Quote Llon
 

'there are tales of the road past RAF Fylingdales where vehicles would misbehave if the radar was operational,'

My own car in the U.K.,a Jeep Grand Cherokee CRD used to drop into emergency get you home mode when driving past Fylingdales 'secret' Radar Station. Stop at the bottom of the hill,switch engine off,wait a few minutes,and all ok.again. Not possible with an aircraft. But their radar is POWERFULL.

Preferably at 35,000 ft !!

There's more chance of people annoying other passengers by using a mobile phone than there is of them blowing up the aircraft as a terrorist, so let's turn all the airport security devices into mobile phone detectors - and confiscate them.

Not so many years ago passengers were totally incommunicado for up to 12 or more hours once they boarded an aircraft. The World didn't end, nothing is that important.

DME: 962~1213 MHz.
GSM: 800~2100 MHz.

Restricted use of electronic devices during take off and landing
 

If there is the slightest possibility of these devices causing serious problems

then it makes sense to request non-use during critical aircraft flight stages.

Period !

We should not underestimate capabilities of these electronic devises,

particularly in the hands of ill intended individuals.

Let the cabin crew know
 

If you are sat next to one of those cerebrally impaired :mad: who continues to use his mobile phone once push back has started ask him/her to turn it off. If they don't then push the button above your head and get the cabin crew to confiscate it.

At the same time ask the cabin crew to remove the offending :mad: lifejacket from under his/her seat and that their cabin luggage be removed to the back of the aircraft.

Why?

1. Because if they can't read the safety card, can't understand the pre-flight safety demo or simply won't listen to it, they will in case of an emergency evacuation attempt to inflate their life jacket before exiting the aircraft or will stop to collect their belongings; both actions putting the other pax at risk. That they will do this is a certainty as they have already displayed their total disregard for safety on-board by using their mobile. In other words if they act like an idiot safety dictates that you treat them as an idiot.

2. By confiscating their lifejacket and cabin luggage people will in time understand that they have to adhere to the safety card instructions.

Irrespective it is always good fun to confront the :mad: as it is an argument they can't win. I don't think I've had a scheduled flight in the past 5 years where I've not had to ask someone to turn it off. The usual argument "are you the mobile phone police?" is met with a firm "Yes" and then a request for the cabin crew to intervene.

Although I understand the need for people to discuss here what it is about mobiles that can or cannot cause problems on-board an aircraft, the debate should happen here and not on-board an aircraft. The safety card tells passengers not to do it so please don't. If you don't like it - take a different form of transport.

asdf1234
 

Here here!

Infernal devices relied upon by scatterbrains who can't get the timing of anything right.

A plane is one of the few places I wouldn't hesitate to pick an argument with someone bigger, stronger and uglier.

Very interesting thread, I would like to post my thoughts in random order

-Interference from mobiles can hit not only a radio receiver but also any other electronic device from inflight entertainment to navaids,depending on distance/design/sensitivity/shielding

-I hate human-generated noises on flights , I'm even happy when nobody sitting around me either knows each other (so there is no chat) , or uses headphones at blasting level.

-Unfortunately with modern smartphone and tablets , if the connection is fast enough , you can "phone" somebody else from a wi-fi equipped ariliner ( I just texted the family with What's app from a LH flight - connection offered by LH as a gift) and yes, my fellow compatriotes are very prone to shout in a mobile regardless of the surrounding environment and/or quiet zone.

-I remind reported , if not "certified" , cases at the dawn of E-tacs cellphones, like autopilot disengagement on final beacuse of a phone call (may be incoming).

-On an Alitalia flight to Rome in short final I saw an assistant seizing the cellphone of a passenger who reiteratedly made calls while close to landing.