Article: 108180 of sci.geo.satellite-nav From: "Lawrence R Glickman" Newsgroups: sci.geo.satellite-nav References: <19990630232832.09630.00004450@ng-fg1.aol.com> <#VsT5l3w#GA.307@nih2naac.compuserve.com> <7lh9qq$dhk$1@panix2.panix.com> <7li4is$lth$1@trog.dera.gov.uk> <7lik62$52p$1@panix2.panix.com> Subject: Re: NO GPS on SW Airlines Lines: 51 X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 4.72.3110.1 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V4.72.3110.3 Message-ID: Date: Fri, 2 Jul 1999 10:14:16 -0500 NNTP-Posting-Host: 199.179.164.156 X-Trace: nntp0.chicago.il.ameritech.net 930929042 199.179.164.156 (Fri, 02 Jul 1999 10:24:02 CDT) NNTP-Posting-Date: Fri, 02 Jul 1999 10:24:02 CDT Organization: Ameritech.Net www.ameritech.net Complaints: abuse@ameritech.net Path: news1.meer.net!news3.best.com!news2.best.com!news.maxwell.syr.edu!ameritech.net!nntp0.chicago.il.ameritech.net.POSTED!not-for-mail Xref: news1.meer.net sci.geo.satellite-nav:108180 I remember flying across the Atlantic Ocean on KLM headed for Munich via Amsterdam and Frankfort. Then there was the trip to Hawaii that took *forever* What an mind numbing experience on both occasions. Locked in an isolation chamber for long hours, with nothing to do. Eventually I got the idea of trying to figure out where the aircraft was, relative to destination, by using my watch, the scheduled arrival times, and a map that was posted at the rear of the aircraft depicting the trajectory of the flight. I spent a lot of time back there at the map, because I wanted to get off the plane ASAP, and it gave me _Hope_ to see the end of the line approaching. Sometimes, on shorter trips, I would set my watch in countdown timer mode and time the flight. With a map, I could *guess* the location of the aircraft. So what was the point? Did it have any effect on the scheduled arrival time of the aircraft? Of course not. But it _did_ provide me with a coping mechanism since I have claustrophobia among other inflictions. Having and idea of where I was relative to the ground kept me from feeling too cut-off from the earth below, and gave me _some_ sense of participation in the process. This last issue, a sense of participation in the flight, did a good deal to help keep me calm. Flight Attendants know that giving the passengers something to do helps keeps them controllable. This is why feeding passengers ( regardless of the cuisine ) is such a big event on board a jet. Just locking someone in a closet for 8 to 14 hours with the lights out is not conducive to good passenger conduct. If I had a gps with me, I would have been plotting the progress of the trip continuously. -- Larry lglickman@ameritech.net Kenneth Crudup wrote in message <7lik62$52p$1@panix2.panix.com>... >In article <7li4is$lth$1@trog.dera.gov.uk>, >"Brian Runyard" says: > >>Can somebody explain to me the fascination of using a GPS on a plane? > >No aviation enthusiast, are ya? > > -Kenny > >-- >Kenneth R. Crudup, Unix Software Consultant, Scott County Consulting >Home1: 8051 Newell St. #914 Silver Spring, MD 20910-0914 (301) 562-1922 >Home2: 5355 Farwell Pl. #242 Fremont, CA 94536-7222 (510) 794-8040 Article: 108205 of sci.geo.satellite-nav Newsgroups: sci.geo.satellite-nav From: jimglidewell@home.com (Jim Glidewell) Subject: Re: NO GPS on SW Airlines X-Nntp-Posting-Host: green.sdc.cs.boeing.com Message-ID: X-Face: -?=5@)tT|R/Q+BW"bvVq54c, ^C+aQKQ7Kd;60;E6Pl{pUjhd@3/Bm.Y@E~\q] \-0me.9p+*uwKi[H{KWSuqc11%kfG"X:[[}1X@Fa? f$BA?sf$;k6A'oyoioG <#VsT5l3w#GA.307@nih2naac.compuserve.com> <7lh9qq$dhk$1@panix2.panix.com> <7li4is$lth$1@trog.dera.gov.uk> Date: Fri, 2 Jul 1999 20:21:19 GMT Lines: 39 Path: news1.meer.net!news3.best.com!news2.best.com!news.maxwell.syr.edu!newsfeed.tli.de!do.de.uu.net!uunet!ams.uu.net!ffx.uu.net!xyzzy!jimglidewell Xref: news1.meer.net sci.geo.satellite-nav:108205 In article <7li4is$lth$1@trog.dera.gov.uk>, "Brian Runyard" wrote: > Can somebody explain to me the fascination of using a GPS on a plane? I > can't see the point, as long as the plane takes off on time, arrives on time > and at the correct place, I'm happy. I don't care where I am in the mean > time. But then I've got a use for my GPS so don't have to use it as a toy. > But I wouldn't be without a DGPS on my boat as it lets me return to the same > place time after time. I wish everyone thought like you. Then I'd never have a problem getting a window seat. :-) For me, as one who flies infrequently (probably one trip a year on average), the novelty of flight has never worn off. Yes, it is a means to get from point A to point B, but it also offers a vantage point on the world that I rarely get to experience. I _think_ (having never had the opportunity to use a GPS on an airliner) that my mapping GPS (one of those heavy, awkward, battery-hungry GM100's ;-) would make my window gazing more enjoyable and educational. And not diminish by one bit its usefulness as a utilitarian object. At a minimum, it would provide a definitive answer to my kids eternal question: "Are we there yet?" :-) Between departure and arrival are *hours* of time. Some people spend that time working, others watch a (usually insipid) movie, many read magazines or books, snooze, knit, or gaze out the window, while a few play with their GPS's or other electronic gadgets. I personally don't like to pass judgement on how other people spend their leisure time, but it is far easier for me to understand why someone would want to use a GPS in flight than it is to understand why anyone would want to watch "Cable Guy" on a plane... YMMV. -- Jim Glidewell My opinions only Article: 108225 of sci.geo.satellite-nav Message-ID: <377D705C.4D3A557A@videotron.ca> From: JF Mezei X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.6 (Macintosh; U; PPC) X-Accept-Language: en MIME-Version: 1.0 Newsgroups: sci.geo.satellite-nav Subject: Re: NO GPS on SW Airlines References: <19990630232832.09630.00004450@ng-fg1.aol.com> <#VsT5l3w#GA.307@nih2naac.compuserve.com> <7lh9qq$dhk$1@panix2.panix.com> <7li4is$lth$1@trog.dera.gov.uk> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Lines: 18 Date: Fri, 02 Jul 1999 22:07:35 -0400 NNTP-Posting-Host: 207.253.103.110 X-Complaints-To: abuse@videotron.net X-Trace: weber.videotron.net 930967602 207.253.103.110 (Fri, 02 Jul 1999 22:06:42 EDT) NNTP-Posting-Date: Fri, 02 Jul 1999 22:06:42 EDT Path: news1.meer.net!news3.best.com!news2.best.com!news.maxwell.syr.edu!sunqbc.risq.qc.ca!wesley.videotron.net!weber.videotron.net.POSTED!not-for-mail Xref: news1.meer.net sci.geo.satellite-nav:108225 Brian Runyard wrote: > Can somebody explain to me the fascination of using a GPS on a plane? Curiosity. Toy. Amusement. But on a long overnight flight, I find the GPS invaluable. i let it run all the time. Whenever I wake-up, I just press any button, the GPS lights up, and I see how much longer I have before we land and I canm estimate how much more sleep I can get (and when I shoudl go to the lavatory to wash up). Since long flights can often be more than half an hour ahead or behind scheduled time, the GPS comes in handy. (I am talking 9-12 hour flights here). For long flights, it greatly helps in passing time because you know how much time is left and see your progress. I agree that if you have in-seat videos where you can select the Skyshow at anytime, the GPS becomes less of an asset, but otherwise, it is a nice addition. Article: 108164 of sci.geo.satellite-nav Newsgroups: sci.geo.satellite-nav Subject: Re: NO GPS on SW Airlines From: baf@texas.net.antispam (Ben Fairbank) X-Newsreader: WinVN 0.99.9 (Beta 3) (x86 32bit) References: <37778724.8297E6B9@mindspring.com> <7li3v9$jah$1@trog.dera.gov.uk> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: Text/Plain; charset=US-ASCII Lines: 16 Message-ID: NNTP-Posting-Date: Fri, 02 Jul 1999 08:01:59 CDT Organization: Giganews.Com - Premium News Outsourcing X-Trace: sv1-CZ6sXJS1xfOJqIbEduQrE81bxaiyMMzXSGFqyNG8fqm0A1z86VP2icIaUSE/WxDBTFDyBD5w1jeY9ck!fE2aKUiJE10= X-Complaints-To: abuse@GigaNews.Com X-Abuse-Info: Please be sure to forward a copy of ALL headers X-Abuse-Info: Otherwise we will be unable to process your complaint properly Date: Fri, 02 Jul 1999 13:01:59 GMT Path: news1.meer.net!news3.best.com!news2.best.com!feed1.news.rcn.net!rcn!news.idt.net!nntp2.giganews.com!news2.giganews.com.POSTED!not-for-mail Xref: news1.meer.net sci.geo.satellite-nav:108164 Have you never looked out an airplane window and mused about what that little city might be that you are passing over, whether that river is or is not the Green River, or just what mountain range is on the horizon? Have you no decent curiosity? Have you no sense of place? Have you never traveled with a child? Or, Lord help us, have you never BEEN a child? BAF (if replying by email, please delete the .antispam from address.) In article <7li3v9$jah$1@trog.dera.gov.uk>, brunyard@dera.gov.uk says... > >Why on earth would anyone want to play with a GPS while they are flying on a >commercial airline anyway.......Get a life. >