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Originally Posted by Penforhire
We've had enough flights and air miles with enough personal electronics on during them for it to support my "no crashes" more than your "it might crash." It comes down to statistics and convenience. Your threshold of risk is different than mine. The so-called experts are going to err on the side of lowest-risk.
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So you are an expert because you have flown?
I have yet to see a scientific study that shows no risk.
I do know of instances where interference WAS seen. And when certain devices were turned off, the interference went away, and came back when the devices were turned on.
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Crews have anecdotally reported numerous issues linked to computers or devices on board, such as erroneous warnings on collision-avoidance systems, heavy static on radio frequencies and false readings on instrument landing systems, according to NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System, a database to which crews submit voluntary incident reports.
In some instances, crews caught passengers talking on a phone or using a computer when they weren't supposed to. The crews were able to end interference by shutting down the device. Turning it back on recreated the problem, suggesting a possible link. (Even if you are far from the cockpit, you may be sitting near an antenna.) But attempts to duplicate interference with cockpit gear in laboratories failed.
In a study published in 2006, researchers at Carnegie Mellon University who rode 37 airline flights with a radio-frequency measuring device found emissions from cellphones that could interfere with global-positioning satellite systems. And the nonprofit RTCA Inc., which advises the FAA on technical issues, said in a lengthy study in 2008 that emissions from transmitting personal electronic devices, or T-PEDS, could interfere with critical aircraft systems.
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