Will the airplane go down if an electronic device is turned on when told to keep it off?

Show all answers

Â» dolce [vita]

That doesn't really happen ; they've tested it on Mythbusters, and
they're very accurate. What they suspect to happen would be that
the signal your cell phone picks up and gives off would interfere
with the planes signals and ALL the planes important tracking,
communication and other VITAL instruments in the cock-pit would
connect with the wrong signal or something and they'd basically
be dead in the air, which would be terrible.

Do I believe that would happen?
No. People disobey these rules ALL the time, even though they shouldn't, they do ; and those planes end up being perfectly fine â™¥

PB's Boys

It won't crash.

It messes with communications.

But, I hate it when people don't obey.

nanren888

You will likely not get hit by a car the first time you cross the street without looking. If you do it 3 times ok, is it safe.

The plane has many electronic systems that are sensitive. Your cell-phone is a radio: it transmits & receives. If it transmits in just the place that one of the plane's systems is sensitive, you can affect it, make it malfunction. For example, maybe the plane works out it's position or altitude use electronics. If some wire connecting parts of that system pass close to your seat, & your cellphone transmits just at the wrong time that interferes with the system, suddenly the plane thinks it's in too high, or too low, or heads the wrong way.

Ever held your cellphone near your computer when you turn it on? If it's recent or GSM, you've likely heard the computer speakers click-click-click. Well imaging that's a sensitive plane system, like the one that decides the pitch of the plane. An extra spike or two might be enough to tell it to drop 100 feet: Maybe not the best experiment to try, even if you think you'll get away with it most times.

If you've ever flown into asia, you'll know that you can get by with different rules about this stuff, lots of times. It still makes me shudder, though.

Probably the biggest problem these days is the notebooks that have wireless networks, & people who don;t ever know it's on. Just imaging the notebook trying to find a network every second or so, ramping up the power till it can contact one. Eventually one is going to mess something up.

If they tell you to turn it off: turn it off.

As far as I'm concerned people can risk themselves, but if I have to stop the plane again to get some pratt to turn it off, I'll do it again, no problem.

Neil

Probably not.

Let's say, for the sake of discussion, that it's a chance in a billion. (It might be more than that, or less.) How many thousands of flights are there a day? How many cell phones are aboard? Multiple it out and you'll see how an IMPROBABLE event becomes, in the aggregate, much more PROBABLE.

Robert K

No It is just a precaution that is all. Just in case. There is no proof as yet

bronzeartist00

No you will not fall down. What X Dolce said is right. It was tested on Myth Busters. They used all kinds of phones. Even old ones that no one uses anymore just to see. Nothing happened. My phone accidentally turned on during landing and everything was fine. I also accidentally turned on the radio portion of my MP3 player while flying over the ocean and the plane stayed in the air.

I don't recommend keeping the devices on when they say to keep them off. There is always a chance that some device could screw up a signal.

MadMan

No.

Will P

it doesn't crash it could just cause interference between the pilot and the FAA which can be dangerous if the FAA has an emergency

birdman

be the smart guy

Nothing will happen

Enter Your Message or Comment

User Name:
User Email:
Post a comment: