| If you've ever been on a plane, you've no doubt heard | | | | tougher to fly a plane when you're listening to two |
| the instructions to turn off your cell phone before | | | | people talk about their children's soccer game, or |
| taking flight. This is something most people are familiar | | | | discuss the latest Powerpoint presentation. It's an |
| with, and most people, when boarding a flight, make | | | | added distraction in an already difficult job. |
| sure to turn their phones off. But do you know WHY | | | | There are other more obvious reasons that airlines |
| it's important to turn phones off during a flight? | | | | want you to turn off your cell phone before takeoff. |
| There are some crazy rumors out there. Some people | | | | One is so that you'll pay attention to the potentially |
| believe that a cell phone's frequency can mess up the | | | | life-saving instructions given out by the flight attendants. |
| controls of an aircraft. Some even believe that this | | | | Sure, the odds that you'll need to use that inflatable life |
| interference can cause a plane to crash. | | | | vest are slim, but that doesn't mean the pilot wants |
| Are these claims accurate? Or are they completely | | | | you chatting while the flight attendant is showing you |
| unfounded? Why do we need to turn our phones off | | | | how it works. |
| during a flight? | | | | Another reason is that you're probably annoying. Don't |
| NASA did a study on this topic recently and could not | | | | take offense; most people are annoying when they're |
| find any incidents of planes crashing as a result of cell | | | | on their cell phones. When you're in such close |
| phone interference. Case closed, right? Not exactly. | | | | proximity with others as you would be on a plane, |
| Though it's never been proven that cell phones can | | | | there's no real way to talk on your cell phone |
| crash a plane, some people still believe it is possible. | | | | respectfully. It's not like your call is an emergency, and |
| This includes some pilots. Also, some pilots will tell you | | | | even if it is, what can you do about it? You can't ask |
| that cell phones do cause interference, just not of the | | | | the plane to hurry up or turn around. So if you're |
| deadly kind. I once spoke to a pilot and he said that he | | | | annoying, and you don't need to be on the phone, |
| could often hear cell phone conversations coming | | | | airlines prefer that you aren't. People want to relax on |
| across his radio. You talk on your phone on a plane, | | | | a plane, they don't want to hear your Cellular One |
| and the conversation could get transmitted onto the | | | | ringtones going off every ten minutes. |
| same frequency that airline is using. So while your | | | | Finally, although there's no evidence that cell phones |
| phone isn't causing any mechanical problems, the pilot | | | | cause crashes, there's also no definitive evidence that |
| could be hearing your voice while he's trying to | | | | they're totally safe. The airline industry is already |
| navigate the skies. I'm not pilot, but I imagine it must be | | | | unsafe enough, so why add another risk? |