Mail is delivered

Mike, you said:
"Rick, the Patriots usually hop right on their charter flight and since they aren’t on JetBlue, they wouldn’t have TVs. So I’d expect some solid pilot-to-cabin communication, maybe with radio play-by-play man Gil Santos hopping up into the cockpit to provide the color-filled updates."
I'm pretty sure the pilots do not have a TV in the cockpit (I believe it's against FAA regulations). Although it's certainly a possibility that the company, understanding the situation, would provide the flight crew with some updates, I'm pretty sure there will not be any play-by-plays.

Hi Ritchie. I just meant that the pilots would probably be talking to the ground control, getting updates, then passing them along.
--Mike

Belichick said during his weekly weei appearance Monday that they typicall get tv on the flights and expect to get it on this flight also.

Air Traffic Control won't be giving them any updates per FAA regulations (trust me on this one). The charter company is probably capable of giving the flight updates, but it is the prerogative of those working to do so. For example, the company's flight dispatcher may not be a sports fan or have access to the game. If there is bad weather, the pilots may request not to be distracted with the updates. Etc, etc.

Thanks. I've updated the mailbag to reflect Belichick's comments. I did not hear them, although a player told me today he doesn't think they get the games. My hunch is that they will be getting updates in some way or another.
--Mike

I hope they do get updates. Otherwise, that could be one long flight!

Mike, I never remember to email your prior to the mailbag but I always find something that I need to respond to!

Although I think Mangini essentially tossed away any respect from other NFL organizations by what he & the Jets did last season I think if he tanked in this game purposely it would be viewed equally as poorly by his own organization. They DO still have something to play for. If the Pats or Ravens lose they are in and, even though they will know the results of the first game by about the start of their own, it should not affect the way they prepare this week. They may not win but he's not going to run the risk of getting fired over a grudge.

Also, I've noticed this Pioli & McDaniels talk has geared up yet again. I don't see either happening simply because of what they have to lose. Assistants and players with Belichick have it made; this has become an absolute fact. The list of coaches and players who have left only to fail is very high - only Dmetrioff in Atlanta(sp?) and Oakland DC Rob Ryan have made it on their own. If you are Josh McDaniels, you're at the beginning of a promising career, you don't have a ring as an OC yet and you're working with Tom Brady. If your Pioli you are working in an organization, with a coach and community that completely defers to you on your choices. Either of them leaving for a 4 year contract worth double what their making now is not as valuable in the long run if they are headed for failure (with an Oakland or Detriot) and a long term downgrade in assessed value. Your life & career is a marathon not a sprint - Mangini will be one who'll learn that the hard way.

Ritchie, I know for a fact that they get updates from control whether it's approved or not - I've been on a commercial flight where we got a final score update. On top of that I'm sure they'll make an exception.

i think that the change off time in the games really affects the Patriots.It would have been better if the Pats started at 4:15.With a Pats win early the Jets aren't playing for nothing.So the players can give up and let Miami have the game.It should have not been done.

Sonny_Corlione, I don't want to disagree with you, but I can say from first-hand experience that Air Traffic Control does not give sports updates to airplanes. First, TVs, radios and cell phones are strictly banned in the control area, so the controller would not have the information to start with. Second, almost alaways the controller doesn't even have the few seconds it would take to pass on information like that. Third, those types of radio transmission are not allowed by the FAA. Forth, there's a very good chance that the controller wouldn't know that the Patriots were on a certain flight (that's not information that's usually passed).
It's very possible that sports updates are given to the pilots by their company. Companies have their own frequencies to talk to pilots and sometimes other (usually electronic) communication devices. Those people are called Flight Dispatchers, and, depending on the regulations of the company they work for, may have access to football scores and may be allowed to pass that information along.

I find it hard to believe that in this day and age that the players, at least some of them, haven't some sort of device in which they can get data, scores, or other info by phone, internet, laptop,blackberry, or just a quick flyover the Meadowlands to catch a glance at the scoreboard.

That would be pretty cool to have the pilot buzz the stadum in the 4th quarter. (lol)

I just asked a pilot for a major airline...
He said they have a code they can input in their on-board computer that gives the latest sports scores.

Peyton Manning said recently in an interview (NFL Network, shown right before Thursday's game against the Jaguars) that the players completely disregard the rules on a plane and everyone is talking on their cellphones, using their laptops, etc. I would think that even if they're getting periodic updates, they'll find a way to make sure they know what happened, almost as soon as it does. And that's if they're not actually listening to the game on their cellphones or online.