Push to get connected may soon be cleared for takeoff In flight: Rules may be changing in the US, but will Australia follow suit? Pilots can use iPads during take-off and landing so why can't airline passengers? It is a question that has intrigued the Australian & International Pilots Association president and Qantas pilot Nathan Safe. Safe, a 17-year flying veteran, says that although there is anecdotal evidence of interference the concerns are hard to balance with the reality that what is good for one end of an aircraft should be available down the other end. The current rules are a bone of contention with frequent flyers. David Flynn His view comes as the US Federal Aviation Administration advisory panel on Monday is expected to recommend relaxing rules banning the use of many electronic devices during takeoff and landing. The administration will still need to make its own decision, but the recommendations are likely to be looked at closely by aviation authorities and airlines around the world before making their own decisions. Pilot Nathan Safe. "We use iPads in the cockpit as a source of operational information for manuals, documents and charts during takeoff and landing," Safe said. But in terms of passengers using them during takeoff and landing, as pilots we're not scientists in that we haven't done detailed scientific studies on it, but certainly if the FAA deems it to be appropriate then we would have full confidence in that decision. Safe said there had been no proof that devices had interfered with navigational equipment and that it would be naive to think that on most commercial flights today someone had not left their electronic devices on. He said he had only heard anecdotal stories concerning interference. Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority will watch the US administration's recommendations and subsequent decision closely. "We need to wait and see what the advisory panel recommends and then what the FAA decides to do and when," CASA spokesman Peter Gibson said. It is likely to take some time for the FAA to make changes. But because the Australian agency hadn't yet seen the recommendations, it was "a way off yet" before changes, if any, would be implemented in Australia. It is understood some Australian airlines have already approached the agency to change the rules, but their requests were rejected. . The authority has a number of concerns about devices becoming distractions during safety briefings, or turning into projectiles. Virgin Australia wants the rules relaxed to "enhance" the passenger experience. "We would welcome a review by CASA of the use of these devices during takeoff and landing," a Virgin Australia spokesman said. Qantas said it would "monitor new developments ... including any recommendations from the FAA." Perhaps unfortunate for many constantly connected smartphone users, the US panel will not make a recommendation on whether it is safe to use mobile phones for voice, text or data in the air. The use of mobile phones requires pico cell technology to be installed on a plane. Australia's politicians, not air travellers, may be the ultimate push behind moves to allow mobiles on planes. When the new Speaker, Bronwyn Bishop, was a Liberal leadership contender in 1994, she embroiled herself in controversy on an Ansett flight in April 1994 by allegedly attempting to use her mobile and ordering the plane to land. Labor's Mark Dreyfus was also involved in midair controversy in April last year when he disobeyed attendant and passenger requests to turn off his mobile phone. He was apparently so determined to check his emails that he refused to turn off his phone during takeoff. Qantas staff reported the incident to the Australian Federal Police, who confirmed it occurred, but no charges were laid. Dreyfus apologised. Following the incident, the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association, which represents the mobile industry, put out a paper reassuring travellers that there was "no evidence" to suggest mobile phones interfered with planes from inside the passenger cabin. The group also reminded passengers that no government regulation required airlines to restrict the use of mobile phones. But even so, it advised passengers to adhere to airline policies requiring phones to be turned off and placed in flight-mode during the flight. Telstra said it would watch developments "in this area with interest." David Flynn, a business travel expert and the editor of Australian Business Traveller, said the use of mobile phones at any time during a flight remained a thorny issue. Even if the plane was packing a pico-cell to keep signals from bouncing all the way to the ground and back, you might appreciate in-flight texting but most people I speak with would want a ban on taking and making calls. That time in the air is one of the modern world's last havens, a rare island of disconnectivity, and an airline would fracture that at its own risk. But he said iPads and e-books should be able to be used. The current rules are a bone of contention with frequent flyers, although it clearly falls into the 'First World problem' category. But we're talking about modest low-power devices like e-book readers, tablets and smartphones in flight mode, which most regular travellers have and most seem to feel they should be able to use during that first and last 20 minutes of a flight.