Britain's CAA Considers Laptop Ban on Commercial Aircraft

hayb writes "An article in Britain's The Register claims that NASA and United Airlines have conducted tests on various aircraft and have found that ultra-wideband (UWB) devices "knocked out" collision-avoidance systems and impaired instrument landing systems. It states that the blanket ban on all devices in necessary because flight crews do not have the knowledge to differentiate between standard notebooks and ones with UWB devices."

But...

[Anonymous Coward]

...if there's a blanket ban on laptops, how else are you supposed to keep warm?

200 Killed by Tetris

[muzzmac]

More news at 5.

Britain

[nmg196]

I wish he could spell Britain properly... I don't go around writing Amerwika do I? Especially since it's the article title...

So in other words...

[seldolivaw]

If I want to cause panic on a commercial aircraft, I no longer need to bring a bomb?

"Stand back! I have a bluetooth device!"

Potential reactions...

[Raetsel]

I don't know if you'd even get to finish that sentence...

• "Stand back! I have a bluetooth..."

"Eewwww, get away! Heard of a toothbrush? When was the last time you used one??"

"Blue tooth, huh? You really ought to see a dentist about that..."

Another down side is that geeks talking about tech are going to be put in the same category as people making jokes about bombs, guns, and hijackings -- subject to summary arrest.

Are they making that much money on the headphones?

[ellem]

I mean, really, what this is really about is the airlines losing the 5-10 bucks they charge for those headphones so you can watch those sorry ass movies on crappy VHS.

What they really want to ban is DVD players!

Fly naked

[jukal]

Actually, about everything you carry or wear might pose a risk to the plane. Imagine the electric shocks you can generate by wearing cheap nylon clothes and trying to find a good position in the lousy seat for 12 hours. The solution is simple: fly naked. Business classers could have a turkish sauna.

This method could be first field-tested by a volunteer group of female flight stewards.

Re:Eeek (or not)

[Anonymous Coward]

Aircraft don't fly themselves. If you knocked out their collision avoidance systems and nav systems and lining-up-with-the-runway systems the pilot will still be able to fly the plane and land the plane. So a terrorist who tries this method in an attempt at installing fear in air travellers will fail.

Would you be all that concerned to hear this announcement from the pilot:

"Due to electrical problems with one of the navigation systems on this aircraft, we are preparing to land early at the closest airport.. There is another aircraft waiting there for you, we think the total delay to your journey will be about 60 minutes."

Passenger hysteria ensues...

"Oh no! A terrorist is... oh... wait... you mean we're going to be LATE!?!? Damn airlines!!"

Yesterday an 80 yo man was fined

[gelfling]

For shrugging off a command to open up and take everyting out of his wallet. He did it but his verbal response was "Yeah you got me I keep a rifle in there."

It was on MSNBC I think. Coupled with airlines now charging up to $80 per bag to check the bag if it's over an arbitrary size and basically what you have is an industry that is committed to committing suicide. At this rate there will be 1 or 2 Long Distance Airlines that only carry passengers overseas or long distances from coast to coast or internationally outside of western Europe. And everyone else will do anything but fly, which will costs thousands of dollars anyway.

It will be a return to the 1930's except we don't have trains in the US anymore so everyone will drive in Federally mandated 8 MPG land arks - one to an SUV by law. Once in a great while we'll look up and see a jet and it will seem as strange as seeing a hot air balloon or the Concorde today.

Re:Stability And Security

[p3d0]

But this transmitter is inside a faraday cage...

Right, and the airplane's transmitters are outside the cage. (They must be, or they wouldn't work, right?) Thus, the plane's transmitters should theoretically be shielded from the passengers' interference.

I would be willing to bet a beer that if you placed the sun in the same position, the plane would crash.

I'll take that bet. I think the plane wouldn't survive long enough to crash.

Re:Eeek

[evilviper]

You have a good point there... From now on, explosives will be allowed on commerical jets. I mean, hey, we should 'solve' the problem of jets being susceptible to exploding, rather than just preventing it from being an issue.

That's not to say I wholly disagree with you, but somebody needs to post a dissenting viewpoint.