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Cell phone Use on Airplanes |
Fingers
Joined: Jan 29, 2002
Posts: 468
From: New Zealand
PM |
Na they can't tell exactly who has a phone that's on, depending on where you are in the aircraft they might not even know that it's on, it all depends on weather or not you're near enough to any electronic equipment. It's not just phones either, there have been reports of gameboys and laptops interfering with navigational equipment, but again it is dependant on where you're sitting. When there is a report of something like this on a particular aircraft Boeing have been known to buy the offending article from the person involved and do their own tests with it. |
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krusel
Joined: Jan 22, 2002
Posts: 60
From: Germany - USA
PM |
regarding september 11th they didnt use the cellphones, they used the on board phones or didnt you see the documentary about it....
second...why in the world would anybody with a little bit off responsibility take the smallest chance off a airplane mailfunction because of some idiot using the cellphone or trying to....
i cant believe that some people even think about it....
it doesnt matter is there the technical possibility or not....the try is simple not worth the lifes in case it doesnt work |
Cheys_007
Joined: Jan 26, 2002
Posts: 49
From: Manchester, UK
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Krusel: Well put. |
decoy7
Joined: Feb 06, 2002
Posts: > 500
From: NW London
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if cellphones were that dangerous everyone would be screened before boarding and it would be enforced that all phones were switched off...this is not the case, you can theoretically leave your phone on silent, not one ensures its off, it's just politely requested.
German regulations insist that all mobiles are switched off before boarding planes while UK airlines permit use of mobiles while engines are not running.
i've been on loads of flights where mobiles are left on in overhead luggage and as soon as we touch down they start ringing.
it's more a case of who has jurisdiction over the airspace and what regulations they have.
don't forget your not permitted to use Radio's either. |
jamojdm
Joined: Jan 13, 2002
Posts: 290
From: Manchester - UK
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Mobile phones do cause interference. Theres an article i found on the internet reguarding all electronic devices on aircraft.
I think it was on
www.smartcockpit.com
Jamo |
Fingers
Joined: Jan 29, 2002
Posts: 468
From: New Zealand
PM |
There are more regulations about this than you can shake a stick at, that means there are a lot by the way. Every civil avaition authority for every country has their own regulations, which normally are driven by the FAA (Americans) and the JAA(Europe). They are all basically the same with their own regional differences. For something like the use of phones etc they are based on the aircraft manufacturers recommendations. If any of you are interested in a Boeing publication with their findings in e-mail me at lostk1w1@yahoo.com, and they're 1's not I's in the address. I'll get back to any of you asap, probably in the evenings, it's about 650kb and is in pdf format. Don't worry it's not top secret so you won't get in trouble for having it. |
ferrarista44
Joined: Jan 30, 2002
Posts: > 500
From: down south
PM |
maybe this is applicable when the plane is still on the ground, and when the tech people are doing routine checking...
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Fingers
Joined: Jan 29, 2002
Posts: 468
From: New Zealand
PM |
Not sure what you mean , but really it's applicable at any time, but most important when the aircraft is in the air. They aren't cheap pieces of tin to keep flying, the last thing you need is somebody damaging expensive electronics, those little black boxes in the main equipment centre below the cabin cost anywhere from US$9000 up to US$300 000, no lie, this is my job, I know. |
Carajo
Joined: Feb 19, 2002
Posts: 29
From: Sweden
PM |
Yes GSM mobile phones will cause disturbances to other electrical equipment. This is only when the phone is transmitting information. Basically when you speak, SMS or use GSM Data or GPRS you transmit ALMOST all the time (not really true but we can use it as an assumption). When you phone is not in use (but on and you are attached to a network) your phone is sleeping and will only transmit at certain periods on time.
Place your phone next to a radio and call it, you will see what I mean. But the big question is what will this disturbance do? I have read a few reports on this but I still think the “interference” is very minimal. But still would you want to risk your life and the passengers since all it takes is little bit of “interference” to cause a malfunction?
Also to clarify things, the radio waves that propagate from the antennas will bounce off of many types of objects, change direction and do lots of funky things. Yes it some cases you can read in signal from an aircaft (maybe not at 11 km up) but much higher than 100m above the antenna heights. GSM networks use both directional antennas and omni antennas at various heights depending on the area, in very rural areas they are very high towers.
Even sometimes antennas in GSM networks are tilted up, for example to cover a mountain side.
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krusel
Joined: Jan 22, 2002
Posts: 60
From: Germany - USA
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cheys_007
thanks...im glad there are still people which put responibility over this kind of risk....
i fly alot myself between the usa and germany and believe me none of the airlines like it when your phone is running on board, and im happy about this. there is nothing as pressures enough that it cant wait a few minutes.
additional ...it is not just the german airlines what require this...i know other good airlines does this too...they even tell you again as soon you are boarded to keep the phones of until you leave the plane....
this topic makes me really angry...sorry about this.... |
astro009
Joined: Feb 20, 2002
Posts: 2
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Hi all, was just reading the thread and found it all rather interesting. Firstly, someone mentioned, do you really need your mobile to be on in a flight? to be honest, i don't really think it'll pick up any signals.
Secondly, i'm an airline pilot flying a wide bodied jet, and i know for a fact that it does interfere with the navigational equipment. not only that, it also interferes with our radio comms. have you been in a car listening to the radio and hearing beeping and clicking sounds on your radio before you receive a call and such? Well, on the comms set in the plane, the interference is constant... it makes it very diff to hear other comms going on, thats why we know that someone has a phone on onboard the aircraft. Apart from the comms interference, i know of a colleague of mine who experienced total navigational failure on an approach. Fortunately, the weather was fine, they made a visual landing.
I plead to all of you, please, don't have your phones on, it can be scary for the pilots, imagine having instruments you were relying on going blank on a landing... thats scary. ESPECIALLY on takeoff and landing.
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sindu
Joined: Jan 04, 2002
Posts: 37
From: Singapore
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Well, we all hear what Astro009 has said about the interference...and he is expirience pilot. Let's just say that it is safer to turn off the cellphone while on board so as not to risk ourselves and the passengers. I clocked in 100k hours yearly in the plane and i surely vote for Astro009's suggestion. But Astro, i can't understand the laptop part...why laptop interfere witht he navigation system or the comm system ??even walkman was ban during take off and landing ?? can u explain it to us ... |
Fingers
Joined: Jan 29, 2002
Posts: 468
From: New Zealand
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Told ya, that's what I've been trying to say, how come you listen to a pilot and not an engineer? All they do is drive it, joke joke, this always winds the pilots up. It's not an easy job and they don't need anything making it harder. |
astro009
Joined: Feb 20, 2002
Posts: 2
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hey sindu, well, i'm not sure about the why laptops have to turned off, but i imagine that its because they just want cover their bases. sometimes electronic equipment give out em waves. but i would have thought that when they certify that it wouldn't then it shouldn't... but saying that, most airlines actually advice you to remove your batteries from certain devices as well. My guess is, they're just trying to be safe. |
Fingers
Joined: Jan 29, 2002
Posts: 468
From: New Zealand
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The use of laptops is entirely dependant on the airlines policy, and many let passengers use them in cruise, they do not emit enough electromagnetic interference. The use of cell phones is a rule made by the civil aviation authorities of the country the aircraft is registered in and is law. |
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Posted: 2002-02-17 23:08
