QANTAS' air safety spiel warns not to try finding lost phones Your correspondent noted something odd during his flight to VMworld 2016 aboard Australian airline QANTAS: during the pre-flight safety briefing passengers were told to ask the crew for help if they lost their phones aboard the A380 and not, repeat not, to try to find it themselves. The Register asked QANTAS why it now makes …
"Or better, to drop it in a bucket of water."
I think you misspelled "sand".
A fully charged lithium battery has significant quanties of pure lithium inside it and mixing with water is going to result in a bad day if you do it whilst airborne.
On average an aircraft fire which can't be put out by cabin crew will down the plane if it is further than 11 minutes from being able to land.
Even primary Lithium coin cells like CR2032 can be persuaded to explode / burn*. Batteries that are cycled many times or charged too quickly can get a build up of metallic Lithium, which burns nicely in water. I've wondered are the PP3 / E block/ 6F23 etc batteries made with lithium chemistry safe for appliances made to take layer cell or alkaline types, like how many toys are unsafe with NiMH or NiCd rechargeable because of their lower impedance means a short can cause a fire due to hot wire and plastic.
At least Lithium batteries aren't as bad as Chlorine Trifluride
So there are two aspects to any battery system, the cell contents and ability to supply enough current to use shorted wiring as a ignition source to plastic, paper, cloth etc.
[* Short out ONE AA NiMH to set the plastic of wire on fire. Short out a stack of 20 off CR2032 to see them self destruct. Obviously the 1.5mA to 2mA current limit quoted may be a safety limit rather than the limit of what can be supplied.]
Few things are as bad as ClF3 it must be said. Oh, maybe Dioxygen Diflouride
In the 1980s some PC used Lithium Thionyl Chloride batteries for the clock. I remember buying them in 1980s for parameter RAM for an Industrial Controller I was developing, no Flash memory then. The NiCd packs didn't have long enough life and also self discharge was 100s of times more than the static RAM standby current.
I wonder are they still made? Thionyl Chloride
One of the ingredients of super glue isn't much fun either. Methyl Isocyanate, I've noticed it lately as an ingredient and wondered. A spill of "Superglue" can set damp cotton on fire.
According to my preferred sources (avherald.com) the incident with the seat was a Sydney-Los Angeles flight. The one that landed in Dallas was in May and the phone did not erupt in flame.
But I still don't understand why the passengers should not search for their phone by them selves (beside te obvious dismantling of the seat).
Dont we have Diesel powered phones yet?
Sure they would stink and be noisy but Diesel is pretty tricky to set on fire.
Also whats manlier than reeking of Diesel?
Diesel and large hunting knives should be allowed on flights. How is a red blooded hetero macho guy supposed to shave otherwise?
With shaving cream and a safety razor? Give me a break.
Ill never understand why the person sitting next to me on the tube feels uneasy when I slap on some diesel after sharpening my knife on my belt then proceeding to shave with it.
Im pretty metro these days, I moisturise with 10w50 after I shave and deodorise with WD40...for the ladies you understand.
I even wash twice a week splashing collected rain water on my face, armpits and bollocks...all the key areas.
I then brush my teeth with a scouring pad and brasso then floss using barbed wire.
To prove my metro sensitivity, when I entertain the ladies (and I do, only 70% of them have difficulty learning or other similar psychological issues) I cook my signature dish. Rattle snakes wrapped in fire blankets and thrown on a burning tyre fire which are then left to simmer aggressively until knackered. I then sprinkle on olive oil, herbes de provence and iron filings for presentation and flair. Served with a garnish of dandelions and nettles.
I pair this dish with a rough, difficult to swallow, Danish lager. Preferably one with a viking on the tin.
The night will then be gently wound up by curling up in a skip romantically lit with a road works warning light to watch some hard Belgian porn on my portable DVD player with the sound of road traffic and foxes shagging for ambiance.
Also whats manlier than reeking of Diesel?
An eye wateringly rank musky body odour, I'd suggest. My teenage lad will be pleased to demonstrate the concept.
How is a red blooded hetero macho guy supposed to shave otherwise?
Shave? Shaving is for p***s and suits. Real men don't shave (or have food infested jihadi beards for that matter). They just have coarse stubble. Cut it with wire clippers once a week and you're good to go.
> Diesel is pretty tricky to set on fire.
So is kerosene. You can use it as fuel in a diesel engine (although it tends to lack the lubricating properties of diesel, so may trash the injection pump), but both burn relatively well if you provide a wicking surface (like seat cushion fabric or carpet) and a decent ignition source (zippo?)
If you had a diesel powered phone, then getting it crushed in the maw of some electric seat would just create a different set of hazards.
Last night, September 8th, I was on a Jetstar flight from Perth to Melbourne. The usual air safety announcement before takeoff had an addendum. I paraphrase - because of a worldwide recall of Samsung Galaxy Note 7 mobile phones this device was completely prohibited from being turned on during the flight. Other devices could be used in flight mode.
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