Planes and cell-phones

You certainly all know that it is forbidden to use cell phones on board planes. Let's talk about that, as this is something some people find frustrating, let's have a look at that. This is a particularly hot topic as some airlines (including Air France) are now allowing this, via their own antenna on board.

As a cell-phone owner, you probably already noticed that when you put it beside a radio or a tv, when someone's calling you, the tv / radio speakers are disturbed and emitt loud cracks. But as soon as you get your cell-phone away, the cracks diminish quickly.

These cracks come from the interference between your sound system and the microwave-like waves used by the cell phone technology. In a plane, the same could occur. And as the plane antenna are dispatched under the fuselage at various places, a cell-phone could potentially generate the same cracks in the radio used by pilots to communicate with air-traffic control, or for with the radio-navigation system.

From a technical point of view, the probability is extremely remote, but hey, would you like to take a chance ? Imagine for a second that your phone creates an interference with the instrument landing receiver while the plane is following its signal, 30 meters above groud, and give then an incorrect indication to the autopilot. This phone call could have been delayed... no ?

So the easiest is to switch off your phone while boarding the plane. You will then avoid dancing while seated to find it in your pockets, and have a longer "phone off relaxation" time.