[AD8001]

As a captain for a major airline for 8 years and a pilot for about 30 years, I agree with "dlink72's" post. I have an FCC license and also an FAA airframe and powerplant (aircraft mechanic) license. Most of us including the flight attendants try to be reasonable if the passengers are reasonable. It’s usually the blow-hard that’s screaming so loudly into his phone that he completely blocks the safety announcements made by the flight attendants that cause more harsh actions to be taken.

On most occasions if you wait until things settle a bit, kindly explaining your phone’s “flight mode” to the FA’s will likely result in your permission to resume its use. Takeoff and landing operation is possible from the standpoint that you could lock on to a tower, but imagine if you missed critical information during a Hudson River ditching because you were trying to arrange for a couple pounds of foil to replace the wad that Bubba confiscated as you cleared security? This is not to mention that the devices are NOT shielded and could become sources of ignition for misting jet fuel in event of a fuel cell rupture.

Even in uniform the FA’s seldom cut us any slack, so I do carry for my own personal protection and peace of mind my very own pound and a half of aluminum foil (sans the melted cheese and wilted onions) to gently and lovingly wrap my TP. My ppc6700 is tough and doesn’t need this kind of coddling, and besides the battery dies in about 20 minutes now anyhow….

Climb power, flaps up, vnav.. Where’s the river… Life’s good!