Sitting in a seat with barely enough leg room can get frustrating, especially when you hear over the loud-speaker “Please turn off your electronic devices while we prepare for takeoff.”
As early as next year, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) may only require you to put your gadgets into “airplane mode” during takeoffs and landings.
In a recent article in The New York Times, the FAA might not be cracking down on the strict rules to shut them down during certain times. Unfortunately, this won’t apply to cell phones.
Turns out, they have proven that electronics that are not transmitting a wireless signal, don’t actually affect the plane or the mechanics in which it operates.
The NYT says the new announcement does create confusion as you will be permitted to use electronic razors and audio recorders during all phases of a flight, even though those give off more electronic emissions than reading tablets. Personally, I’m not wanting Billy Joe to be shaving his beard while I’m watching my downloaded Pluralsight videos by Scott Allen on CSS sitting next to him.
With wearable computers becoming increasingly popular, and the high demand of fitness products that track your daily activity, something will have to give eventually. Especially if your pilot has to power down his Google Glass before he starts the plane. Who’s going to fly the aircraft?
I’ll be looking forward to F.A.A.’s big announcement in July as they report their findings on the study they started in 2011, that will show us which specific electronics will be allowed to stay on at all times without having to be powered off in full.
