[Closed] Flight Mode...!!

There must be a safety margin surely?

Yes. The fact that an active mobile phone has never been shown to effect instruments yet? Wasn't there some documentary a few years ago showing the flight crew using their's on the flight deck?*

As I understand it, back in the days of analogue phones, if used one at altitude it blocked a lot of traffic by locking onto multiple cells and that was initially why their use was prohibited.

*I am not an aeronautical or electronics engineer and have absolutely no technical knowledge or qualification to base this statement on apart from observational and anecdotal evidence. 🙂

I just dont get it and i fly a lot, I never switch my phone off and not crashed yet! Also some emirates flights now allow you to make calls and use Wifi. If it really was a danger surely they'd confiscate phones at security 'just in case'.

Thin end of the wedge. I'd love to be sitting next to Angie, Sales Manager from Newcastle, as she makes a dozen customer calls from seat 1B 😕

Angie, Sales Manager from Newcastle

Is she fit? 🙂

what geoffj said - they need to ban voice calling or else we'd have riots

(mind, [b][i]is[/i][/b] she fit ?)

I've already been there! A few years ago when mobiles were becoming more common I had the pleasure of sitting next to some bint from an advertising agency on the train from Manchester to Euston. For the entire time of the journey she 'phoned every one of her clients, starting every conversation with "Hello, I'm on the train...."

Since I heard every word of every converstion it soon becamse evident that she was ringing everybody to boast about her new phone, not to talk about business.

Also some emirates flights

etihad as well.

Despite Emirates claiming on 4 different flights I had with them last month that I could use my mobile, it didn't work 🙂

I'm no expert but I'm pretty sure that a £500 iPhone isn't going to interfere with the state of the art electronics on a £200 million aircraft, at least not enough to cause any problems!

I flew back from Moscow with BA once with my phone in my carry on, in the luggage bin, had forgotten to turn it off.

No one died.

I fly a fair bit, accidentally left my phone on loads of times.....only reminded whilst coming into land when the phones beeps to inform me of voicemails.

BA seem to have relaxed the use of mobiles also, once you've landed you can now use the phones whilst taxing to the parking slot.

Phones are banned on planes, in hospitals, garage forecourts, for a variety of claimed reasons. I've a suspicion that in all of these cases the restrictions are either to stop you being antisocial (no-one wants to hear you bellowing down a phone in a hospital ward) or to make you pay attention (phone in one hand, pump handle pissing petrol all over the floor in the other).

I'm not unconvinced this is a bad thing.

If it really was a danger surely they'd confiscate phones at security 'just in case'.

Exactly.

Mobile communications Do effect planes systems, not enough to cause a malfunction but enough to distract pilots at crucial points of trying to fly them. Namely take off and landing, an incident occuring that could be serious to the safety of the craft then the pilot being distracted could make for a crash, it hasnt yet or has it ?

Can you give more detail / source, Dr? Sounds interesting...

Do effect planes systems

affect. Sorry, had to be done 🙂

It's not true according to this (so it must be FACT!)
http://dsc.discovery.com/tv-shows/mythbusters/mythbusters-database/cell-phones-interfere-plane-instruments.htm

To sum it all up:

1. They ask you to turn your phone off when you are on a chunk of metal flying at 600mph held up by aerodynamics in a turbulent atmosphere that is designed, built and maintained by humans as there is a slim chance of affecting something. One or two phones searching for signal may not do anything, 300 just might.

2. when you are at 35,000 feet over the Atlantic there is no way you are getting a signal anyway.

3. no one wants to listen to you on the phone or your text message/****ter/facebook alert going off every 20 seconds

4. you can live without your phone for a few hours. Take a book and enjoy some time without it.

5. It's their plane and everyone elses lives so just do as they ask for a few hours.

Mobile communications Do effect planes systems

Well, provided they effect them effectively, then that's fine, but I'm not sure how you effect a plane. I'd be worried if the affected them, but as someone earlier said, that probably stems from the earliest analogue types, and not modern GSM/3G.

EDIT: Goddammit - 24 seconds!!!!

The mobile phone restrictions in hospitals are pretty much entirely due to privacy and antisocial behaviour, as Cougar says. Playing around with phone cameras on wards is just not on - how long till the first selfie with crash team arriving in the background?

It's dressed up with a safety message because Joe Public would ignore the restrictions otherwise.

The mobile phone restrictions in hospitals are pretty much entirely due to privacy and antisocial behaviour, as Cougar says. Playing around with phone cameras on wards is just not on - how long till the first selfie with crash team arriving in the background?

Really? Why were they in place before phones had cameras in them?

Phones are banned on planes, in hospitals,

Last time I was in hospital (A&E), they were fine with me using mine throughout, even in the cubicle thingummy.

Surely you've always been able to use flight safe mode on aircraft, that's the whole point. Or do you mean you can still use it during take off/landing? I flew with BA yesterday and we were told as always that flight safe mode had to be enabled, then the device switched off until after takeoff.

They did say we were fine to use phones whilst taxiing back to the terminal though, which was a new one.

Hmm this suggests that maybe there is some reason behind the ban (it is an old article but I expect that the same planes are still flying)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/place-lancashire/plain/A6821318

[img] [/img]

Thanks andyl ,you posted most of what I was thinking 🙂

Christ, just enjoy some phone free time.

Turn the phone off read a book

Turn the phone off read a book

Yeah.. but all my books are on my phone...

Christ, just enjoy some phone free time.

Turn the phone off read a book

Indeed. I prefer to shut down, have a nice glass of something and read/watch a film, or, more importantly, sleep.

One thing that really boils my p*ss is asshats bellowing down their phones on the quiet carriage of a train. I usually say something, and to be fair, most people are just in their own bubble and not realised that it's a quiet carriage.

So they take a pair of nail clippers off you at security, but allow you to keep your phone and just trust that you remember to turn it off even though it could bring the plane down? Seems unlikely...

However, why do they make me turn off my kindle for take off and landing? You can't actually turn off a Kindle anyway...

Indeed. I prefer to shut down, have a nice glass of something and read/watch a film, or, more importantly, sleep.

I managed to spend a worrying amount of time phoning other passengers from my seat on a recent long haul flight. My friend and I were a wee bit worse for wear and started calling people close enough that we could see their movie interrupted and the words "Incoming call from Seat 29C" flash up.

Most people were mightily confused and we'd pretend to be asleep when they turned round to work out what was going on, adding to the confusion. I was in pain trying to keep a straight face.

The last call we made was to a pretty Australian girl whose seat number my friend had noted on the way back from the toilet. We had a nice chat before she decided to come over and join us 🙂

*My name is peterfile, i'm 32 years old and still behave like a child when i'm bored and have had a few drinks*

*My name is peterfile, i'm 32 years old and still behave like a child when i've had a few drinks*

I hope the phone system is clear, I hate to think how she could have interpreted that statement with a bit of static mixed in...

😆

😆 indeed!

Most recent flying faux pas was shortly after take off on a 10hr flight. Lunch was served. Smoked salmon starter. I squeezed my lemon (ahem!) over it, sending a massive glob of citric acidic goodness straight in to the eye of the chap sitting opposite. His eye flared up horribly, apparently. I couldn't tell, as I put the dividing blind up pretty sharpish after the squirt!

Mobile communications Do effect planes systems, not enough to cause a malfunction but enough to distract pilots at crucial points of trying to fly them. Namely take off and landing, an incident occuring that could be serious to the safety of the craft then the pilot being distracted could make for a crash, it hasnt yet or has it ?

[img] [/img]

Taken on my phone which didn't seem to cause too much distraction

Well, provided they effect them effectively, then that's fine, but I'm not sure how you effect a plane. I'd be worried if the affected them, but as someone earlier said, that probably stems from the earliest analogue types, and not modern GSM/3G.

EDIT: Goddammit - 24 seconds!!!!

Don't worry, you were late with your pedant, but you win the prize for the most patronizing and condescending delivery.

Virgin have their own network on their planes nowadays & you can happily connect to it & make/receive calls without any issues. TBH, it had a better signal & clearer line than the standard O2 at home.

They do, however, switch it off for take-off & landing (and ask you to do the same with phones) so there may be something in what DR posted up there ^^^

Take a book and enjoy some time without it.

I'd prefer if flight mode was allowed for any part of the journey except the safety bit, I'm quite happy with no-one being allowed to make calls/****ter/facebook.

I, for one, am dreading the day when I hear* some jumped up asshat in seat 62B yelling, "HELLO! IT'S ME! I'M ON THE PLANE! NO, I SAID PLANE! YES, I'M ON THE PLANE!"

*Noise cancelling headphones are a wonderful thing.

I've a suspicion that in all of these cases the restrictions are either to stop you being antisocial (no-one wants to hear you bellowing down a phone in a hospital ward) or to make you pay attention (phone in one hand, pump handle pissing petrol all over the floor in the other).

I'm not unconvinced this is a bad thing.

I'd be tempted to agree. I had a spell in hospital recently and there were notices about phone use there - not in relation to any interference with equipment but about respecting the peace and privacy of others who are trapped in your company. Theres no quiet coach on a plane.

There'll maybe also be a legacy interference issue in the rules in that old analogue phones were a nightmare but they didn't fall out of use overnight, so as their use declines whens the point where you say 'ok todays the day we scrap that rule' and on planes there might be issues with travelling through different regions with different networks. That brrrp dt dt brrrrp dt dt brrrrp in your cars speakers that your phone used to cause doesn't happen anymore in the UK, but its still happens the the same phone when I'm driving in Ireland. So something about the network seems to be different there.

Theres no quiet coach on a plane

I beg to differ!

Don't worry, you were late with your pedant, but you win the prize for the most patronizing and condescending delivery.

Patroni[u][b]s[/b][/u]ing, ta. 😉

The Oxford English dictionary uses patroni[b]z[/b]ing

Bloody dreadful decision. Just got off flight from jburg and flights around southern Africa. The idea of having to listen to people jabbering on their phones is a nightmare. Upper deck will no longer be the haven of piece. It was bad enough with the face timers and skypers in the airport lounge.

In the past, it has been the obnoxious (insecure) folk who compete to be the first to make the call as you disembark. Yes, Mr Sad, you are SOOOO important as is your "deal". BTW, how is your Mum!!!!!

If it was that dangerous would people really be allowed to self police turning their phones off???

I asked a garage a while back about why phones were not allowed when filling petrol. The answer was not the hi tech one I expected. It was if you dropped it, it migh cause a spark that could cause ignition.

I'm told by a man in the know (pilot) that the reason for phones going off/flight mode is that the irritating noise they produce when searching/receiving signal can be heard by the pilots through their headsets. And that's the extent of the problem.

I asked a garage a while back about why phones were not allowed when filling petrol. The answer was not the hi tech one I expected. It was if you dropped it, it migh cause a spark that could cause ignition.

Presumably that's why you're not allowed to have car keys in a garage forecourt either? 🙂

I asked a garage a while back about why phones were not allowed when filling petrol. The answer was not the hi tech one I expected. It was if you dropped it, it migh cause a spark that could cause ignition.

A couple of years ago I was publicly told off, over the tannoy system, for using my phone whilst I was sat in the passenger seat of the car. 😯

I'm told by a man in the know (pilot) that the reason for phones going off/flight mode is that the irritating noise they produce when searching/receiving signal can be heard by the pilots through their headsets. And that's the extent of the problem

^^this^^

The fact that the phone is likely to be quite distant from the nearest cell exacerbates the problem as it'll try and connect with greater and greater power. Aircraft which allow use of mobiles have their own local cell that advertises itself as your provider. It's obviously the strongest signal in the area so the phone sits there quite happily & will only re-poll in very low power mode, keeping interference to a minimum.

For airlines, like Emirates and Etihad that are now allowing it, they're not just lifting restrictions, they've installed specific kit on the aircraft. A mobile phone searches for an antenna signal. The further away the antenna the stronger the searching signal that emits from the phone is. The kit installed on Emirates and Etihad planes puts antenna's on board the aircraft so they are very close to the phones and as such the strength of the signal outputed from the phone is very weak and so causes less/no interference. And in anycase they still request/demand you turn your phone off or onto flight mode during take-off and landing as this system is switched off during those phases of flight. On aircraft where the Aeromobile kit isn't installed then normal rules apply.

And also in the event of an emergency they want the full attention of the passengers rather than passengers trying to complete the next level of Candy Crush before they evacuate the aircraft.

I just wish they'd ban them outright.

However, why do they make me turn off my kindle for take off and landing? You can't actually turn off a Kindle anyway...

Perhaps they don't have the time to bother checking each individual electronic device each smug passenger is carrying for compliance? Perhaps their attentions are rather focused upon your safety at that time and most people can cope for 10 minutes without their electronic devices.

In the likes of hospitals, a lot of electronic equipment is older than mobile phone technology. As such, it wasn't tested for such interference. Much like a lot of aircraft. Just accept that your personal tech is newer than their tech and might cause problems so they play it safe and have a happy byproduct of reducing in-flight, phone-based violence.

The Oxford English dictionary uses patronizing

So it does! I sit corrected. 😳

I fly a lot and this is my message for everyone who's flying with me.

[b]If you were half as important as you think you are they'd be coming to you! So shut up sit down and do what the **** you're asked.
[/b] 🙂

You have been able to use all electrical devices on US flights (phones in safe mode) for getting on for two months. You just have to stow bulky items (laptop etc...) for take off and landing. I can't remember exactly when it was changed but I was on an internal US flight and remember it being announced. You have been able to use wireless once planes reach cruising for ages too. I have posted to STW before on a plane, no escape from the dreaded emails.

So shut up sit down and do what the **** you're asked.

Depends what they're asking. If it's to pay attention to how to get off in a hurry, when I was on the same plane 6 hours earlier, and this is the fourth time I've been on a Qantas 737 this week, I'll just collapse and go to sleep, ta.

Cbmotorsport + 1

Was flying yesterday and accidentally left my work phone on in my flight bag. Made a hell of a racket through the intercom which was chuffing irritating. Was too busy/hands full to turn it off!

Intercom systems are not shielded from outside electromagnetic interference to the same stringent standards as the aircraft systems that are required to be shielded from things like lightning strikes, EMP and general outside levels of electromagnetic radiation. I don't particularly believe that modern mobile phones cause interference to aircraft systems, and suspect the rules are there due to a very risk averse industry and are not backed up by any real evidence, more like lack of proof that phone don't cause problems rather that they do. Early gen mobile phones might have been a problem and that might be the source of the worries and concerns. And like I said before, The likes of Emirates have only been able to relax rules due to the introduction of specific kit. I quite often forget to turn my phone off on a plane though not intentional, I do try to observe rules out of politeness and respect if nothing else. It's like the myth about not using your phone while filling your car up with petrol due to a supposed risk of the phone being an ignition source and causing a fire. That myth has been proved to be complete b'locks, but petrol stations still enforce it. But I believe it was in the news recently that the European Airworthiness bodies were currently reviewing rules on mobile phone usage, so I wouldn't be surprised if they are relaxed soon. Though I still think they will demand phones and devices are turned off for take-off and landing. They need your full attention in the event of an emergency.

2. when you are at 35,000 feet over the Atlantic there is no way you are getting a signal anyway.

Prepare to be dissapointed, and note the date.

Following on re phones, this really does fill me with dread. There are enough tossers on airplanes without the loud mobile merchants. Why people feel they need to show off on planes never fails to amaze and amuse me.

Ten years ago, I was travelling to India to pitch for a deal with an Indian Fin Institution. Its was in the days before the separation of seats in club. Another banker came in and sat down next to me. He saw me reading Thomas a Kempis' [i]Imitation of Christ[/i] and assumed that I was a theologian of some kind. Turns out he was going to make the same pitch (but after us) and decided to show off by making it v obvious that he was a banker (wow) and pitching for a deal (double wow). So he gets out his pitch book and moves it deliberately into my view. I keep reading Kempis but amused him by pretending to be impressed by his wonderful document. This carries on for the whole of his book and he must have been so happy that Vicar (sic) in 12A was so interested and impresssed by his masterpiece. Next morning, as we were leaving the plane I said, good luck with the pitch, you after me and I am going to use that great idea on slide 12, oh and there's a typo on page 34 that's pretty embarrassing. His face dropped. Turns out he was in same hotel and we shared a beer and a laugh about it in the evening after all the pitches. Not a tosser after all, especially as he gave me such a good idea to use before him!!!!!

And also in the event of an emergency they want the full attention of the passengers rather than passengers trying to complete the next level of Candy Crush before they evacuate the aircraft.

Been told by friends who are cabin crew that this is the real reason for it rather than any interference with instruments.

Err youve been allowe d to use phones on flight mode for years.

The new part is now you can use them on take off and landing.

This will crush classic car land rover mag sales as the only time i read them is during take off and landing of planes.

I was looking round the plane today thinking " yes thats exactly what steve jobs had in mind for his flagship tablet...... Candy crush saga on a plane " at least 4 folk

If i see another flight safety video start to eat my own shoes. 6 this week so far and 12 this month- if i can make it to 4.30 tomorrow im off the radar till jan 6th and work can calll my desk drawer all they want

According to Airbus absolutely no chance of a phone interfering with the fly by wire systems or data network on board the aircraft. There is, however, a small probability that a phone or similar device can interfere with the glide slope signal from an ILS, which is why the previous advice is to switch them off for take-off and landing.

I would be very surprised if BA allowed devices to stay on during low visibility operations.

I, for one, am dreading the day when I hear* some jumped up asshat in seat 62B yelling

Hah, when are you ever anywhere near row 62 Flashy you posh git 🙂

Re the interference, I've never known a phone interfere with any audio wires more than about a foot away...?

Mol you are just giving away your lack of experience of BA club class!

62 is one of the better seats on upper deck, I was on it last night 😉

62 is upstairs on a 747 peasant - none of you rif raf near you up there. 🙂

Where as i was 59 in the cheap seats 🙁 on 747 today 🙁 lucky i had the only empty seat downstars next to me so other than the garbage food and the stingy drink service ( compared to coach on emirates or the help your self bar on air france to most west africa destinations) it was tollerable. Slept most of the way

Lol yes indeed I am poor, never been in business class or even upstairs on a jumbo. It's a lifetime ambition in fact!

Come to think of it, I have only been on a jumbo once.

Molly, 62a or 62k is my usual long haul perch!

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62a here. Think that was en route to Vegas.

Mind you, 4a on a 777 on the way home from Sydney was rather lovely
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Flashy, you take pictures of plane seats!!!! Were you a train spotter in your youth?!? 😉

photos are a dead giveaway that somehow a pleb's managed to get into the nicer sections.

😆

Eh? When i was upstairs with Virgin in July it was all leather. Thank god I didn't go BA.

I read 'upstairs with A virgin'.

It's a much more interesting post that way.

nobody likes a leathery virgin though

Although a virgin in leather....

[img] [/img]

I'd never go less than premium economy again.

I had to use Flybe the other week 😳 felt dirty being beside so many commoners

*wonders how many posters [i]actually[/i] fly business, as opposed to imagine that they fly business*

I'm going business to SA next February. Never been business before, what's it like*

*bearing mind I have about 15 mins to experience all that it has before the Tamazipan kicks in.

Flying a lot is the new rep mileage. I'm amazed at the mileage some people do and most of them wouldn't add value to a mob never mind anything else.

*wonders how many posters actually fly business, as opposed to imagine that they fly business*

Used to when I worked the civil service, thems were the rules. Anything over 4hrs at my pay grade was compulsory business class.

Now I work in the private sector I can only dream of business. World traveller plus is as classy as I get if it's not a lot more cash. However, I'm all over speedy boarding and the front row on easy jet.