There has been a large push to have regulations loosened on the use of electronic devices during takeoff and landing on flights. In March, word surfaced that the FAA was holding a study on the matter, and that regulations could be changed by the end of this year allowing for wider use of electronics on […]
Recall that silent rage you get when you’re told to switch of your Kindle, iPod or laptop for take-off and landing, even when there’s nothing wireless going on. Well, the FAA could be approaching a change in the rules. A 28-member committee, created by the Federal Aviation Administration itself, has offered up its recommendation that flyers should be able to use “most” devices during takeoff and landing. Data-based activities and voice calls would still be prohibited, but the group recommends that passengers should be allowed to watch videos, type away at documents, listen to music and more when planes take off and land.
Amazon has already released a statement, with the company acting as the representative device manufacturer within the FAA committee. “We’ve been fighting for our customers on this issue for years – testing an airplane packed full of Kindles, working with the FAA, and serving as the device manufacturer on this committee,” said Amazon’s Drew Herdener. “This is a big win for customers and, frankly, it’s about time“. If the FAA decides to progress with these recommendations (although it certainly doesn’t have to), changes could occur as soon as early 2014. However, timing will depend on how the FAA decides to roll out implementation. However, according to industry officials, if it’s done airline by airline, it could well take longer. We’ll continue to pack a paperback for now.
Filed under: Transportation
Via: 9to5Mac
Source: AP
As expected, the FAA advisory committee has recommended that airline passengers should be "allowed to use smartphones, tablets, e-readers and other personal electronic devices during takeoffs and landings". That means, yes, we can finally use our damn (innocent) electronic devices while on an airplane without looking like a criminal.
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The New York Times is reporting that the Federal Aviation Administration is about to finalize its loosened restrictions
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NY Times tech guy and finder of his lost iPhone
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One of the great mysteries of life, along with who framed Roger Rabbit and like, what’s included under the umbrella term of global warming, is why can’t we use our dang phones and other electronics on a freaking airplane. It’s as if some dimwit who was past his prime decades ago decided when cell phones became popular that electronics were devil tools that existed for the sole purpose to bring down planes. We all realized years ago that our electronics won’t do much to a plane
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Insitu’s Scan Eagle X200 and AeroVironment’s Puma (above) are the first UAVs to snag FAA approval for commercial operations, and they’re set to take to the skies later this summer. Prior to this, the only way the private sector could fly an unmanned vessel in US airspace was with an experimental airworthiness certification — and that cert prohibits business activities. It’s worth noting that these craft weigh less than 55 pounds and measure four and a half feet long; they aren’t Predator drones, by any means.
Come August, a “major energy company” will use the X200 to patrol the Alaskan coast, keeping an eye on ice floes and migrating whales where the firm is doing petroleum exploration. Plans for the Puma sound slightly more action-packed, as it’s expected to support oil spill emergency response-crews and watch over wildlife in the Beaufort Sea. See, this is how it all begins: First we start trusting them with our lives, then it all takes a turn for the worse.
[Image credit: Wikimedia Commons]
Filed under: Transportation, Alt
Via: Gizmodo
Source: FAA
Creepy drone spying is no longer just the purview of the military in the United States. The Federal Aviation Administration recently cleared two unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for commercial use surveilling the Alaskan coast, marking a sharp turn for the future of domestic drone use.
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In another streak of bad luck for Boeing, the first of the 50 or so 787 Dreamliners was cleared to fly again by the FAA. The Ethiopian Airlines 787 successfully completed a test flight the first time around, but it seems trouble struck again, as a fire broke out on the plane at London’s Heathrow airport. Luckily, no passengers were on board.
Boeing is obviously aware of the issue and has provided an official statement on their Twitter account, saying that they’re “aware of the 787 event…and have Boeing personnel there.” The company is currently “working to fully understand and address this.” The cause of the fire is currently unknown at this point, but it’s said that the situation is similar to that of what happened at Boston’s Logan airport when the planes first started catching on fire.
This is obviously terrible news for Boeing, and it seems like a incredibly bad luck on their part. Again, the cause of the fire is currently unknown, but we have no reason to not believe that the fire could’ve been cause by another failed battery. The 787 was initially grounded by the FAA back in January after problems with the battery caused fires on several of the planes.
From the photos taken by onlookers, there doesn’t appear to be any noticeable damage to the outside of the plane, although you can clearly see fire-retardant foam covering the ground around the plane. It’s possible that the fire was concealed inside of the aircraft where the battery compartment is located.
Arrivals and departures were temporarily suspended at Heathrow while emergency crews attended to the situation, but Heathrow officials recently lifted the suspension after the situation was brought to control. At the time, the 787 was parked on a remote parking stand, so it was out of the way for the most part.
VIA: BBC
IMAGE CREDIT: Boeing
Boeing 787 Dreamliner catches fire after being cleared to fly again is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
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