Cell phones may cause airplane turbulence
A new study finds that cell phone use in the air can in fact interfere with cockpit systems.
By Owen Thomas, Business 2.0 magazine online editor
March 1, 2006: 11:43 AM EST
SAN FRANCISCO (Business 2.0) - Those pre-flight warnings about putting away all electronic devices? They aren't making that up. A study conducted by Carnegie Mellon University found that using cell phones and wireless laptops on airplanes can actually interfere with cockpit systems. Researchers, who brought spectrum-analyzing equipment aboard in their carry-on luggage, also found that several scofflaws made cell-phone calls during takeoff and landing, the most dangerous parts of flight. The Wireless Report blog notes that this sets up a battle of "science versus economics," since airlines are eager to sell in-flight cell-phone and Wi-Fi services to customers.
http://money.cnn.com/2006/02/27/tech...ce=yahoo_quote