Why do we have to turn our iPhones off on flight...

[Peligro911]

Maybe it's so you have to purchase movies and crap from them and pay attention to the take off announcements lol


Sent from my iPhone 5 from a galaxy far far away (in the USA ) using Tapatalk !

 

[Nyan_Cat100]

I think it's a huge conspiracy to get u to pay for the inflight entertainment plus modern aircraft wiring is heavily shielded to prevent any interference so I think it's a load of bull

 

[eastbayrae]

If it's such an issue with the FAA than why are some airlines allowing cell calls to the ground AND wifi on flights?

 

[TRoss]

As I understand it, it is about keeping devices stowed during takeoff and landing when they might easily become projectiles if something went awry. At cruising altitude they don't care because the chances of that are much less likely (you can also recline your seat and have that tray table down at those altitudes). If people have them on while the flight attendants go strap in then they can just pull them back out and use them. If the people next to you think using your device will bring down the plane there is a higher degree of social pressure to keep things stowed than if the fear is that given a lurch in the plane it might fly out of your hand.

But seriously, if a powered on device in airplane mode can in any way interfere with the plane then 1) why allow them at cruising altitude 2) why don't hijackers take advantage of a design flaw more egregious than the Death Star's exhaust port?

 

[jerome g]

As I understand it, it is about keeping devices stowed during takeoff and landing when they might easily become projectiles if something went awry. At cruising altitude they don't care because the chances of that are much less likely (you can also recline your seat and have that tray table down at those altitudes). If people have them on while the flight attendants go strap in then they can just pull them back out and use them. If the people next to you think using your device will bring down the plane there is a higher degree of social pressure to keep things stowed than if the fear is that given a lurch in the plane it might fly out of your hand.

But seriously, if a powered on device in airplane mode can in any way interfere with the plane then 1) why allow them at cruising altitude 2) why don't hijackers take advantage of a design flaw more egregious than the Death Star's exhaust port?

I agree with all of your points.
I will digress a little re projectiles.
Why is it that you can carry a child under 3 years old on your lap without them being strapped in ?
That is the most ridiculous thing I see happening on a plane. If there is a high speed crash.....you want to see a projectile?

 

[eastbayrae]

I agree with all of your points.
I will digress a little re projectiles.
Why is it that you can carry a child under 3 years old on your lap without them being strapped in ?
That is the most ridiculous thing I see happening on a plane. If there is a high speed crash.....you want to see a projectile?

Where is this allowed? I was under the impression every US state had seat belt laws. ANY parent doing this should be jailed for child endangerment.

 

[Jack Hard]

I can fly over 100 flights a year, I think it's more fun to have recently become more anal to make smartphone is turned off. They tell people to "airplane mode" is not good enough. You must be off / disable.

 

[tgp]

Why is it that you can carry a child under 3 years old on your lap without them being strapped in ?
That is the most ridiculous thing I see happening on a plane. If there is a high speed crash.....you want to see a projectile?

That is technically true, but look at it this way: there are probably lots of families with children <2 years old that would not fly if they had to pay for the extra ticket. The family would drive instead. Flying is statistically many times safer than riding in a vehicle, and I'm sure the statistics include a child sitting on their parent's lap.

When you look at it that way, the parents should be congratulated for holding the child on their lap on a plane instead of putting them in greater danger by strapping them into their DOT approved car seat in the minivan and hitting the road!

The FAA has actually used this argument when reconsidering allowing lap children on flights. They decided that not allowing lap children would push families out of planes and onto the road, and they decided to leave the rule as is for now. European airlines use a harness that fastens the child to the parent's seat belt.

As to the OP, my cousin told me that one time on a flight he was sitting next to a pilot who was deadheading, and they discussed the cellphone rule. The pilot told him that it has little to do with signal interference. It has more to do with distraction, and the fact that cell phone carriers would have trouble tracking the call because of the quick handoffs from one tower to the next. It is my opinion that if there was any chance of interference that cellphones would be confiscated at boarding.

 

[bunjy]

There have been numerous times I've left my phone on during a flight. Obviously, I'm still alive to talk about it. I think these rules will eventually go away.

 

[Nyan_Cat100]

I Also think its a conspiracy to get you to pay extortionate amounts for the inflight cabin phones which I haven't seen on any British/Irish aircraft!
I agree that if there was such a big problem with interference why not confiscate phones at boarding?

 

[anon(4698833)]

You do it because you're told to, that's why. LOL! It really is as simple as that...if the powers that be told the masses that eating peanut butter on a plane could cause gas within the passenger compartment that may lead to decompression and the loss of lives, a very strong majority would just go with it.

Think about that the next time TSA tells you the water bottle you just bought from the stand right next to their security checks is illegal to take with you. Always makes me feel warm and fuzzy...and I'm a federal LEO!

 

[jtan99]

i always leave my phone on or put it in 'airplane mode'. nothing bad has happened yet and nobody seems to care/notice I think it's just some rules back in the day that they're too lazy to change

 

[ckalli]

Because of Crossair Flight 498, 7 passengers and 3 crew dead. it was never officially proven, but the autopilot failed at the same exact time that a passenger got a call on his mobile. the cause of the crash was pinned on pilot error. nevertheless ONE call One failure. that was enough for the FAA to ban it. today's phones are probably a lot safer than those in 2000, but that's not a foolproof plan.. people still use old, cheap phones with poor build quality that could interfere with aircraft systems. There are so many frequencies being used on an aircraf, it would take extensive testing to get an all clear. I dont see this happening in the near future. ipads and non cellular devices maybe. phones i doubt it..

 

[eastbayrae]

Avionics have so much shielding nowadays not much interferes with them, it is usually pilot error.

 

[Nyan_Cat100]

Because of Crossair Flight 498, 7 passengers and 3 crew dead. it was never officially proven, but the autopilot failed at the same exact time that a passenger got a call on his mobile. the cause of the crash was pinned on pilot error. nevertheless ONE call One failure. that was enough for the FAA to ban it. today's phones are probably a lot safer than those in 2000, but that's not a foolproof plan.. people still use old, cheap phones with poor build quality that could interfere with aircraft systems. There are so many frequencies being used on an aircraf, it would take extensive testing to get an all clear. I dont see this happening in the near future. ipads and non cellular devices maybe. phones i doubt it..

That could have been an older aircraft with little or no shielding and the components could have generated their own electromagnetic fields which could have interfered with the other components potentially the reason for autopilot failure

 

[Timhewitt]

There were a dozen specific actions by the crew that were the cause of the Crossair Flight LX498 crash. None of these had anything to do with a cell phone.

The cell phone "cause" was entirely speculative.

 

[ckalli]

The cell phone "cause" was entirely speculative.

exactly.. but that was all it took for a blanket ban!

 

[LCW]

I've never turned my iphone off on flights. Haven't since my first iPhone in '07. No crashes yet. Nor will there be.

 

[PinkBanana]

Mine always gets put into airplane mode and airplane mode remains on until the plane is at a standstill. Only then does it go back into cellular mode.

 

[mulasien]

Because of Crossair Flight 498, 7 passengers and 3 crew dead. it was never officially proven, but the autopilot failed at the same exact time that a passenger got a call on his mobile. the cause of the crash was pinned on pilot error. nevertheless ONE call One failure. that was enough for the FAA to ban it. today's phones are probably a lot safer than those in 2000, but that's not a foolproof plan.. people still use old, cheap phones with poor build quality that could interfere with aircraft systems. There are so many frequencies being used on an aircraf, it would take extensive testing to get an all clear. I dont see this happening in the near future. ipads and non cellular devices maybe. phones i doubt it..

That could have been an older aircraft with little or no shielding and the components could have generated their own electromagnetic fields which could have interfered with the other components potentially the reason for autopilot failure

And that's why we also have airplane mode.

Big difference between turning cell radio on, being in airplane mode but still turned on, and having to power off completely.

I can see the reason for turning the radio off, I can't see the reason for having to be turned completely off airplane mode being sufficient (which would satisfy the above scenario) (also, which I never do anyway).