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Flight Safety Question

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 Trangia 01 Jul 2016
Does anyone understand the rationale behind the necessity to have phones, kindles and tablets FULLY charged before boarding? Partially charged or uncharged ones can be confiscated by security.
abseil 01 Jul 2016
In reply to Trangia:

To be able to prove they are genuine devices.
 JJL 01 Jul 2016
In reply to Trangia:

I believe it is because they want, at any time, for you to be able to prove that the device is what it appears to be - by turning it on.

So no "oh, the battery is flat" excuses.
KevinD 01 Jul 2016
In reply to Trangia:

I thought that actual requirement is to have it charged enough so you are able to turn it on. Basis for this I think is a concern some electronic devices could be ripped out and turned into a bomb. So if it still turns on it means that is less likely.
The fully charged seems either to be a confused understanding of it or just an attempt to ensure people dont leave home with two hours charge when they board in five hours time.
OP Trangia 01 Jul 2016
In reply:

Thank you all. Obvious when you think about it!
 balmybaldwin 01 Jul 2016
In reply to Trangia:

It could also be related to the number of devices that now have lithium polymer (LiPo) batteries in them. These are very good high performance batteries, but overdischarging them can leave them in a dangerous state They are much safer charged. (Remember those dreamliners that were grounded a couple of years ago? - that was their LiPo batteries malfunctioning.
In reply to Trangia:

> Does anyone understand the rationale behind the necessity to have phones, kindles and tablets FULLY charged before boarding? Partially charged or uncharged ones can be confiscated by security.

I take dozens of flights a year and haven't yet had my phone, my ipad my laptop or the 2 back up batteries checked for any charge, let alone full charge.
 Neil Williams 02 Jul 2016
In reply to Trangia:

It's because they want to be able to ask you to turn it on to prove it's real, rather than the battery area being a load of Semtex (other plastic explosives are available).
 Neil Williams 02 Jul 2016
In reply to Ghastly Rubberfeet:

It applies only to some flights, e.g. US.
 wercat 02 Jul 2016
In reply to Neil Williams:

not that you need anything but the battery - this always worries me. Having had to rush out of a building with a fizzing VHF set with the nicads getting red hot and then throwing it at the ground to get the battery loose I always wonder what the effect of somebody's pet gadget bursting into flames in the cabin at 30000 feet would be. You can't just open the door and chuck it out can you? Is there an emergency hazard disposal chute?
OP Trangia 02 Jul 2016
In reply to wercat:

> not that you need anything but the battery - this always worries me. Having had to rush out of a building with a fizzing VHF set with the nicads getting red hot and then throwing it at the ground to get the battery loose I always wonder what the effect of somebody's pet gadget bursting into flames in the cabin at 30000 feet would be. You can't just open the door and chuck it out can you? Is there an emergency hazard disposal chute?

Possible cause of the Egypt Air crash?
KevinD 02 Jul 2016
In reply to Trangia:

There are at least two crashes of cargo planes where lithium batteries catching fire are the main suspect.
 wilkie14c 02 Jul 2016
In reply to Trangia:

It's to ensure the phone doesn't die while using Ryan air in flight wifi at 1.99 for 75mb
 jkarran 02 Jul 2016
In reply to wercat:

> not that you need anything but the battery - this always worries me. Having had to rush out of a building with a fizzing VHF set with the nicads getting red hot and then throwing it at the ground to get the battery loose I always wonder what the effect of somebody's pet gadget bursting into flames in the cabin at 30000 feet would be. You can't just open the door and chuck it out can you? Is there an emergency hazard disposal chute?

In the cabin you'd cool it down with an extinguisher/water then depending how bad the fumes were, probably declare an emergency, descend and clear the smoke. A few people might get burned hands. People who describe them as 'like a bomb' don't know much about bombs, it's more like a chip pan fire without the scalding liquid oil hazard but with a loud pop.
jk
 wercat 02 Jul 2016
In reply to jkarran:

I take your points but it was the fire and smoke/toxic fumes that worried me - my grandfather, who had to deal with many incendiary bombs during the war would almost certainly have called it a bomb
 Neil Williams 02 Jul 2016
In reply to wercat:

Given that they are banned from some air freight, I don't doubt that they would be banned from aircraft were it not for the fact that it would kill business travel, which is too lucrative for airlines.
 d_b 03 Jul 2016
In reply to Neil Williams:

I think the big difference is that if a battery blows up in someones hand luggage people will see it pretty much immediately and the cabin crew can go for the fire extinguishers.

If it's in the hold then you could have a serious fire on your hands before the alarms go off and no easy way to deal with it.
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