[rant]
I had an experience today that moved me to actually write a blog entry, and that is a truly rare and special event. Basically, I've finally had enough, and I can't take it anymore.
You see, when I get on an airliner, I'm one of those "weirdo" passengers… You know the type; we're the ones who actually look at the safety information card, who pay attention to the safety briefing, and who say "please" and "thank you" to the flight attendants as they try to make our shared misery a little less miserable. Am I a goody-two-shoes? Maybe. Do I realize that the flight attendants really ARE there first and foremost for our safety, and that knowing how many rows of seats are between me and the overwing exits could come in handy in a dark and smoke-filled cabin? Yes. Do I know that when the flight attendants tell you to sit down, buckle in, hang up and bring your seat back and tray table to their fully upright and locked position, they aren't acting out some personal vendetta but are simply trying to enforce federal regulations designed to help get us all to our destination in one piece? Absolutely, I do.
So this morning, I boarded a flight between one major international airport and another, less-major-but-still-international airport. I took my aisle seat and shortly thereafter a young man found his way to my row and occupied the window seat. He seemed nice enough, apologizing profusely when he made me get up so he could get into the overhead compartment to fetch the food he had brought for the trip. No one took the middle seat; this was shaping up to be a pleasant flight. The flight attendants conducted their usual preflight routine and soon enough, it was "that time"… "We're ready to close the boarding door, so please turn off and stow all cellular telephones and any other electronic equipment. Flight attendants, prepare the cabin for departure."
Mr. Window Seat, in mid-cell-phone-conversation, continued his discourse. I gave him a slightly-longer-than-normal look… Longer than the "something caught my eye so I looked over for an instant" glance but not as long as the "what the hell are you doing over there" glare. He made brief eye contact, but didn't seem particularly discomfited by the fact that he was ostensibly committing a federal offense by failing to comply with flight crew instructions. As the flight attendants walked the aisle to check seat back positions, seat belts and electronic-equipment-stowage, he…
…shut off his phone and securely stowed it? No.
…hung up and held onto his phone? No.
…hid his still on, still connected phone underneath the jacket he had placed on the middle seat between us? Ding ding ding! Winner, winner, chicken dinner!
So, after the flight attendant passes, HE RETRIEVES HIS PHONE AND CONTINUES HIS CALL. Surely, this must have been a conversation of overriding importance, right? One with dire national security implications? Or maybe he was a crack surgeon, talking a lesser doctor through a complex procedure on a critically ill infant?
Nope. "We're about to take off, so I'll have to call you when I get there, babe… No, I put the money in your account… Mumble, mumble, mumble…"
So that's the critically important conversation you couldn't have had five minutes earlier, before you got on the airplane? This was the point at which I had 1) had enough, and 2) couldn't take it anymore. OK, it's on. It's on like Donkey Kong. You know it… Time for the full-up "what the hell are you doing over there" glare. After a few seconds of this treatment, he looked back at me and said…
"Oh, did they tell us to shut these off?"
"Uhhh, yep."
Now, I can hear what you're saying out there:
"Maybe he didn't hear the announcement."
"They've done studies and such like that, and they proved that cell phones don't affect any airplane stuff."
"People use their cell phones on airplanes all the time, and nothing happens."
"Quit being such a goody-two-shoes."
OK, if he didn't hear the announcement, why did he hide the phone when the flight attendant walked by?
And, so, you're telling me, with your aerospace and electrical engineering background, that there's NO WAY that the radio frequency energy your phone is emitting could interfere with any of the literally thousands of systems on a modern airliner?
And, sure, on 99,999 flights out of 100,000, maybe nothing happens. Do you want to be on that one flight on which something does happen? I don't.
And, finally, it's a federal regulation. If trying to comply with federal regulations designed to keep us all safe makes me a goody-two-shoes, then so be it.
So, here's where it is… If I'm on your flight, and you insist on talking on your cell phone after you've been instructed to shut it off… or getting up out of your seat while the airplane is moving on the ground… or just generally giving the flight attendants a hard time…
Expect the "what the hell are you doing over there" glare. And, if that doesn't get your attention, maybe a a conversation about federal regulations and interfering with a flight crew. Because, despite what you might think, you're not the only passenger on that airplane, and you're not any more important that anyone else. So, SIT DOWN, BUCKLE IN, HANG UP, AND BRING YOUR SEAT BACK AND TRAY TABLE TO THEIR FULLY UPRIGHT AND LOCKED POSITION. Thank you.
Looking for more great photography related info? Check out the PhotoFocus blog and podcast and the This Week in Photography blog and podcast.
