Bee: I'm convinced devices to block cell phone signals are a myth - otherwise they would be used in all movie theatres!
That would be illegal, is why. They could shield the room, but best way would be that people stop being noisy pricks.
Then the carriers get complaints from end users advising that coverage is Poor in ' ABC ' movie theatre and please fix it or I am not paying my invoice I lost a $$$ sale due to this poor coverage
ajobbins: I usually travel with at least two or three mobile transmitting devices. The number of times I've accidentally left at least one of them on and transmitting....
Modern planes have pretty good shielding. Not just because cell phones came about because interference can come from a variety of places. Mythbusters did a show on it once, and the only way they could get any kind of interference to register was basically in a an cockpit they had built from old instruments, with no shielding etc.
The fact that airlines get upset when I want to read my kindle on landing really annoys me. I'm pretty sure that the purser dimming the cabin lights for landing is more likely to have an effect on the plane systems than my changing the page on my eReader.
Yes I agree entirely with the Kindle thing. Maddening.
I've heard some arguments about not having distractions during take off and landing, so if you have to leave the plane quickly then you can. Funny thing is some long haul carriers leave their IFE systems on to show the moving map or allow you to finish your film so make of it what you will
The 'interference' from electronic devices was never scientifically proven to exist in the first place (only an untested theory) and pilots routinely use iPads and cellular phones on the flight deck: flight mode or not. At the very best the FAA can only say that electronic devices 'may' cause interference.
There was an incident at Heathrow last year or the year before when a pilot was distracted by an incoming text on his own phone that he had not switched off!
If pilots sitting next to the instruments are not switching them off......
Skolink: Yes, cell phones (or at least cellular modems) do work at high altitude. A New Zealand product is the Flightcell DZM which uses cellular (and satellite) phone netwroks for tracking recreational and commercial planes. Air New Zealand have at least trialled them (in conjunction with their iPads), and may now be using them regularly. I'll find out if/when the DZM typically switches from preferred cellular to satellite on commercial flights in New Zealand. A light aircraft flight from Christchurch to Nelson had continuous cellular coverage the whole way.
Westpac Rescue have FlightCell's and they work really well. They also have 2 other cellphones, 6 Radio's (UHF, VHF, Marine VHF and Airband)
Are you subscribed to our RSS feed? You can download the latest headlines and summaries from our stories directly
to your computer or smartphone by using a feed reader.
Trusted
ID Verified
