Turning Off the CGM during Air flight

I have read other posts on people that do and do not turn it off but no explanation of why...

Can someone tell me why MM wants us to turn off the CGM during flight ?

I fly long trips (3-6 hrs) a lot and I relay on the CGM to keep me posted during that time.

I have a hard time believing that the bluetooth connection will interrupt the aircraft as if I move the meter to the other side of my Body I loose the transmitting values.

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The WHY is the key to understanding and education and since I got my Pump and CGM I have had many myths cleared up as historical and/or sales of supply related.

I would be grateful for any help on the reasoning of this instruction.

There are some urban legends, Federal (USA) laws and regulations, and a bunch of brown matter that is better flushed going around. That said, I will share what I have learned.

1) after speaking with the FAA Regional Flight Surgeon for the Southeast US, she and I agreed, there is no need to turn any radio frequency diabetic devices devices off during a flight.

2) a discussion with Delta's Flight Surgeon had the same response. Do not turn off the radio chatter between diabetic devices during a flight in the USA or on a US Carrier.

3) I have been told to put up my PDA when checking a BG during "restricted times" on US flights. Once I share what it is, everything is fine. I have even been asked for a "show and tell" by the cabin crew.

4) be careful flying into other countries or on non-US carriers. This is the reason Medronic has two different pump/remote models - one for USA/North America and a second for the rest of the world (Animas and Omni-Pod do not to my understanding). I have posed the question to a local representative about using USA equipment in other countries. Let your imagination go here about secret transmitters, spies and the wild spin a writer could pen.

Facts related to the situation:

1) Any radio transmitter or receiver on an aircraft must be both FAA and FCC "type accepted."

2) FCC for the most part works well with FDA since the devices are low powered and usually on telemetry frequencies (medical or industrial).

3) FAA wants its own, very expensive test performed at the expense of the manufacturer. This has little pay back for the manufacturers.

So now to answer your question "why MM wants us to turn off the CGM during flight ?"

The reason the manufacturer of radio transmitters within medical devices tells users to turn off the radio features is because the manufacturer does not have an FAA blessing for the equipment to be used aboard an aircraft operating under FAA control.

Thanks for the through response.

I’ve had the MM and their CGM. I now use the Omnipod and Dexcom. I fly often even to europe. Have never shut them down. The first flight I took I talked to the pilot and he had no problem with it.

I just flew Sunday 3/20/11 domestically from Dayton, OH to Austin, TX with my MM paradigm 722 and CGM. I did not shut my CGM off and did not even bother to ask the Delta staff about it. I found the CGM very helpful due to the flight being delayed an hour and a half before we left the ground. The CGM helped me raise my BG to an appropriate level to rush through Dallas Fort Worth to barely reach my connecting flight. Also helped with my backup late lunch of fig newtons.



I was very concerned about the TSA “finding” my CGM and not knowing what it is or ever hearing of it and giving me a hard time. I am flying home on Thurday and plan to use the same strategy, “don’t ask, don’t tell.”