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Path: utzoo!linus!allegra!eagle!harpo!seismo!hao!hplabs!hp-pcd!john
From: john@hp-pcd.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.micro
Subject: Portables on Airplanes - (nf)
Message-ID: <1093@hp-pcd.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 3-Jun-83 03:26:43 EDT
Article-I.D.: hp-pcd.1093
Posted: Fri Jun  3 03:26:43 1983
Date-Received: Mon, 6-Jun-83 16:32:47 EDT
Sender: netnews@hp-pcd.UUCP
Organization: Hewlett-Packard, Corvallis OR
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#N:hp-pcd:6200021:000:1363
hp-pcd!john    Jun  2 09:26:00 1983

The following question was in the July PlayBoy:


     Because I fly a lot in my job, I often find myself working
     on the airplane. It occurred to me that I might save myself
     a lot of grief if I had a portable computer to work with.
     Can you give me any suggestions on buying such a machine? I
     use one in my office, but it is far to bulky to take on a
     plane.

     S.T. New York,New York


     While there are any number of good portable computers on the
     market,there are none that you can use on an airplane.
     Unfortunately, all of them give off radio signals that can
     interfere with the plane's instruments. Even if you could use
     them on an airliner, most current models would be too heavy and
     too cumbersome to fit in the small amount of space available,
     unless you left half of the peripherals at home. Sorry, but if
     you were counting on a computer, we're afraid you're still
     stuck with your fngers.


I would like to know if airlines are banning the use of calculators and other
portable computers during flights. Has anyone had any experiences where they
were told they couldn't use these. I know that they have always banned radios
because the Local Oscillator could be transmitted out the antenna, but I have
never seen this rule applied to calculators.


 John Eaton

...hplabs!hp-pcd!john