Why does the FAA have so many stupid rules?

[BlackTerrel]

http://sports.espn.go.com/new-york/nfl/news/story?id=5154146


New York Jets coach Rex Ryan spoke to receiver Santonio Holmes, who was the subject of an incident report filed Thursday night when a flight attendant reported he did not follow her instruction on a plane to Pittsburgh.

Holmes told his coach that it was a misunderstanding.

Holmes told Ryan he was sleeping in the back of the plane as the flight attendant woke him and asked him to turn off his iPod. He told Ryan that he did, but didn't take out his earbuds.

"He was tired so he never took out the ear things," Ryan said. "So he laid back down and the lady came back and asked again and he said, 'I did, I can hear every word you're saying. I have it off.' "

Holmes even took the earbuds out and asked a woman sitting next to him to confirm there was no sound coming out. When the plane landed, Holmes was asked to wait to speak with police officers, who didn't file charges and considered the matter closed.

If all the terrorists need to do to take out a jumbo jet is turn an iPod on during takeoff we are screwed.

[nate895]

Your question answers itself.

[BlackTerrel]

Thank God for the quick action of this flight attendant... we almost had another 9/11 on our hands.

[MelissaWV]

Nothing about that was terrorist related, or even pretended to be. If an employee finds that someone is being exceedingly rude, they act on it. Lately, that overreaction extends to calling upon security/police to intervene. Turning off electronics is just standard practice these days. An iPod is not going to crash the plane, but with the number of electronics on board, if everyone turns on their gizmos and starts messing around... it's going to become an interference issue.

If the FAA did not play a part in this, the airlines would hopefully have similar... or even stricter... regulations in place.

Which part is stupid? The part where she asked him to turn it off, the part where she repeated for him to turn it off when she had reason to suspect she'd ignored him, or the part where she didn't submissively thank him for being an asshat about having left his earbuds in? There is no "rule" that she had to summon security/police to take care of his asshattery.

[Anti Federalist]

Ya, personal electronics will crash the plane:

Just three of thousands.

YouTube - Landing at New York JFK from Cockpit B747 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4YoXyYBbYA&feature=fvst)

YouTube - Landing at Hongkong from Cockpit B747 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sA5n8fvKucU&feature=channel)

YouTube - Concorde cockpit take off from London Heathrow (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZL86CxBuDd8&feature=related)

[FreeTraveler]

It's what government bureaucracies do.

[BlackTerrel]

Nothing about that was terrorist related, or even pretended to be. If an employee finds that someone is being exceedingly rude, they act on it. Lately, that overreaction extends to calling upon security/police to intervene. Turning off electronics is just standard practice these days. An iPod is not going to crash the plane, but with the number of electronics on board, if everyone turns on their gizmos and starts messing around... it's going to become an interference issue.

Why does an iPod cause interference?


Which part is stupid? The part where she asked him to turn it off, the part where she repeated for him to turn it off when she had reason to suspect she'd ignored him, or the part where she didn't submissively thank him for being an asshat about having left his earbuds in? There is no "rule" that she had to summon security/police to take care of his asshattery.

She woke him up and asked him to turn it off. He did.

[nate895]

Nothing about that was terrorist related, or even pretended to be. If an employee finds that someone is being exceedingly rude, they act on it. Lately, that overreaction extends to calling upon security/police to intervene. Turning off electronics is just standard practice these days. An iPod is not going to crash the plane, but with the number of electronics on board, if everyone turns on their gizmos and starts messing around... it's going to become an interference issue.

If the FAA did not play a part in this, the airlines would hopefully have similar... or even stricter... regulations in place.

Which part is stupid? The part where she asked him to turn it off, the part where she repeated for him to turn it off when she had reason to suspect she'd ignored him, or the part where she didn't submissively thank him for being an asshat about having left his earbuds in? There is no "rule" that she had to summon security/police to take care of his asshattery.

Most anyone who wakes me up in the middle of my time set aside for sleep is going to be in for a world of asshattery, but only in response to the asshattery of waking me up.

[Anti Federalist]

Why does an iPod cause interference?

All electronic devices emit small amounts of RF energy.

Under the right circumstances these RF emissions could cause errors in the aircraft's nav systems, especially some of the lower frequency stuff.

Keep in mind those exact conditions are about as rare as getting hit by lightening.

[nate895]

All electronic devices emit small amounts of RF energy.

Under the right circumstances these RF emissions could cause errors in the aircraft's nav systems, especially some of the lower frequency stuff.

Keep in mind those exact conditions are about as rare as getting hit by lightening.

Mythbusters loaded a learjet full of cell phones and it didn't do anything to the instruments. The stars literally have to align for that to happen.

[Danke]

Electronic devices transmit and receive.

They can cause interference with the aircraft instruments. Mostly critical in poor weather landing conditions.

[MelissaWV]

Electronic devices transmit and receive.

They can cause interference with the aircraft instruments. Mostly critical in poor weather landing conditions.

Correct. It's a super rare thing, and it also absolves the airline from issues if they crashland and people suddenly claim they don't know any of the special instructions. If people really cannot live without their iPod for the short space of time it takes to get off the ground and get to cruising, they have problems. I will say again that I think this would be a rule regardless of whether or not there was an FAA.

As for "he turned it off," she has no way of knowing that, since it's far more likely he simply pretended to turn it off and wanted to keep listening... than that he'd be sitting there with earbuds in that weren't transmitting anything. I guess he REALLY likes having stuff shoved in his ears.

It's another overzealous, overreacting sky-waitress/waiter, and that's all. Anyone with authority is milking it for all it's worth lately.