Sorry to disappoint you, but your chances of thwarting the navigation systems on a commercial airliner with a handheld PDA are pretty much nil. Even the backups to their backups have backups. <img src="images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Pre-takeoff is probably one of the busiest parts of the entire flight for the pilots; they're going through an elaborate checklist, checking and double-checking that everything is set correctly. I sure don't want the flight attendants to interrupt them to ask if it's okay for the passenger in seat 17D to use his PDA. The flight attendants, for the most part, aren't pilots and may know less about how an aircraft flies than I do; they shouldn't be expected to make a decision that may result in the departure being delayed, so they err on the side of caution: no electronic equipment turned on from the time the airliner leaves the gate (or whenever) until the captain says it's okay.

Being paranoid about safety is not an unsafe practice.

Considering how many people die on US roads every year, I think driving for 8 hours because you're PO'ed at the airline is a case of cutting off your nose to spite your face. I also don't see how sitting behind a steering wheel for 8 hours is any more comfortable than sitting at the airport for 2. And you have little or no protection against the drunken English rock star who's forgotten we drive on the Right-hand side of the road on this continent. <img src="images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />

I'll fly, thanks. <img src="images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />