Firstly, as it doesn't bother me at all -- and for the reasons mentioned in my previous post -- I do as I'm told, and switch off my devices
<Demetri Martin>If it was really necessary to ensure the well-being of the aircraft, I should be utterly mad to even think of entering such a contraption. Think about it. Yeah. </Demetri Martin>
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Originally Posted by Shaggy
Is that service available during take-off and landing?
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I don't know whether they bother to switch off the base station, I'd guess not (see below), but no, you're not allowed to use your phone. In any case I find it really hard to believe that a device which is OK to use while in normal flight will somehow cause system malfunctions under takeoff or landing, even if some systems (ILS?) are not needed while cruising. The wiring and electronics need to be able to handle lightning strikes (fierce magnetic fields) and electrostatic charge from air friction. An airplane is not even a good Faraday cage, note how you get good service from external cell towers while on the tarmac.
Googling indicates that cell phones only *might* be a problem in cases of missing or damaged shielding, and then only on really antiquated systems. Well, if your aircraft is defect then all bets are off... You might as well worry about the ailerons falling off. In a situation where the radiation from a cell phone might do your avionics in, a lightning bolt certainly will.
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Also, note that when a cell/wireless device is talking to a local receiver, it operates under a much lower power mode than when it is attempting to broadcast to a remote tower. I assume that would make a big difference in the possibility of interference.
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Irrelevant. It would only make a difference if no one tried to connect to a ground cell tower. Phones automatically communicate with every available network when they're roaming, and ground towers are within range when cruising.
This interesting writeup also seems to agree with me.
Some possible reasons why you generally can't use your phone on an airplane:
- People will shout really load in order to be heard through all the shouting from other cellphone users
- It will confuse networks on the ground by skipping quickly between towers, or communicating with many towers at once
- They'd rather have you use their payphone
- It is annoying to other passengers, complaints would skyrocket. Violence?
- You can communicate your position (someone interested in downing the plane would probably send that text anyway)
- It gives you something to do other than buy stuff from them
- It gives passengers a sense of safety (look, they care about us)
- They want people to be alert during take-off and landing
- People waving their arms while talking might injure other passengers. Ok, I'm running out of reasons here, but it *could* happen
It just won't affect aircraft systems directly.
Sorry about the rant, but it just irks me when people keep flogging this horse, it's long gone to meet its maker, you're just plain *wrong*
In any case, I was talking about my radio-less reader. I only gave an example of legit use of a device which is *designed* to emit radiation many, many orders of magnitude stronger. If an active cell phone is allowable in the plane at all, I bet you a nice single malt, heck, I'll bet you a case, that the minuscule em fields generated by my reader can do no harm, taking off or not. You'll win it easily by successfully disrupting the avionics or fly-by-wire systems on an aircraft using the em emissions from a Sony 650 blazing through pages at full speed.