-twitter
  12. https://twitter.com/joshualyman/lists/colleagues
  13. http://tidbits.com/resources/2013-10/FAA-infographic.jpg

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