Phone Mount on Plane Seat

Intro: Phone Mount on Plane Seat

I was traveling on a low cost carrier airline (budget airline) and found the trip frustrating as there is nothing to entertain me during my flight. I was able to utilize some items on the plane that can easily upgrade your seat with a screen for in flight videos. Total project is free of cost and took me less than 5 minutes to complete.

STEP 1:

Take three barf bags from the plane pocket and detach the flexible thin metal piece behind it. You may have to borrow from your adjacent seats or ask from the flight attendant if you need more. Two of these metal pieces will serve as a base for your smart phone mount while the last piece will serve as a support on top of the smart phone to prevent it from flipping over.

STEP 2:

Assess the possible mounting points on the table's locking mechanism in front of you. Depending on your plane seat design, bend the two metal pieces into Z shape and bend the last piece into a long J. The Z shaped metal piece should have an indention more than the thickness of your phone. 

Find a secure slot/gap/crack on the table locking mechanism to install your phone mount. After attaching, make sure that the flexible pieces are stiff and does not fall of.The J shaped piece is meant to hold the top part of the phone. It may not be seen in the photo but I just wedged the end of the J-piece between the tight gap between the fabric and locking mechanism.

STEP 3:

Mount your phone, insert your headphone and play a movie :) Surprisingly, this mount held really well even against turbulence during the flight. This mount will work well if the seat in front of you is upright. Once declined, the viewing angle is compromised.

Another option is to always bring a portable suction type phone mount (http://blog.alienskin.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Kensington_Mount.jpg) with you while traveling and sit beside the window so you can fix the phone on the window in front of you while on flight. I was able to use this for a few flights but the DIY barf bag project was more interesting and challenging :) 

Comments

[spark((sputter))flame]

This is genius!! MacGuyver would be proud, assuming he had a smartphone. And flew commercial airliners. And wasn't busy deactivating the bomb attached to the fuselage with the stewardess' ID pin and a pair of coffee stirrers.

Well done!

[daemn22]

haha yeah he's probably busy doing something else. They have to do a remake of that series!

[JohannV11]

I haven't flown in a while - but aren't you restricted from turning on your cellphone aboard a plane? :)

[daemn22]

i believe you can turn the phone ON but limited to FLIGHT MODE after take off and before landing :)

[jivonl]

aii cannot finish this diy.. wrong plane company.. ;-)

[Darocan]

Epic smart!

[bearblue]

nice

[NVDevastator]

This is awesome man. Ive never been on a plane but this is something ill definatly do!

[wilgubeast]

Love it! This needs to be added to my unusual uses for barf bags 'ible.

[kukubee]

Cool!!!
I imagine the phone dropping in the coffee, that will look funny!

[daemn22]

That would be one expensive coffee!

[WoundedEgo]

Clever! Better for your neck.

[daemn22]

A lot of people asks me "why not just place your phone on the table propped up at an angle with a kickstand or something else?" WoundedEgo just says the answer right here :P Plus it's more cool this way haha

[bgepp1]

a serious Macgyver move - I love it. I have noticed that many barf bags do not have a seal strip anymore :( This could easily be a product!

[gfo]

That is soooo MacGyver!!

[mi1ez]

Just brilliant!

[princesskessie]

I notice the latch is not covering the tray table (as it is sideways) - how do you stop the tray table from falling down?
And what if - like all the US flights, the international flights and the Australian domestic flights we just took in the last three months - not one of the barf bags had any think like those wires - or worse still, did not even have barf bags available (I'm looking at you, Delta!), even on request? Suggestions?

[daemn22]

Kessie, fortunately the table in front of me then had a sticky hinge so it didn't fall off even without the hatch locked. If it does though, you can use more metal pieces or credit card to lock the table. I'm not sure what Delta's airline use...perhaps is the flexible metal along the lips of the bag? If so, you can use this phone dock instead: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5T40djmP2js

[stevie3]

Frickin' brilliant!!! Thanks!

[Barb37]

You might well have just become my new hero! I admire ingenuity on the fly (pun intended), and the skill of thinking simple - BRAVO!