Originally Posted by
*Paul*
I've read this post with great interest, and whilst i'm fully aware that rules and regulations need to be put in place for everyones safety, the fact is that someone using a mobile phone in a modern jet plane will have no effect on the plane whatsoever. The electronic instruments in the cockpit are very well shielded from EMI (electromagnetic interference) and anything else that could potentially cause a problem. Yes there may well be a "theoretical" chance that it could effect something, however there is also a "theoretical" chance that Elvis is still alive. Give it another 2 or 3 years and we will be able to use our phones on a plane
Paul, shielded the electronics may be, but crew and the flightdeck, atc, and ground services all communicate via radio and hard wired telephones. My electronically shielded speakers at home pick up the annoying 'blips' when my phone reaches out to the cell. I can well imagine that all of these communication systems used on planes on the ground aren't fully immune to such interference. Now times that by 300 cell phones, and I can imagine important communications essential for flight and safe progress on the ground being at risk of being interrupted.
Quite aside from that, 'all electronic items' being off is about other things. One of which is that lots of phones flying around the cabin are small and hard and make good missiles in an emergency. The other is that they are a massive distraction - take off and landing are the most critical phases of flight. Additionally, at night, backlit screens throw out a lot of light - the lights are off for take off and landing at night for a reason - so the eyes don't have to adjust to see out of the window in case of the worst (for this reason, it is also a good idea to have your reading light switched off if survival is a priority for you).