YXnot

VA allows for WI-FI use in cruise with several restrictions. Delineated in the GOM.

IrishTiger

Oooh oooh ooh.... don't forget my Hannity rerun too!!!! Yeah!!!

JetBlue has Weather Channel in the bus, why can't I have Fox News?!?!?!

Phuz

colgan killed 50 people, legislation resulting from that took 9 months to become a bill. NWA goofed, but killed 0, 2 weeks to produce a bill now. The difference? One bill will cost airlines money, the other doesn't.

USMC3197

I think it is only because they have their hands wet right now with the Colgan incident that they have moved so fast this time.

On another note... What is the point of the FAA if lawmakers now want to write all sorts of new regs in aviation? They need to work WITH the FAA not do their job. The FAA understands the complexities of aviation and the cockpit, lawmakers do not. (especially private pilot lawmakers)

whoareyou310

+1.........

SomedayRJ

We regulate by tombstones created. Or, in this case, near-creation of tombstones. There is actually a book on this topic, but I don't remember what it's called.

Glad to see Congress is getting all up in 14 CFR Congress, get out of the FAA's turf, and let them do their job. Better yet, give them more teeth for dealing with the airlines...

Nosmo King

On a related sidenote, there were not enough printed copies of the DL contract to be distributed to every pilot. Several bases are completely out of the paper version.

Which leaves only the pdf version available for a lot of pilots.

Guess you won't be allowed to read your contract (a company document) while on duty.

nicholasblonde

What I absolutely CAN'T STAND is business travelers with their cellphones/electronics/laptops/etc...how about we just ban all electronic devices for all the ignorant traveling public as well. See how much Mr. D-Bag traveling salesman likes it when he can't have his precious iPhone to incessantly text his current position to everyone on Earth via Twitter and Facebook.

The point I was trying to make is this--most of the time it's just as much of a safety issue when biz travelers constantly ignore F.A. instructions concerning THEIR electronics and we're rocketing down the runway or on approach and some d-bag is in the exit row fiddling with what is essentially a projectile at that point. Yeah--good luck figuring out what's going on and getting the door open if something catches fire and 160 people need that guy to bust the hatch ASAP. He'll be trying to post to all his friends on Twitter that he was just in an aborted takeoff and it was SO COOL.

I'm OK with the cockpit legislation if they equally pass laws concerning pax responsibility--aka no talking, no noise, no books or magazines under 10,000 feet. In a true emergency or ditched landing, every passenger is as much a player in whether people live and die as we are--if they're not paying attention, it won't matter much if we were paying attention.

They'll have more incidents like this the LESS stuff they let us have up front to engage us and keep us awake en route. Or just give me some Provigil/go pills if you're going to deprive me of every form of stimulation...

PurpleCRJ

ha ha. well, if the weather channel blamed democrats for thunderstorms i could see your point. lol.

Sink r8

Because the mind is capable of alternating between short articles (or solving crossword puzzles, word-by-word), and normal cockpit duties. To pry the mind from the computer, only certain events work:
-your hunger becomes unbearable,
-you reach the limits of your bladder,,
-your domestic animals are sick of begging in front of their food bowls, and are actually trying to test your status as nutrition: you are disturbed by the biting,
-your spouse (assuming there is still one) pours a cold drink to entice you, then pours it in your lap an hour after you say you'll be there "in five".

Moral of the story: certain things are compatible with normal cruise activities:
-a crossword puzzle you can't finish anyway,
-a newspaper article (if no real newspaper is available, a USA Today will do),
-Jepps,
-anything else that you can do in short increments or not at all, like reading any memo from Joe Kolshack (for UAL and DAL pilots), or any sort of book written by Dr. Phil.

Some things don't belong, because they are too engrossing:
-computers,
-hookers,
-Jack Daniels.

It's all pretty straight forward.