In a conversation around 2000, I was told by knowledgeable personnel at one of the two major A/C manufacturers that under specific circumstances, with specific mobile phones and computer accessories, on a specific series of aircraft, the response of some control surfaces to pilot inputs became demonstrably, repeatably erratic (not failed, but erratic) due to interference from the mobile phones or PC accessory. They went into some detail. I believed them.
The problem had been identified and fixed in new manufacturing by then. They instituted an upgraded interference testing program as a result. I can't imagine the other manufacturer has not found the same, and done the same.
I think the main reason that the mobile operators support having the phones turned off below 10,000 feet is because the phones can often be picked up by the base stations (the cell towers) on the ground. The mobile networks are not engineered to handle phones moving at 350-400 mph, although calls often go through and stay up, at least for a while.
|