Davvidd

My understanding is that different aircraft types had different kinds of interference. Hence in the older days everything was switched off. The newer aircraft types have less interference now.

Gastrocnemius

trooper

I have long assumed that MOST modern devices do NOT cause interference with aircraft systems.... but that SOME may. Rather then than try to announce which can, and which can NOT be used... ( Im sure that would lead to awful confusion) it really is more efficient to just say "Turn them all off"....

golfmad

Glad I said "not all" upthread.

V10

I deal with stuff like this for a living, and it's absolutely the case that consumer devices from supposedly competent vendors that have supposedly been through regulatory compliance testing at an accredited independent test house can generate spurious emissions or unwanted interference at unintended frequencies. ILS is known to be sensitive to this, and since we can have no idea what devices we might be dealing with in a plane full of passengers, it's better to be safe than sorry.

Not everything is a deliberate conspiracy.

gms

Remember, we are on the BA forum here. The chances of being on a BA aircraft with some sort of WiFi connectivity is still pretty slim, so we are pretty used to "missing out" for the duration of our flights

GM1985

There are two broad brush approaches to safety. A wait-and-see attitude where new technology is permitted, until it is deemed unsafe/has claimed too many lives (see also: the 737MAX), and a more proactive and cautious approach where proscriptions are placed on new tech until there is enough data, confidence and understanding of the possible risks and how to mitigate them.

When it comes to public regulators in general, and the plane I'm flying on in particular, I know which I prefer.

And, FWIW, I don't remember ever hearing that cellphones, hand-held devices etc were ever "an utter danger" even when those devices were restricted in usage in-flight. I believe the wording was more along the lines of "FAA/CAA regulations prohibit the use of..." or "It is [insert airline name]'s policy not to allow the use of..."

andimilk

Even if everyone is compliant with the FA's orders, this must be so hard to control for the FAs with current technology.

I can just imagine the "Great, I've finally got this customer to turn off their laptop, Bluetooth headphones and mobile phone... oh s**t their smartwatch still has its WiFi and GPS turned on..." Multiply by a plane full of passengers. Also the fact that noise-cancelling headphones mean that some of these passengers won't have heard the announcement in the first place and have to be told all over again. Probably individually.

I just hope most passengers are sensible enough to know what they have to turn off and do it as instructed as soon as possible once they (eventually) get the message. And don't waste time arguing.

Msclelovr

+1

I've had recent experience of this, seated in row 1 in CE on the last 2 of my BA flights to Europe in June (1 from LHR and 1 from LCY). Each time the passenger next to me was busy talking on the phone or texting and messaging on WhatsApp prior to imminent take-off. Each time I politely asked the person to put their phone into Flightsafe mode. The first time, a Russian-speaking man, glared at me and asked why? The second time, an Englishman nodded and completed his message before saying "I forgot".

What perturbed me was that we were in row1 and the cabin crew could see and hear the men on their phones but did not intervene.

Soupey202

Exec_Plat

I for one dont want to go back to the early days when cell phones, laptops and video equipment was causing planes to crash with regularity! You guys remember all those crashes, right?

but in all seriousness...I turn off my stuff; I dont argue. But for many years there was a cottage industry of people synthesizing danger and scare mongering. Not just 'we dont know, we need to study it', but the hyping of unproven events and reports as proof there was a present danger.

In my professional life I work in IEC certification for medical devices, electrical safety as well as different kinds of interference (RF, etc).

And my comments still stand- in the publics' view, all that fear mongering is hard to overcome. (This being FT, I expect folks just cannot leave the red meat alone... )

EGLK FLYER

I know this has come up before but……..

Yesterday a sudden 25 minute hold inbound to LHR due to activation of LVPs. As we leave the hold and get the 10 mins to landing from the Capt, the CC PA that followed mentioned, very casually, that all PEDs must be switched off due to the potential interference with the AUTOLAND system.

i very much doubt if many folk adhered to this instruction - 75% of row 1 didn’t ! I was a good boy and turned my phone off only then to realise that my iPad (stored above row 1) was still on but obviously I couldn’t get out of my seat to turn it off!

So, I ask the great and knowledgeable amongst us - if it is really safety critical like seat belts, exit rows clear etc, why is this not checked by CC? They could have spent the 25 mins of holding checking that everyone’s phone was off ( yeah, I know they could easily be turned back on once CC had passed by!)

Obviously we didn’t crash and, AFAIK, there hasn’t been an accident when landing in LVPs due to someone’s phone being left on. Just curious really.

Thx

Swanhunter

LVPs? What is this?

EGLK FLYER

Low visibility procedures.

corporate-wage-slave

Some other threads about this

We're using auto-land today, please turn off all electronics

Instrument Landing - turn all electronic items off

Note comments from Waterhorse.