on and navigation receivers (Hunter, 1991, p. S12). The issue was studied by the Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics (RTCA), and testing of the then-limited number of consumer devices resulted in RTCA's document DO-119 and the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) promulgation of Federal Aviation Regulation (FAR) 91.19: Portable Electronic Devices. For commercial airlines, the decision on whether to restrict passenger use of portable electronic products was left to airline management.
The proliferation of consumer portable electronic equipment aggravated the situation, which came to public attention during the 1980 presidential campaign when members of the press were refused permission to use their laptop computers during flights between campaign stops (Hunter, 1991, p. S13). Several airlines suffered bad publicity as a consequence of this action. Interference with aircraft electronic systems, however, is potentially haza
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