If this is the wrong forum to ask these questions I apologize in advance. If there's a better place to ask could someone point me in that direction? TIA

Anyway, I'm what one would call an occasional air traveler, but I have flown a good deal over the years.

Here are some in-flight procedures and regs that I've wondered about for a while.

Why are the procedures at take off such as upright seat backs, curtains opened between coach and business/1st, window shades up, etc.

Another question is about electronic devices. I've been on many flights where cabin instructions are that there is to be no electronics (CD players, computers, game devices, etc.) on til the flight has reached cruising altitude after which use of these items is permitted. However, with that said I just took two legs of an Air France flight SEA-CDG and CDG-TLV and on neither flight was I instructed not to use personal electronic devices.

Now the question about cellphones. We are prohibited from using cellphones at any time once the cabin door has been shut. I've heard different reasons for this. One reason I've heard is that cellphones interfere with the plane's avionics which I'm skeptical of. The other reason I've heard is that the FCC doesn't want people using cellphones on planes because when you're that high up you'll be hitting too many cell sites all at once and possibly you could overload the network.