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Whats the big deal with Flight Mode? |
hrieone
Joined: Aug 23, 2005
Posts: 1
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all,
although the phone wont get any signal from the telco provider, it will keep on trying. the phone will keep on sending transmission packets over the air. this transmissions will create possibilities of interfering with aircraft navigation system. the possibilities is there! and like what murphy's law says : if it can happen, it will.
my 2 cents .... | |
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scotsboyuk
Joined: Jun 02, 2003
Posts: > 500
From: UK
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Mobile phones will do very little to an aircraft, they have more potential to disrupt networks on the ground though. That isn't the point though, most airlines don't want you to use your mobile's radio functions, it's up to them and we should respect that.
Flight mode is a perfectly valid feature though, it allows one to listen to music or play games, etc on a device that one would otherwise be unable to use.
I fly several times each year and I can tell you that in-flight entrtainment does get a little tedious.
"I may be drunk my dear woman, but in the morning I will be sober, and you will still be ugly." WSC |
bijitendra
Joined: Apr 20, 2005
Posts: 89
From: Utopia
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common, we arent using nokia 5110s anymore are we? Current cellphone standards have very low interference standards which are almost unfelt. So if ur captain announces that someone has his mobile switched on, relax, it's someone's poor ol' brick, not ur k750.
Phones: Ericsson 3618 > Nokia 2100 (thrashed) > Samsung C100 (sold2my best pal) > Samsung X600 (lost) > SE T630 > SE K700 (given to cousin)> SE K750 > SE W800 |
AstroBobbit
Joined: Aug 23, 2005
Posts: 3
From: UK
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I'm normally a lurker on here, but I was so appalled at what I just read that I had to sign up.
Please, people, if you're not some kind of communications engineer, please don't offer descriptions of how a mobile phone communicates when out of range of a cell. Perhaps you know a little about GSM, but you probably don't know enough; and you probably don't know how it differs with other mobile phone standards.
Furthermore, if you're not well versed in aircraft safety, please don't offer advice on when it is safe to turn on a mobile phone on an aircraft. The announcement is serious, and will continue to be broadcast until such a time that they can be sure that mobile phones are safe to use during flight.
If the safety announcement says you must keep your mobile phone turned off for the entire flight, you must turn it off for the entire flight. Shame on you if you ignore this. You could be the one flight in a million that drops out of the sky.
The simple fact is that there are many mobile phone communications standards, worldwide, and they all have their differences. Until it is proven that all mobile phones do not interfere with aircraft systems, the safest thing to do is to make sure they are all off whilst the aircraft doors are shut. We can't expect the flight announcement to differentiate between types or ages of phone.
The flight mode of a mobile phone not only ensures that it never attempts to contact a cell, but it also ensures it never attempts to use bluetooth.
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roblightbody
Joined: Jul 16, 2004
Posts: 34
From: Glasgow, Scotland
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I have an airline pilot as a friend of mine and he says they can clearly hear the 'dit dit-dit dit dit' noise through their headsets and it can be extremely annoying and make communication difficult.
Your phone will boost itself to max power to try and get a signal making this effect worse.
So no, you won't make the plane fall out of the sky in a fireball of disaster, but you will be making the pilots life more difficult!! |
darrengf
Joined: Dec 21, 2003
Posts: > 500
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Ok heres my 2 pence worth of info.
I fly quite a few times a year and always switch of my mobile phone, However i have noticed more and more people leaving there phones switched on. Even at 36,000 feet you can be supprised at what signals you do receive on your mobiles. I know one person while flying over the alps (Europe) did a search and found about 6 networks so yes there are networks up there.
One of the reasons that mobiles are asked to be switched of is that back on the ground the base stations cant handle if a call was placed from in the air. Currently bas stations can pass a call on roughly up to 120mph with out cutting you call of, more than that then the cant transfer qucik enough thus you get dropped calls. As aircraft fly faster than this then th base stations would find it impossible to transfer, So technology is a slight draw back,
Also yes the captain does get the clicking in his ear and I would also be anoyed if a plane of 300 pasnegers you would constantly here click click click, This is a anoying.
I beleive that current rules dont allow any other radio transmitten devices other than those provided by the airline can be used.
So airlines have sky phones, this is because the aircraft has a built in transmitter that Satalites like Thuraya can use and transmit calls and great speeds.
Technologies do exisit and are being put into place on new and exsting airbus's aircraft regarding the use of mobile phones.
This will allow you to use the you mobile phone / sms and any other services safe and will not cause the click click in the earphones.
The technology will allow you not to be charged any different than your normal overseas charge from you mobile.
The aircraft are being built into a mast than can see and search faster than you phone. Thus allowing you phone to continue over land at great speed, However the only time you may loose a call is when you are crossing countries and your phone has to swap networks, this will indicate another call, but it wont be long before this is resolved.
The function however can be controlled at any time with in the cabin, so on take of and landing the cabin crew will shut the service down and block the signal. same in the air also the cabin crew if from complaints can close the call function down but still allow for sms or vice versa.
It isnt a long way of too.
I know some airlines are trailing new phones that alow you to put you exsting sim cards in so you can make calls only, this however is a expensive charge to you as it still goes via satalite.
So it isnt long before the rules are altered.
Some American Airlines, alow you to turn you Mobile Phones (Cell Phones) when you have landed and still taxing.
hope this helps
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AstroBobbit
Joined: Aug 23, 2005
Posts: 3
From: UK
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Personally, I don't suppose a phone would cause a plane to drop out of the sky; but I'm not prepared to take the risk until they give the nod and say that's it's OK; and it does annoy me to discover someone on a forum positively encouraging the act.
A strong valid point about the noise though. I totally agree that the carrier signal in the pilot's ears must be annoying. Yet another reason why people should not attempt to use their phone on a plane.
I'm not sure I agree with the reason that calls will get cut off frequently due to the velocity. If that were an issue, I'm sure the airlines would leave that for the individual to discover. What's your source? Besides, I don't think it's an issue because your radial velocity relative to the base station is comparatively low.
There are times (rarely) I wish I could make a call on a plane, and one day I'll be able to. I just hope they reserve a quiet area in the cabin, because I usually like to sleep. |
anish
Joined: Jul 19, 2003
Posts: > 500
From: India / England
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We had a detailed discussion about this topic some time back and there are quite a few scintific explantions in this thread this thread Masseur actually contacted a few airlines regarding this issue then
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[ This Message was edited by: anish on 2005-08-23 20:46 ] |
TGP
Joined: Aug 23, 2005
Posts: 30
From: 9ja
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U switch on your phone where i come from. you is in a lot of trouble mate. no one wants 2 go down. |
max_wedge
Joined: Aug 29, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: Australia
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quite apart from the issue of aircraft safety or the pilot's clarity of communication (which is extremely important at certain times and should be considered a paramount safety issue), there is another big deal about flight mode that everyone has forgotten. 
It allows the mp3 player to run for a lot longer than if the rest of the phone is running as well. This is the primary reason flight mode was included in the W800, and usually why peeps are interested in flashing their K750's to W800. It has nothing to do with the traditional type of flight mode that a PDA phone has, which is designed more for business people who need their PDA functions on long flights.
PDA functions on K750 are too simple (no word processor for example) to be needed on flights. The fact you can use the flight mode to listen to your own music while on a flight is just an extra bonus. |
masseur
Joined: Jan 03, 2003
Posts: > 500
From: Sydney, London
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as a private pilot who has logged many hundreds of hours I can tell you that I have never experienced any intereference in either the radios (navigation or communication) or my Dave Clark headsets from mobile phones in the 4 and 6 seater light aircraft I fly and I have been using mobile phone almost as long as I have been flying (mid 80's).
until recently I have been flying weekly on BA between UK and Germany for several years and every few months back to Oz and I always do appreciate airlines concerns from other safety aspects including terrorism and so have always obeyed the rules.
It was interesting that in another thread Flight Mode not accepted in some aircraft I described my communications with BA in regard to this topic and at the time the senior safety officer I exchanged emails and letters with decided that BA would not allow flight mode but then by the end of the same year they had changed their whole policy, even documenting the acceptablity of flight mode in the in-flight magazine and on their web site
i.e.
Can I use my personal CD player, Gameboy or Bluetooth enabled device on-board ?
I have a laptop which uses Blackberry or bluetooth technology, can I use this on-board your aircraft?
At present, there are no restrictions on carrying hand held electronic games and personal radio or CD players etc. on-board British Airways flights, although we do recommend that all passengers keep hand baggage to a minimum.
Portable telephones and other electronic equipment such as games and computers may interfere with the aircraft systems and must be switched off during take-off, approach and landing.
Portable telephones or any other device that transmits data must remain switched-off whilst the aircraft is in flight.
However, there are some exceptions:
Devices adhering to the Bluetooth standard, except telephones, may be used during flight but must be switched off during take-off, approach and landing. e.g. wireless headsets that use a blue tooth connection to a PC.
Devices which have a specific "flight mode" or "flight safe" setting, e.g. some Smartphones and newer Blackberry devices, may be used in flight provided the flight safe mode is selected. These devices must be completely switched off during take-off, approach and landing.
Some older Blackberry devices cannot be used on-board our aircraft due to safety reasons. Essentially this is due to the fact that these devices 'hunt' for a GSM signal to upload/download data. If your Blackberry does not have a flight safe mode, also called 'wireless off' mode, then it must be switched off for the duration of the flight.
The use of Wireless LAN (WLAN) is currently not permitted on BA aircraft. Laptops with built-in WLAN (e.g. Centrino) may be used during flight, provided the WLAN is turned off. All laptops must be switched off during take-off, approach and landing.
Electronic games, iPods, iPaqs, small radios, tape and disc players, miniature television receivers and similar entertainment equipment have negligible effect on aircraft systems and may be used during flight, but must be switched off during take-off, approach and landing.
Hearing aids, heart pace-makers and similar devices may be used without restriction.
If you are in doubt about the use of any other electronic device whilst on-board, please keep the device switched-off for the duration of the flight as it may interfere with the aircraft systems
My thoughts on the whole topic of "flight mode" is that more and more phones should be provided with this facility as more and more phones converge with other technologies allowsing much more than simple voice and data communication
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[ This Message was edited by: masseur on 2005-08-29 19:03 ] |
dirk27
Joined: Apr 04, 2003
Posts: 45
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I find it quite childish if you don't respect the flight policy. If you really don't want to follow that rule, so don't travel by plane!
It's so annoying that there are always people around wanting to try things even that it isn't accepted.
And so what the chance of interference is minimal, i'm sure those engineers who designed planes and their equipment are a lot smarter and have done research + thinking work about it.
There is a reason why they don't allow it, especially not during take-off or landing because those are the most critical circumstances.
Even if the risk is minimal, wouldn't you feel safer if the risks of haven an accident is reduced even if it's just a little bit?
I heard read in the other topic that a research in 2002 showed that 35 accidents were caused by cellpones... I'd like to see those who try it in those crashed planes.
[addsig] |
ÈL ® ö B ì Ñ
Joined: Feb 03, 2005
Posts: 281
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Bloody idiot!
You probably havn't been told off because they don't know who the hell is doing it.
What are you, like 12?
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dirk27
Joined: Apr 04, 2003
Posts: 45
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" I agree its not allowed (with all stupid reasons they give you), but its not impossible!" quote by rambalu80
Do you really think those reason are stupid? If the law prohibes you to make a call with your phone while driving without using a handsfree set. Do you think this is a stupid rule just because it is really possible to drive a car whil making a phone call??
"@whizkidd
That depends on the individual. Some people like to experiment. Some people like to take a chance and I am sure that anyone who reads this thread and likes to experiment or take a chance will try it.
"
quote by rambalu80
If i'll ever be in the same flight as you, than, no offense dude, but i'll be taking your cellphone before you'll even have touched the 'on/off' button.
[ This Message was edited by: dirk27 on 2005-08-29 23:32 ] |
number2
Joined: Jul 16, 2005
Posts: 113
From: Yorkshire
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Just dont try using your phone near me WITHOUT flight mode, or you wont go to sleep happy, the idea that some prat is experimenting, or testing his/her theory, at the risk of others.... Jerk! | |
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Posted: 2005-08-23 05:57
