Why can't people use cell phones on an airplane?

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â™¥â™¥The Queen Has Spokenâ™¥â™¥

The fear is that the cell signal will interfere with the electronics of the plane and interfere with any contact with the ground

Mr. Taco

In really rare situations the signals can interfere with the cockpit instruments. It is very rare, but one single error can bring a plane down. Can't have that!

Michael P

The radio freq. is what I have been told. But you would think with the technology that is out there they could find a way to let you use your phone.

Tired Old Man

You are most likely to high to get a signal and they can interfere with radio communication.

SARA G

It actually interferes with the radio to the air traffic controllers. And the last thing you want in an emergency is any kind of miscommunication. Also you won't get a signal unless you are flying really low. At a cruise altitude all it will do is kill your battery from searching for a signal. So the Federal Aviation Administration banned them. However, if you have them on "airplane mode" or you have your wireless signal turned off you can use them above 10,000 feet when the flight attendant advises you that it is okay. But under 10,000 any kind of electronic device need to be shut down. These are all Federal Aviation Regulations as precautionary measures. Better safe than sorry!

Alejandro J

The airlines say that they are worried because if cellular phone signals interfere with the airplane's communication or other sensitive equipment, it could cause problems for them.

I used to think it was just because they wanted the passengers to have to use their expensive built-in phones which would charge like $10 dollars a minute to use.

craig l

There's no way for a cellphone signal to reach cell towers 10,000+ feet below them. And have you ever had your cellphone by a speaker when it rings; the random sounds the speakers make just a second before the phone rings is what the pilots hear in their headsets, and that interference during takeoff/landing could result in your plane making the evening news.

sparkiemark13

I've heard the phone's transmissions will interfere with the piloting instruments. Cell phones probably run on the same frequencies used on an airplane. You can still use your phone if you shut off its transmitter.

Michelle :)

it interrupts the signal with the radio towers at the airports and it interferes with the communication between the plane and the airport. besides you wouldn't get service up there anyways lol.

JayRay

a) very week signal

b) the radio waves could interfere with the planes navigation and communication systems.

hamman234

aw man how old are u?
when u call someone the cellphone will mess up the signal down on land.
say if there is a terroist atcking u and u're using u're cellphone to call pizza hut the tower will still get your signal but instead the pilots listen to your call too.

simey4u

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission prohibits the use of mobile telephones aboard any aircraft in flight. The reason given is that mobile phone systems depend on channel reuse, and operating a phone at altitude may violate the fundamental assumptions that allow channel reuse to work.

An additional concern is the output power of the mobile handset. Because the towers might be many miles below the aircraft, the phone might have to transmit at its maximum power to be received. This will increase the risk of interference with electronic equipment on the aircraft.

Some level of electromagnetic interference to aircraft systems is theoretically possible not only from active radio transmitters (such as mobile phones, small walkie-talkies, or radio remote-controlled toys), but also from unintentional emitters (such as ordinary radio receivers, computers, and in fact virtually any nontrivial electronic device).

Some mobile phone systems, such as GSM, may cause an irritating buzz (explained in the TDMA article), which could disrupt communications from the pilot to ground.[citation needed]. The high speed of air travel may make interference more likely than it would otherwise be. The maximum speed of travel in a mobile phone system is limited by several factors: frequency changes, rate of change of timing offset, etc. The speed of an airplane often exceeds these (typically phones are designed for use in a fast car) which means the phone will fail to register to the network and retry registration repeatedly.

Despite the FCC ban on the use of mobile telephones on aircraft, virtually every pilot headset sold on the market today comes with a cell phone adapter so that the pilot can use his cell phone through the headset. The manufacturers avoid legal responsibility by claiming the adapters are for use on the ground, but many general aviation pilots have used their cell phones in flight at one point or another.

A few U.S. airlines have announced plans ([6] and [7]) to allow mobile phones to be used on aircraft, pending approval by the FCC and the FAA.

N33ta_p00

i wanna kno 2

f0ur2one

Because there are no cell towers at 10000 feet to bounce the signal off of.

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