Cellphones onboard?

[EHM-1671 Ben]

In the newspaper this morning there was an article that caught my attention:

Three passengers on an Alitalia airline flight from Milan, Italy, were arrested fter they failed to heed requests to turn off their mobile phones.

The Alitalia captain, who had already asked three times for passengers to switch off their mobiles, aborted take-off at the last minute because he noticed interference with the plane's navigation instruments, Italian newspapers reported yesterday.

Police boarded the plane at Milan-Linas airport and arrested the three offending passengers identified by the flight crew.

The three face prosecution for failing to observe safety regulations and are liable to up to three months in jail.

The plane was finally able to take off for Bari an hour and a half later yesterday morning

I didn't know cellphones were such a danger on board aircraft...

[EHM-1944 Jaap]

Being a radioamateur I have to be very careful not to cause interference in the electronic equipment of my neighbours.
Same problem
Cheers,
Jaap

[EHM-2155 Mariano]

I thought they didnt make much interference... at least they didnt in MythBusters xD
nowadays cell phones dont iradiate much energy cos of concerns that it might be harmful, seems almost impossible to harm a modern airliner's navigation system with that :S

[EHM-0654 Murray]

Well, Mythbusters only proved that for modern, well shielded aircraft, mobiles aren't a problem (nor for aircraft that use proper gauges).

For the older glass cockpit aircraft it's possible that mobiles could cause some interference, but I wouldn't have thought it'd be that great.

If I had to guess, I'd say it was the constant "dit-dit-dit" mobile polling noise in their headphones that the flight crew noticed and were whining about.

[EHM-2097 Andrei]

I have seen too that episode of the Mythbusters but I think they tested on a rather basic aircraft.

Normally, the more systems an aircraft has and the more complex these are, the probablility increases that radio waves "find" some metal loop somewhere to trigger an electric impulse.

Moreover, the more an aircraft depends on electronics (like in "fly by wire"), the more vulnerable it is for such a parasite electric impulse.

By the other hand, the overall probability of such a mishap is certainly low, otherwise cellphones would be simply banned (like so many other objects in these days). Could you imagine a hijacker go to the cockpit with his cellphone and anounce "Divert to NOW ... or I call my mom" ?

And still, while travelling myself, when i see people who distregard the cellphone announcement, the thought that THEY take even 0.000....1% chances to hve ME torn to pieces because of THEIR calls does not feel good. So I won't blame those italian pilots for taking action.

Andrei

[EHM-1612 Paolo]

I heard on the news that the plane (I don't know yet which plane was it) had problems with engines during taxi, and pilots understood they were caused by interferences
It really is quite scary what the Sun is saying here about Heathrow 777 crash

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article711639.ece

[EHM-1507 Manuel]

I absolutely agree with Andrei

The regulation to turn you cellphones off wouldn´t be there without any reason.
The pilots are responsible for the lifes of all the people aboard and so I can understand why the want to eliminate every possible source of danger - relevant or not.

Kind regards


Manuel

[EHM-1883 Matt]

I always thought they weren't allowed because they would interfere with the radio. I didn't know they interfered with the instruments.

I may have just looked like a big noob:$

[EHM-1703 Philip]

Originally posted by EHM-1612 Paolo
I heard on the news that the plane (I don't know yet which plane was it) had problems with engines during taxi, and pilots understood they were caused by interferences
It really is quite scary what the Sun is saying here about Heathrow 777 crash

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article711639.ece

Paulo, don't worry mate, there is a saying in the UK...

"Don't believe anything you read in the SUN!"

It is the worst of our gutter tabloid papers here in the UK.... It is the only new source that is reporting this story so I would think they either got a VERY big exclusive or they are clutching at straws to sell copies.

[EHM-1883 Matt]

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article713438.ece

and there's proof not to trust the sun.

Looks like he's holding a turned-off lightsaber;D

[EHM-1612 Paolo]

Originally posted by EHM-1703 Philip
Paulo, don't worry mate, there is a saying in the UK...

"Don't believe anything you read in the SUN!"

Ahaha sorry pilots, I didn't know about it :]

[EHM-2173 Bastiaan]

Origineel gepost door EHM-1883 Matt
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article713438.ece

and there's proof not to trust the sun.

Looks like he's holding a turned-off lightsaber;D

They are practising how to invade earth