Do you turn your phone off???!!!
 

Do you turn your phone off every time you go up?
See the link
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/s...re/4898958.stm
MADY

Anybody know the specific reasons?

I have heard 'it could interfere with nav systems' but this was never covered on my CPL course. .

Is this another 'switch off in the petrol station' myth?

Just curious. .

your CPL instructor didn't mention that you should turn your phone off ?

. . of course he mentioned it.

I meant the 6 months in the classroom bit.

Death Ray Mobile Phone?
 

The urban myth about cell/mobile phones as "unsafe" is the product of the conservative certification philosophy inherent in FAA/CAA approval of designs. Since it has not been shown that all manufacturer's mobile phones broadcasting on all frequencies can be tolerated in any airliner, no mobile phone operations are permitted. This does not mean they are unsafe, it just means they are unproven. Unproven is not unsafe.

In fact, to my knowledge (I have for the last 35 years made a living building and certifying flying machines) there has never been a demonstrated case of a cell phone ever affecting an aircraft system in any way.

What about this spurious alarm - I don't remember which one exactly - on a S76 due to the FO's mobile phone stored in the cargo bay ?

ATN

Nick,

Your assertion is borne out in practice. If mobile phones did affect aircraft systems then all mobile phones would require to be handed in on boarding any commercial aircraft. Alternatively, some kind of scanner would have been detected to scan aircraft cabins prior to take-off before every flight for phones still on.

I bet that most flights which take off have a mobile phone on in someone's luggage somewhere. If they interfered with systems even 1 in 1000 times then commercial aircraft would be falling out of the sky. They're not.

QDM

I once had the flight attendant instruct me to turn off and stow my Garmin GPS196 because it could interfere with the navigation systems in the aircraft. "but Miss, this an aircraft navigation system and I'm a...... yes dear, as you wish."

If I remember rightly, there was a case in the US where a mobile phone interfered with the FADEC on an MD600.

I know a couple of pilots now who check if mobiles are switched off before flying.

no, but i've used it to tell atc about my radio failure, and can i please come in and land?

What is unsafe?
 

The consept of the aeronautical industry is to document airworthiness. There are simply too many combinations of aircraft models, phone models (and places to put them inside the aircraft) to make it possible to prove they do not interfere with systems. Why is it so hard to accept this fact?
To approve a fixed mobile phone installation is a simple matter. A device which switches the phone off at a given altitude might have to be included.
A Norwegian airline, Widerøe, have contacted Bombardier to in order to avoid mobile phones trigging smoke detectors in the cargo bay of the Dash-8-100.

As far as I know, in the US it is enforced by the FCC. If your phone is transmitting from an airborne aircraft, the slant range of the signal is greater and is received by many receiver sites. Because the signal hits lots of receiver sites, they are unable to track it and it also reduces the amount of users that can use the system. Of course I may be wrong.

Hi Folks, it depends - in a Jet Ranger - no, there is nothing to interfere with ;-) But the more technic is in - like FADEC - better switch it off. It also depends of the position - og the phone and the helicopter. The closer to the fadec - and the further away from a mobile telephone ground station - the higher is the risk, that you might get problems. Another problem not mentioned yet is, that with a mobile phone - high up in the sky, the mobile provider gets upset a little bit, because your mobile phone is communicating with a lot of stations - and they have to communicate witch each other - to find out, to which mobile ground station takes over the mobile phone. This extra traffic can spoil the providers day - imagine a 747 - all passengers with their mobiles on ..... Normaly only two or three stations have to sort out, who's logging in the phone. Greetings "Flying Bull"

S76 related spurious warnings.
 

Whilst not having the temerity to cast aspersions on the gospel according to Nick Lappos, there have been numerous instances of the baggage bay smoke alarm being triggered by a mobile phone nearby either receiving an incoming call or cycling in and out of cell coverage. This has become a regular talking point at the Sikorsky approved groundschool recurrent training at West Palm Beach Florida.
In addition, it has happened to me on two occasions when I have thrown my coat in the baggage bay forgetting to switch off the mobile - slow learner!

Air Gabon, 737-200 out of Libreville, about 20 passengers talking on them during takeoff :ok: ..... it seems in Africa they know of Nicks wisdom!

This is right on!
 

I worked flying for a cell phone company for a little while, we worked with the engineers locating places where the transmissions of several cloned phones had just been programed so that the police could show up and politely ask them to stop. ;)

They told me about this system saturation due to the cell phone reaching so many stations at the same time. But so many people used phones on helicopters in Mexico City that the companies resorted to pointing the antennas downwards, now its almost impossible to talk from any tall building, much less a helicopter.

Not sure about the phone issue? but using the radio in the ultra sophisticated r22 causes the OAT to jump about wildly! and i get about 10 gallons more fuel !! Always useful when the low fuel light comes on!!!!! LOL

Yes and No!
 

Oh dear, if I really believed that bit about the $50 mobile phone causing the FADEC to shut the engine down on a helicopter then I think that I would give up!

All evidence that mobile phones are a risk to the operation of aircraft is, I believe, anecdotal. I welcome attempts to prove that assumption wrong.

If there really was a risk then I am sure that mobile phones would be banned on aircraft by the regulatory authorities. The last time I looked they weren’t.

The only time I read of a prosecution for using a mobile phone on an aircraft it was for disobeying the lawful order of a crewmember, not for endangering the aircraft.

As to saturating the cells, well the executive in his 1000 ft high Penthouse suite is much more blameworthy than me and my passengers down below at a height of less than 500 feet.

I switch my phone off but only because I don’t want all those messages from the various regional service providers welcoming me to their service but I encourage my passengers to call their friends and get them to come out and wave to us as we go past – I think that is good PR and helps our business.

I too have heard, as Snarlie points out, that a mobile phone in the baggage compartment of the 76 could cause the Aft Baggage warning to illuminate. Not learning from experience yet but I have heard of it happen to someone.
:eek:

they can't do too much damage as later this year air france are doing a trial of letting passengers use them in flight