Why cant you turn your cell phone on while on a jet?

Question

im not allowed to text while in the air HELP!

Answer 1

It can interfere with communications and navigation systems on the aircraft. Even if you are in the rear of the plane away from the cockpit you can still cause problems because antennas are located all along the airframe. Have you ever heard the interference when you leave your phone near a clock radio or car stereo? Imagine hearing that when you are trying to communicate with air traffic control.

Answer 2

The main reason you need to turn off your mobile phone/cell phone off when you're on a commercial flight (jet or prop) is to satisfy the FCC. The FAA says it's up the the 'pilot on command' - but on commercial flights the policy is set by the company, not the individual pilot.



Your mobile phone talks to all of the cell towers if can reach - thus the reliability of the system. But because the range is limited when you are on the ground, the system re-uses the same frequencies. When you are in the air, your phone is talking to many more towers, hence potentially leading to clogging up the (limited number of) frequencies. The FCC doesn't like that and encourages they not be used.



Why do airline companies ban it? Well, I have not heard of any evidence that indicates there is any interference with the voice and navigation radios that an airplane uses - I've certainly seen none when I fly small private planes - but would you want to be an airline carrier that had allowed cell phone usage, had a crash, and a lawyer brought a class action suit claiming that cell phone sin use caused the problem? Given how easy it is for accident-chasing lawyers to get settlements from companies, I guess none of them want to buck the system.



There is also the issue that the FAA must certify any communications equipment used in a commercial flight. And right now, at least, they don't certify cell phones.



My personal opinion is that I'm darn glad. I hate when a passenger is talking loudly to a customer/friend on the phone while we're waiting to close the door - being completely rude to nearby passengers. At least there is *some* peace in the air.

Answer 3

Even though a cell phone does emit an electronic signal it does not really cause a problem with the communications or navigation equipment on large aircraft. The power of a cell phone is many times less then the communications equipment on large aircraft. The FAA requires that any portable electronic device be tested on board each aircraft to make sure that it does not cause a problem. Not every cell phone or device has been checked and is therefore not authorized by the FAA for use on that aircraft. In the future the airlines would like to use a "pico" cell inside the aircraft to connect your cell phone to the aircraft's network and then beem the signal to the ground using the aircraft's antenna. The airlines would then charge a fee for this service as well as your phone carrier.

Answer 4

The main reason for this has nothing to do with cockpit interference that's just what they tell you. your phone individually could not cause a problem, but 200 passenger simultanously using their phone at take off and landing that could be a problem. But it has to do with altitude if you try to make a call or send a text while flying at 30000 ft, it's about how many cell tower you would reach below, on the ground your only in the range of 3-4 cell towers at a time. from that height you would reach dozens and jam the cell network, not to mention the roaming charges, for every single tower you hit.. ouch. There is a company making air-safe cell phones, that can be used in a plane if allowed by the airline... its expensive. but if you need to text that bad, you should look them up.

Answer 5

The rule comes from the "old" days when the phones produced a lot more interference, and the avionics were not shielded as well. These days you can talk or txt without interfeering with the operations of the aircraft, but can you imagine a 2+ hour flight with 100+ other people all talking on there cellphones at the same time. Not to mention the face that you would only be in one cell towers coverage area for only a few moments. Lately the government is more concerned with the possability of terrorists on one flight calling and timing events with other terrorists on other flights or on the ground.

Answer 6

There is several reasons. Many of them have been answered as it may interfere with navigation and communications. The claim that because the aircraft is pressurized and the only way for the cell phone signal to escape the fuselage of the plane is through the flight deck is false.....I would hope ANYONE reading the responses figured that one out!



During take off and landing, consumer electronics can interfere with older aircraft as earlier stated. But the main reason now a days is that people just plain dont pay attention. Most incidents happen during take off or landing. This would be a good time to be prepared to listen to instructions or evacuate a plane should there be an incident instead of texting, talking or listening to Fiddy Cent or whoever the kids listen to these days. And not for nothing, I like my battery to be close to charged at the end of a flight. I have left my phone on by accident several times during flights only to find a nearly drained battery when I landed. When the phone looses signal it has to "work" to scan for available towers and it keeps scanning until it finds one. And you arent going to find one at 40,000 ft, so why waste the battery. Some US aircarriers are now offering or testing Wi-FI... sorry, no skype-ing or IM-ing but you can email. And several european carriers are testing cell "hotspots" on flights. Be prepared though, you will pay for that "I love you Schmoopie" text you send, one way or another. Might be cheaper to get a therapist for your texting addiction.

Answer 7

As a former flight attendant on commuter jets, I have seen how a cell phone can cause trouble on a plane. I was working a flight when the captain buzzed me and asked me to feel the wall on the back of the plane.I was told to do so casualy without causing any alarm to the passengers. I did and reported back that I felt no heat...then asked him what was going on. It turned out that his control panel in the flight deck was telling him that there was a fire in the cargo hold. He had to make a quick decision to either land the plane immediately or deploy the fire extinguishers (which removes all oxygen to put out a fire) in the cargo hold. If I had felt the heat, he would have deployed the extinguishers which would have ruined all the passengers' luggage and perhaps deployed the oxygen masks. Instead we did an emergency landing and pissed off all the passengers. In the end, it was a cell phone that caused the radio signals from the back of the plane to the flight deck to respond falsely.

Answer 8

All passenger aircraft navigate using GPS. Cell phones also for the most part have GPS components if not out right use it.

However unlikely... It is possible that cell phones could cause false data to the planes on-board computers; as well as with all the avionics equipment that maintains the aircraft in flight. This is especiallyy true for aircraft with fly-by wire systems.This means that there are electric servos that instruct the various hydraulic components to move the flaps, elevators, rudder, spoilers, trim tabs, etc. These servos are controlled by the on-boardrd computers. Most aircraft in commercial use no longer have cables or torque tubes connected to the pilots control yoke. The only thing connected is mainly a bunch of switches.

Answer 9

It was found that cell phone signals, specifically those in the 800-900 MHz range, did interfere with unshielded cockpit instrumentation. Because older aircraft with unshielded wiring can be affected, because of the possible problems that may arise by having many airborne cell phones "seeing" multiple cell phone towers, and because of all the electronic systems in a modern airplane that would have to undergo lengthy and expensive certification, the MythBusters speculated that the FCC (via enforcement through the FAA) prohibits the use of cell phones while airborne in order to remain on the safe side, rather than the air companies asking for the ban in order to increase their revenue from in-flight phones. It should be noted, though, that such a prohibition is being lifted in Europe

Answer 10

Anything that is electrical, in this case your cell phone, emits electrical waves or radiation. Any sort of electrical emission has certain characteristics, frequency, amplitude, power, etc. For this discussion the characteristic we are most concerned with would be frequency. When thinking of frequency think of waves on a ocean, lake, or pond. Then think of how many waves hit the shore in a minute. If 10 waves were to hit the shore in a minute then we might say the frequency is 10. Where you run into problems is when you have more than one source producing waves. Think of a boat on the water moving forward as it does it produces waves. Now think of another boat moving in the water in the opposite direction also producing waves. You’ll notice where the waves meet becomes very violent and the wave may even cancel each other out. Now let’s translate this to aviation. Take offs and landings are the most critical stages of any flight and the Pilots are relying heavily on their flight instruments and navigation equipment to ensure a safe flight, this becomes increasingly important as the weather gets bad. Much of the equipment used is electrical in some nature (like your cell phone). So, essentially by using your cell phone during critical stages of flight it’s like being the second boat on the water, potentially creating waves that disrupt critical signals for the pilots.

Answer 11

No device with a radio transmitter or receiver is allowed to be used during flight, and a cell phone using voice or texting is doing both. A cell phone constantly exchanges information with cell towers, and at 35000 feet you would be switching towers by the second. While the odds of your texting causing interference with the aircraft radio, radar or flight electronics is remote, why take the chance? Having dozens or hundreds of radio transmitters from everyone running a cell phone increases the chance of interference.



Imagine being locked in a metal tube with hundreds of people yapping away. People talk on cell phones like they are the only people in the freaking world, if I were stuck next to one of them I'm afraid I would be flushing their phone down the aircraft toilet.

Answer 12

There were a lot of good answers, and bad ones as well. Most cell phones operate in the upper UHF area (800-900Mhz) and run such low transmit power that it's highly unlikely to interfere with the aircraft's electronics (I'd certainly complain if I spent $50 million on an aircraft and it was susceptible to low-power RFI!) There's probably more possibility of interference from a laptop computer than there is from your cell phone due to the frequency involved of the RF. (My 2 meter ham radio, which operates between 144-148Mhz picks up RF from my computers easily whereas my cellphone does nothing to the radio.) The potential problem is due to the voice comm system on aircraft using a very antiquated mode; VHF AM, running around 118-130Mhz range (not sure what the precise allocation is, but you can hear them there). AM is much more susceptible to interference than FM which due to "capture effect" will override any low-level RF source, whereas with AM both will be present in the receive audio. As for the NAV systems, I seriously doubt that any current commercial cellphone will interfere with them.

Answer 13

Can cellular communications really interfere with cockpit equipment?



The answer is potentially yes, but probably not. You want something meatier than that, I know, but that’s about as accurate an answer as exists. Although cellular phones are unlikely to screw anything up, regulators are erring on the better-safe-than-sorry side.



Cockpit hardware and software use radio transmissions for a number of tasks. Whether transmitting, receiving, or simply sitting idle, cell phones are able to garble these signals. As you might expect, aircraft electronics are designed and shielded with this interference in mind. This should mitigate any ill effects, and to date there are no proven cases where a cell phone has adversely affected the outcome of a flight. But you never know, and in some situations, i.e. in the presence of old or faulty shielding, it’s possible that a telephone could bring about some sort of anomaly.



Now, notice that I say “anomaly” and not “flaming wreckage.” You imagine some hapless passenger hitting the SEND button when suddenly the airplane explodes, flips over, or nose-dives into the ground. In reality, should it occur, interference is liable to be subtle, transient, and in the end harmless. People have a hard time grasping that each and every in-flight problem is not an impending catastrophe, and this is no exception. The electronic architecture of a modern jetliner is vast to say the least, and most irregularities aren’t exactly heart-stoppers – a warning flag that flickers for a moment and then goes away; a course line that briefly goes askew. Or something unseen. I’m occasionally asked if I have ever personally witnessed cellular interference in a cockpit. Not to my knowledge, but I can’t say for sure. Planes are large and complicated; minor, temporary malfunctions of this or that component aren’t uncommon. Nine times in ten, what brought about that fleeting glitch is never known.



Having said that, cell phones may have had a role in at least two serious incidents. Some blame a phone for the unsolved crash of a Crossair regional plane in Switzerland ten years ago, claiming spurious transmissions confused the plane’s autopilot. In another case, a regional jet forced to make an emergency landing after a fire alarm was triggered by a ringing phone in the luggage compartment. There have been other, anecdotal reports of varying seriousness, but none can be definitively linked to telephones.



Even if not actively connected, a cell phone's power-on mode dispatches bursts of potentially harmful energy. For this reason, all phones must be placed in the proverbial “off position” prior to taxiing. This is usually requested at the beginning of each flight as part of the never tedious pre-takeoff safety briefing. The policy is clearly stated, but unenforced. We assume the risks are minimal, or else phones would be collected rather than relying on the honor system. I would venture to guess that at least half of all cellular phones, whether inadvertently or out of laziness, are left on during flight. That’s about a million phones on about ten thousand flights every day, just in the United States. If indeed this was a recipe for disaster, I think we’d have more evidence by now.



In late 2004, USA Today ran a front-page story about a proposed relaxation of the cell phone ban. The article prompted millions of Americans to wonder if the rules were ever necessary in the first place. In the days that followed, flight attendants across the country dealt with insubordinate flyers who refused to put phones away when asked, and cynics wondered if maybe there wasn’t some conspiracy afoot. Was the whole thing a ruse from the beginning, designed to encourage passengers to splurge on those pricey seat-back satellite phones? Another theory holds that the ban was enacted at the behest of wireless providers. Without it, they would lose millions of dollars because calls made from aloft are untraceable and callers cannot be charged.



That second one isn’t quite correct, but it has some merit. In America, the existing restrictions were laid out in 1991 by the FCC, not the FAA. Calls placed from fast-flying aircraft tend to jump from antenna tower to antenna tower, resulting in various technical problems for the communications companies. This is entirely separate from, and does not negate, the interference issues.



Another idea suggests that airlines are using the mere possibility of technical complications as a way of keeping the cell phone debate off the table. For better or worse, the minute it can be proven beyond reasonable doubt that doing so is harmless, a certain percentage of flyers will begin demanding to use them. The result will pit one angry group of travelers against another, with carriers stuck in the middle.



If indeed airlines are playing this game, count me among those sympathetic and who hope the prohibition stays in place -- not out of technical concerns,

Answer 14

Been in the comml aviation industry for over 20 yrs as a A/P mech, and can't tell ya how many times I've left my cell on for the trip. Haven't seen pilot or F/A running frantically down the aisle asking "whos cell ph is on! It's gonna make the plane crash!" yet. (and I fly a lot)

I suppose there's a slight possibility of signals "confusing"-returning signals to the aircrafts exterior antennas(ie comm, lrra, etc)...I don't know, but if there was a significant issue/consequences with the possibility of a cell ph on while in flight...I can assure you the FAA or airlines would not allow them onboard. Think about it.

IOWs...it's BS. Like they say..."I'm sure it has something to do with money..." somewhere along the line.

Answer 15

All electronics generate “birdies”. That is slang for RFI. Radio frequency interference. It does not have to be at the same frequency to cause problems. A phenomenon knows as harmonics sends out RFI at twice, 1\2 and 1\4 and many more frequencies related to the original operating carrier frequency. These birdies offend the desired signal causing interference. If you see it on a spectrum analyzer graph there is a spike representing the desired frequency and little spikes all around it representing the RFI. When the RFI spikes get as tall as the desired spike it overpowers the desired spike causing interference. Most of the desired communications occurs around the 121 MHz frequency. (That’s near the same frequency as channel 14 on your cable tv or just above 108 MHz the highest frequency on your FM radio.) Cell phone carriers use frequency much higher in frequency measured in GHZ. The harmonic phenomenon can create offending signals in the 121 MHz range. It does not need to be audible interference to cause problems. The presence of the anonymous carriers can cause electronics to malfunction. There is a real neat chart that represents all the use of airwaves (allocations) from low MHz used by ham radio operators way up to GHz used by satellites. See it at http://www.ntia.doc.gov/osmhome/allochrt.pdf Your phone and other electronics may not cause a problem all the time but the potential is there. Just like driving threw a blasting zone you need to shut off all transmitters then too. This is not as likely as it once was as technology inproves but the existing rules serve us well at this time of ace holes trying to blow us up in the name of some none god.

Answer 16

It's a matter of better safe than sorry. All navigation and communication equipment on an aircraft is shielded from electro-magnetic and radio frequency interference with a great deal of engineering care.

However, the small chance that your blackberry could misguide the aircraft into disaster is well worth you not "gettin at yo peeps".



My personnel opinion, is that cell phone company's would prefer you not do it also, so as not to clog up cell phone switch boxes on the multiple towers you'd be transiting.

Answer 17

It causes radio interference. While the plane is under 10k feet they are still doing a lot of communicating and if everyone is using their phones and WiFi devices it does cause static and interference in the radio. Basically, that first 10k feet they really need to be able to hear clearly everything that is being said over the radios.



As an aircraft mechanic, it really annoys me when people ignore the cell phones off call because i know they're making it hard on the pilots to obtain their instructions from air traffic control. miscommunication to pilots is a huge cause of aircraft crash.

Answer 18

The aircraft has several radio and navigation systems all using various frequencys. The main raidios are the vhf and the uhf, VHF being 30 to 300 mhz and uhf being 300 mhz to 3 ghz. Als there are hf raidos and navaids like ILS/VOR and Tacan depending on configuration. Cell phone fall in between these like the GSM cell starts at 380 mhz. There is a possiblility it could interfere allthough unlikely with the in board equipment. It has happened before so whith so many lives at stake i would prefer landing safely just in case

Answer 19

At first you could but due to a 1932 crash from a disruption in the system (I spelt that right correct) that was caused by 239 phones going off or being used already (stupid thing you can use a ds which sends out 4345 electrical waves a second 2 times more than a cell phone).

Answer 20

The electronic boxes, also called Line Replaceable Unit (LRU), on the airplane operate at different frequencies that could be interfered by the frequencies of the cell phones. Although there have been no incidences resulted by this interference, not even in lab tests, but the FAA bans the use of cell phones for safety precaution.

Answer 21

I've been working on aircraft all my life first as a mechanic now as an engineer, with that said the big push for turning cell phones while on flight was when the airlines started installing those phones the were stored in the head rest of the seats. If I remember correctly it was like $10/minute to use one of those things, of course they failed to produce revenue and now you hardly see them anymore but the idea of flying in a 747 with over 300 passengers and 200 running their mouths on the phone for the whole plane to hear is reason enough to ban them.

Answer 22

The radio frequency used by cell phones could be the same as the frequency used by the communication electronics on an airplane. By using both at once, the waves of your cell phone could interfere with the waves going to and from the plane. The pilots wouldn't be able to communicate with the ground and vice verse. It's electromagnetic interference.

Answer 23

People don't like you using your cell phone inside of the hospital either. You should not use your cell phone around electronic equipment. It's risky. You should wait until the plane has landed or you're in the airport. Bring an mp3 player or an ipod...cell phones seek out towers, interfere with electronics..please just wait until you land to text.

Answer 24

I'm an aircraft tech and the only reason you can't use your cell phone is because you annoy the flight attendants and the other passengers it's also a way to get passengers to use the inflight pay as you go phone so they can make more money. don't believe the mallarky about interference with the electronic systems.

Answer 25

The main reason according to the TSA documents released recently is because Jjhadists (not terrorists because these folks aim to kill specific targets...YOU !) use cell phones to trigger explosive devices. Using a cell on a plane can get you detained, tasered or worse. Unless you are a Senator in which case you can cuss out the attendant and call her the B word with no consequences.

Answer 26

The frequency the cell phone uses can interfere with the frequencies used for the instrumentation in the aircraft cockpit. This instrumentation is used to guide the aircraft to landing and could cause a collision if the interference happens close to the ground.

Answer 27

You can't turn on your cell phone because flying has turned into a nightmare as it is, and it would end up with physical confrontations that the flight crew would have to deal with if we had to listen to your annoying, self-important yapping. Why do I know it would be annoying and self-important? Because you posed this question in the first place. Please just sit down, shut up, and don't take up all of the air in the plane. This has been a public service announcement.

Answer 28

The main reason is they want you to use the air phone on the back of the seats. But there is a very slight chance you may cause interference in the electronics of the aircraft, but highly unlikely

Answer 29

you can turn it on. your altitude above the cell towers determine if you will have a signal or not. the company I work for I am one one of its four mechanics and sometimes get to fly in the plane after a completed phase inspections, I watch our pilot use his cell phone all the time while on the ground or at low altitudes. Now commercial companies are a different story.

Answer 30

Oh no! Can't text? What WILL you do? Don't worry the world will not come to an end. You can't/shouldn't text 'cause it can interfere with the navigation/communication equipment on the plane. Pretty sure you don't want to crash a plane over some stupid text message. Nobody is THAT important they can't take a few hours away from texting..

Answer 31

I comprehend there are 2 reasons for turning cellular telephones thoroughly off on an analogous time as in flight on an plane: a million) If became on, the cell telephone has a "view" of many extra cellular towers than it would often have whilst on the floor (This curiously confuses the cellular device) and a pair of) cell telephone emissions would intrude with the plane's navigation systems. on an analogous time as the cell telephone would use a diverse frequency than the plane's navigation device, it ought to apply a close-by oscillator, frequency multiplying circuitry, and/or different varieties of frequency synthesis in its receiving and transmitting circuitry. those circuits "leak" a number of their capability into the airwaves and the "leaking" capability could be of a frequency that interferes with the plane's navigation receivers. there are various navigation receivers on an plane. The VOR or Very intense frequency Omnidirectional Receivers are utilized in conjuction with floor placed VOR transmitters. The DME or Distance Measuring equipment receiver is utilized alongside with DME transmitter co-placed with the floor-based VOR transmitter. The ILS or tool landing device additionally makes use of the VOR receivers. There are additionally Microwave ILS systems and GPS systems, all of which use receivers. as nicely there are verbal substitute receivers and transmitters and a transponder (gets floor-based Air site visitors administration radar alerts and transmits back id, altitude, and different coaching to ATC).

Answer 32

depending on what make and model the cell phone is, you should be able to turn your cell phone on while on a jet. just press the red phone on the keypad and hold it for 3-5 seconds. if that doesn't work, check to make sure that there's enough charge on the battery.

Answer 33

One potential answer that hasn't been addressed (though I haven't flown in ten years, so I might be wrong on this) is at altitude, you're almost seven miles from a cell tower even if you're on top of it. I doubt you'd get s signal... Again, I might be wrong. I have AT&T, live 1/2 mile from a tower and still can't get a signal. LOL

Answer 34

They tell you to turn it off so I don't have to take it from you and stomp it. It's bad enough having to listen to some rude dipstick yapping away in the local diner, but being cooped up with a such an idiot on a plane would be too much for most intelligent people.

Answer 35

You can.



The concern is the cell phone signals could screw up the electronics on the plane. I predict there will be a terrorist attack using a high power electronic device in an attempt to knock out the electronics on the plane and bring it down.



Scary....ain't it?

Answer 36

your cell phone is a transceiver so the output power can interrupt the reception of navigation and or communication equipment. It is very unlikely but I have been in a small a/c and when a cell phone was used, one of the navigation instruments became erratic.

Answer 37

If you can't wait ten minutes to send or receive texts, you may have an addiction. Why ten minutes? Because that's how long it is after takeoff you are allowed to use electronics. Not even ten minutes, actually.



What, is somebody threatening to kill you or something? If that's the case, then you shouldn't be on Yahoo! Answers.

Answer 38

Actually you CAN use your mobile phone while in the airplane, the main reason of airline is we value the life of others, the instruments of the flight deck is very sensitive and very important for the pilot they are the eyes. the chance to have error DUE to signal of phone flactuation is minimal BUT we are preventing air crash, so it is better to switch off your phone than sorry!! in short we are preventing the chances or the percentage to malfunction or to have failure in the flight instrument!

Answer 39

Its a policy of order and consistency. You could have a hundred cell phones in the cockpit and nothing would happen to the communication and navigation systems...

Answer 40

Cell phone battery energy would interfere with the planes energy field.

Answer 41

It might interfere with the communications or the electronic instruments on the jet.

Answer 42

As the cabin has to be pressurized for flight, there is no way the waves for transmit ion can get out of the fuselage, the only way out for those waves is the flight deck antenas, so that may cause interference for the captain and f.o.

Answer 43

It is just an empty hype spanned off by the aircraft manufacturers in this modern age.

Answer 44

besides the common answers of interference.... your cell wont get much signal at FL350 aka 35,000 feet hehe

Answer 45

Have you ever tried just looking out the window? Very Amazing ; )

Answer 46

it... (dont) but people say it messes up the electronics on the air plane... just like don't make calls at a gas station.. might start a fire... it wont you just are not suppose to

Answer 47

because it will interfer with the navagation system of aircraft

Answer 48

it can cause communication problems with the tower

Answer 49

Because of DumbA$$e$ like Keith!!!!!!!!!

Answer 50

Because the airlines like to torture moron passengers.

Answer 51

It's really BS and doesn't hurt a thing.

Answer 52

Because the seats are too narrow and you can't move your arms.

Answer 53

you can't wait FIVE MINUTES for an answer?



https://answersrip.com/question/index?qid=20100109181518AAFUtpY

Answer 54

because they SAID SO!!