Using mobiles in an aeroplane... NOT dangerous after all! (apparently)

Miss L. Toe wrote:
"Tristán White" wrote:
I've been reading about this in various places, that they have found
out that private cellular mobile phones do NOT affect flight controls,
that this information is erroneous. Some report has come out.

So now the question is will people who talk loudly into their cell phones on
planes be more or less annoying than people who recline their seats ???

I vote more annoying - especially if I am trying to sleep (in my reclined
seat).

I'm inclined to agree. The recliner only has one victim; the cell phone user
has a whole blast radius. I am going to be really really upset the day that
they start allowing this. Thankfully most of my flights are international,
and often over water where there are no cell towers.

miguel
--
Hit The Road! Photos from 32 countries on 5 continents: http://travel.u.nu

Who said that they would be different people. The guy reclining into your
lap might also be yacking on his mobile.

Instant messaging from your seat sounds much more interesting.

Stu

"Miss L. Toe" wrote in message
...

"Tristán White" wrote in message
...
I've been reading about this in various places, that they have found
out that private cellular mobile phones do NOT affect flight controls,
that this information is erroneous. Some report has come out.


So now the question is will people who talk loudly into their cell phones
on
planes be more or less annoying than people who recline their seats ???

I vote more annoying - especially if I am trying to sleep (in my reclined
seat).

Who said that they would be different people. The guy reclining into your
lap might also be yacking on his mobile.

Instant messaging from your seat sounds much more interesting.

Stu

"Miss L. Toe" wrote in message
...

"Tristán White" wrote in message
...
I've been reading about this in various places, that they have found
out that private cellular mobile phones do NOT affect flight controls,
that this information is erroneous. Some report has come out.


So now the question is will people who talk loudly into their cell phones
on
planes be more or less annoying than people who recline their seats ???

I vote more annoying - especially if I am trying to sleep (in my reclined
seat).

"Clueless2" no.spam wrote in message
...
"Doug" wrote in message
...
err how long did you spend thinking about this exactly?????

These 'rip off phones' work at 35,000 feet. A Mobile does not.

GSM phones are designed to work up to a distance of 35km (double this
distance if only every other time-slot is used) so working at 35,000 feet
isn't the issue. OTOH, GSM was designed to hand handoffs up to about
150kph and most commercial airliners fly at a much higher speed than this
limit.

That distance is [35km] is connected to the timing of the signals, but there
will be an issue of the signal power to limit the distance too. The antennae
on masts are directional, in that they concentrate their beam in a
horizontal direction. There's probably not going to be enough signal leaking
skywards to be usuable at that great an altitude. I always turn mine off
when flying (except a couple of times when I've forgotten).

About 2 or 3 years ago, the CAA tested mobiles (along with some other
battery powered electronic devices) against VHF comms equipment, VOR and ILS
nav equipment and gyro-magnetic compasses. Problems found included compass
freezing, instability of indication, digital bearing display errors,
deviation indicator errors (with and without a fail flag), and background
noise on audio (you all know the buzz bz bz bz bzzzt noise heard through
speakers that are near mobile handsets).

CAA were doing another report, results were planned for next month, I think?

Ive forgotten to turn off mobile while piloting a single engined aircraft,
and coincidental with the first Bzzzzt noise, had a false alarm in an
avionics warning system. Bottom line is, aircraft equipment -- particularly
those approved against earlier standards -- are susceptible to interference
by mobile phone.

Larger, more recent aircraft, including those with fly by wire systems have
much better shielding of equipment and wires. Better safe than sorry though.

--
Andy.

On Fri, 15 Oct 2004 18:15:54 -0000, "Ivor Jones"
wrote:


"ServiceTech" wrote in message
.. .

[snip]

Some pilots still disagree. They claim interferance with certain
equipment. As long as they disagree, I don't think they'll lift the
ban.

*No* pilot I know would allow a phone to be used whilst in flight. If I'm
correct, the captain of the aircraft *always* has the final say, and that
in my opinion is how it should be.

That's exactaly what I was getting at. Even if you could prove no
problems, some pilots will still disagree. And as long as that
happens, you won't see phones used during flights. The pilot has the
last say


From personal experience, all flights I've been on in the last few years
allow phones to be used while the aircraft is on the ground and at the
gate with the doors open. Once the doors close and the plane starts
taxying, all electronic equipment, including phones, have to go (and stay)
off. Once airborne and at cruise altitude, items like laptops are allowed,
but *not* phones.

Ivor

Anything which transmitts a radio signal is banned from flight at this
time.

"Andy" wrote in message
...
Larger, more recent aircraft, including those with fly by wire systems
have much better shielding of equipment and wires. Better safe than sorry
though.

Agreed.

"Andy" wrote in message
...
Larger, more recent aircraft, including those with fly by wire systems
have much better shielding of equipment and wires. Better safe than sorry
though.

Agreed.

On Fri, 15 Oct 2004 14:13:41 -0500, (Miguel Cruz)
wrote:

Miss L. Toe wrote:
"Tristán White" wrote:
I've been reading about this in various places, that they have found
out that private cellular mobile phones do NOT affect flight controls,
that this information is erroneous. Some report has come out.

So now the question is will people who talk loudly into their cell phones on
planes be more or less annoying than people who recline their seats ???

I vote more annoying - especially if I am trying to sleep (in my reclined
seat).

I'm inclined to agree. The recliner only has one victim; the cell phone user
has a whole blast radius. I am going to be really really upset the day that
they start allowing this. Thankfully most of my flights are international,
and often over water where there are no cell towers.

You don't need them - they'll be allowed through the pico-cell and
satellite/radio back to source - the calls will still be very
expensive though, so I don't think you need worry too much. Just make
sure you don't fly up front in the wide seats....

Jim.

On Fri, 15 Oct 2004 23:19:32 GMT, ServiceTech wrote:

That's exactaly what I was getting at. Even if you could prove no
problems, some pilots will still disagree. And as long as that
happens, you won't see phones used during flights. The pilot has the
last say

And the airline has the last say on if they want to carry on employing
the pilot or not. It'll be a revenue stream for the airline, and a
strong marketing point. The airlines won't let pilots deny them
those.

Jim.

"Tristán White" wrote:
I've been reading about this in various places, that they have found
out that private cellular mobile phones do NOT affect flight controls,
that this information is erroneous. Some report has come out.

This had been one side of the story. The other side is that at altitude, your
phone's signal reaches towers in a wide area, blocking the channel it is using
over a wide area. And because at altitude, towers all seem to have equal
reception, it causes the phone to jump from tower to tower.

The tests that have been made and which will lead to mobile phone service in
2006. But it requres the installation of what is called a picocell
(essentially an antenna) inside the cabin. This will allow the phones to
operate are a much lower power level and their emissions won't reach the ground.

The plane will relay calls over satellite back to the ground. And tel'll
probably ding you for mobile roaming fees, but that will be charged to your
mobile phone bill.