What would be the implications if one was to use one's mobile phone on a plane?

Question

I don't need to know for any reason, it's just out of interest, as they moan on at you a hell of a lot about turning them off and I've always wondered "would anything actually HAPPEN if you left it on, and maybe even took a call?"

I think some people have misunderstood - I wouldn't ever actually do this. It is only out of curiosity that I would like to know!

Answer 1

Little to nothing. If you were caught you'd likely get a fine.

I deliberately left mine on during a part 135 flight on a company Learjet, only to discover that I lost signal when we passed trough about 4,000' MSL and didn't get a signal until we were below 4,000 MSL.

There's no legitimate data to indicate that cell phone transmissions would interfere with the aircraft's navigational systems. In the early days of cellular telephones, you could use a small aircraft to avoid roaming charges, (such as one of my instructors who talked to Bimini from Houston area air space for only 30 cents/minute.) And I've had pilots answer their telephones in flight, when I called.

From a standpoint of manners, it's bad enough we have to talk to the absolute strangers that are crammed intimately close beside us, do you really want to listen to them yap on the phone as well? You thought restaraunts were bad.

Answer 2

The Federal Communications Commission that regulates all radio transmissions has in the past thought that a cell phone high up in a plane would tie up too many towers on the ground at one time, so they outlawed use of the cell phone in airplanes. That may indeed be true, but I haven't read any proof. I do know they will work from an aircraft, because on September 11, 2001 several people made calls.
The Federal Aviation Administration that controls all flying have supposed that a cell phone might affect navigation or communication equipment on airplanes, but that also hasn't been proven.
The folks that run gas stations have assumed a cellphone would set your car on fire while gassing up if it rung, another thing that has never been proven to happen.
Personally, I would use my cellphone in an emergency on a plane, and I never turn mine off when fuelling, but the possibilities exist for some bad happening,

Answer 3

It is only a matter of law, not any real issue with avionics. There's been a final ruling that the cells can't be used on planes, so that's that. What it comes down to is antenna height. A cell phone antenna can only be so tall. I don't know what that height is, but say 100 feet tall. Obviously, in an airplane your phone antenna is higher than 100 feet. Besides that, I've tried using my cell phone when flying over Houston, where there are plenty of cell towers. Doesn't work. I was flying past towers too quickly for the phone to lock onto one cell before it came to the next.

Answer 4

Its not a life and death type of thing... the real risk comes with the communications radios which would just mean that the pilots would hear your conversation and quickly make an announcement to turn off the phone... The secondary risk is navigation radios, which is only really important in an ILS approach... otherwise, navigation is done by GPS nearly 100% of the time... Funny what the guy above said about fly-by-wire airplanes being interfered with by electronics... its not like that... the control surfaces are controlled electricaly with little motors rather than hydraulic fluid... Those wires are like power cords, they are not interfered with by any radio transmitions... think about it, if the radio waves from a cell phone can disrupt the communications and the fly-by-wire controls, they are on the same frequency, and that means that if cell phones can interfere on the frequency, the communications radios in the cockpit broadcasting on the same frequency would be just as likely to interfere with the "fly-by-wire" controls... haha...

"Captain, you need to pick up the radio and yell to get the plane to climb"

"Roger that... "AHHHHHH""

"No! Louder, that is the volume for rudder"

Answer 5

Some electronic devices can interfere with airplane navigation equipment that is used during takeoff and landing. The FAA requires that passengers turn off these devices during those times.
The cell phone system is designed so that your phone transmits to the nearest transmission tower or to one with the best signal strength. So there are a series of towers along a highway that allows continuous use of your phone as you travel. The FCC is concerned that cell phones used in the air may transmit to multiple towers at the same time. If there were a large number of cell phones in the air transmitting at the same time to multiple towers they may saturate the system.

Answer 6

It's just a scare tactic to show you who is boss. Of course the airline manufacturers have checked this every possible way and they aren't building planes that can be crashed with a simple cell phone. What if someone accidentally happened to leave one on? Probably happens all the time..

Answer 7

I'm a pilot and I leave my cell phone on every day while I fly. But as pilot I'm allowed to. No aircraft is going to crash because of a cell phone. It's not allowed because supposedly it will tie up cell phone towers since you are above them and can receive a signal from multiple towers. They can also supposedly interfere with communication equipment and cause slight errors in navigation equipment.
I have never noticed either, but who knows..

Answer 8

probably many legal implications.

from a technical point of view, as an engineer i think is 110% crap all these myths about interference between the cellphone and the airplane systems. Airplane do not even work in close frecuencies/modulations as cellphones do.

is the same than talk by cellphone in a gas station.
simply put, nothing happens ...

eloy

Answer 9

First off, flight safety is PARAMOUNT...do you WANT to crash? Many new(er) jet-liners have fly-by-wire systems, as in WIRE, not fiberoptic. They can be affected by electronics nearby. There was a show on recently, a debunk-the-myth show, that took up a small commercial / private jet, and proceeded to test various cell phones in it to see if it interfered with the jet's controls. It did NOT...but, as they disclaimed on the show, it's a private jet, more likely shielded better than commercial, and WHY take the CHANCE?! You won't DIE not making ( or taking ) a cell-phone call, but your risk of dying if you DO take one is slightly greater...why risk killing yourself or fellow passengers because of pure selfishness to not wait to call someone? If it's that important, pay the money for the airliner's in-air phone service. If it isn't worth that money, then your call isn't worth that much,anyway. Stay off the phone....

Answer 10

It really does mess with the electronics(ie. navigation/radios). It definitly would not cause a plane to crash but it could throw off the avionics a little bit. The main thing would be interfering with the radios. It also depends on the plane.