How do you get a cellphone onto a plane?

[brownbox]

im plannign on travelling, and wish to take my dearest iphone with me, to snap some pictures. I dont really feel like chucking it into a suitcase, so is it allowed to be in my carry on luggage with no problems? (I understand it much be turned off, and stay off for the flight). Do they just ask you to show it to them, check its off, and send you on your way? Reason is, im staying a night in singapore, and our luggage is travelling directly to the destination, so i would want to take some pictures in the airport, and stuff.

Sorry, i dont travel often, and have never done so with a phone.

[creator2003]

Yes you just walk it on and they ask you to turn it off or to flight mode were it can be on but not like receive text and wap etc .. but yes you can take it on with you no prob ...

[Kelburn]

yeah you can take it on easily. Actually they're not really strict enough when it comes to turning it off as anyone can turn theirs on inflight

[mfraser]

Yup - no problems with carrying cellphones on board as long as they remain off or in flightmode for the duration of the flight. The aircrew will brief you and the other passengers on the use of other portable electronic devices such as laptops, MP3 players, PSP's etc during the safety brief. These must normally remain off during takeoff and climb, and during descent and landing but can be used during the cruise.

Interestingly enough, the Mythbusters have investigated whether the use of cellphones in flight pose a hazard to air navigation. Ultimately they decided the myth was busted as modern aircraft are well designed and the instruments shielded against this sort of interference. It is more likely that the airlines simply agreed to a blanket policy of banning the use of cellphones as the task of testing the release of each new cellphone for inflight interference would be too costly!

Unofficial Mythbusters Catalogue - Cellphones on a Plane

Happy flights and Bon Voyage my friend!
Mat

[LMerraine]

Actually from what I can remember it's not actually the plane that's a problem, it's the ground stations. Up that high you can end up reporting to 5~6 towers and that can confuse the network.

This was a few years ago I heard that, could be an old wives tale though.

[brownbox]

cool, thanks guys.

[Alex]

I've heard that on borderline coverage, multiple phones operating can overcome the instrument shielding (reason being that as reception decreases, the signal from the phone to connect to the network increases). I read something on airliners.net to that effect a while ago (from pilot/fo view), not sure whether it was legit or not (sounded like the guy knew his stuff), but was an interesting read nonetheless.

Depends what aircraft the mythbusters crew tested it on I suppose, as I'd imagine that the instrument shielding varies...

Alex

[NZ255]

QUOTE (mfraser @ Sep 15 2008, 09:11 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The aircrew will brief you and the other passengers on the use of other portable electronic devices such as laptops, MP3 players, PSP's etc during the safety brief. These must normally remain off during takeoff and climb, and during descent and landing but can be used during the cruise.

Haha, feel like I'm listening to a safety video on a plane.

[mfraser]

Well I'm no electronics expert and was just reporting what I saw on the tube. From memory the aircraft they used was an old MD-80 out at the Groom Lake aircraft graveyard. They set up a variable power simulated cellphone and dialed it up to full power which had no effect. A similar test by a UK research company managed to affect ILS indications, although the anomalies were minor - that test was conducted inside the cockpit with the cellphone transmitting at full power 30cm away from the HSI! Makes you wonder what it does to your brain!

Regardless of the reasons its a moot point - turn your cellphone on and make a call or send a text in flight and you'll have a pretty angry hostie telling you off in a very loud voice! Our Civil Aviation Authority takes a very serious view of people disregarding our aviation rules and you'd be liable for a fine. Check out this link to Vector Magazine (Our local aviation safety rag). Page 12 has a disconcerting report of a crash a few years ago in ChCh which had a link to cellphone use in flight.

Vector Magazine Issue 4 - PDF

Good debate guys!
Mat