Settings for In - Flight Use

Hey, that's cool! Years ago, I used to furtively use my old Garmin-enabled iQue 3200 PDA to see where we were whenever I saw some remarkable or interesting landmarks I couldn't identify. However, it was (stupidly, of course) verboten to use a GPS. Once I got chewed out by a flight attendant ... and another time I narrowly escaped a chewing out by claiming it was "just" a PDA (which it was ... but it just happened to also have GPS capability if you flipped out the little panel GPS antenna).

The iQue's receiver was not nearly as sensitive as the today's latest units, so I had to hold it right up against the window and it would typically take minutes to get a fix!

Besides figuring out what the heck we were flying over, I liked seeing altitude and ground speed.

Another tip for power saving, on the 3490LMT, I have to think that turning off the voice recognition feature should also help stretch battery life. With it on, the unit is constantly "listening" for the phrase "voice command".

I have used GPS on airliners that permit it for many years. The first step is to check before flight whether the airline in question permits GPS use as a general rule. For that check I generally rely on this page maintained by Joe Mehaffey:

http://gpsinformation.net/airgps/airgps.htm

Regardless of what that list shows, the Captain on your flight has the final word on this point.

It seems pretty common for initial satellite lock to take unusually long, and I think this is probably because of the large Doppler shift imposed by the speed of flight placing the frequency of the birds in view not near the center of the search range. My impression is that it can help search time to be sure to have obtained the ground fix shortly before the flight, preferably within an hour. Also it is a real help if during the initial fix you can actually hold the unit up to the window. With my old Garmin GPS V it was catch as catch can to get a signal down on the seatback tray even in a window seat, but with my two current machines, an eTrex Vista HCx and a Nuvi 855, once they get a lock they will usually hold while sitting in the tray even in a non-window seat, although the signal strength is often quite low.

Honestly I have trouble picking up GPS signals inside the plane. Do you hold your GPSr next to a window?

I asked the flight attendant and she went and asked the pilot and he said it was ok to use.

I was in an isle seat and my husband was in the window seat. He had to hold it and it did great.

that they let you use it. Most are so paranoid I had one tell me to turn off my camera (I was taking a pic of the city as we circled) because it could interfere with the flight controls.

I felt like going Alec Baldwin on them, but decided to just play along.

I can't imagine an airline having an issue with a GPS running on board. You're not transmitting anything and the electronic footprint of the device is so small there is no way it could interfere with anything. Especially now they're backing off on the cell phone rule too.

Sadly enough, on Iberia Airlines, while we were in the plane but on the ground, the flight attendant was adamant that we could not take a picture.

I have used mine on Jet Blue a few times.
I just ask the pilot on my way onto the plane.
I never change any of my settings I only open up the view (if it is set close you only get a headache from the speed it goes bye.)

Nothing intentional, but like most consumer digital devices a typical GPSr transmits across a broad range of frequencies. All it needs is to have signal lines inside with waveforms on them, and less than perfect RF shielding on the case.

Yes the rules are conservative, but not completely daft.

I use my Garmin GPS 10X during flights. The GPS receiver is just a small rectangular box that I stick between the window and window shade. It retransmits coordinates to a laptop or PDA (with Garmin's map software loaded). Window seat not required, usually seatmates are happy to place the receiver then watch my screen as we travel.

I turn it on when the flight crew gives clearance and off before landing. That's the only downside. It'd be fun to watch the airport departures and approaches along with speed and altitude changes.

Cheers

Cool idea!!