Phones on Planes
Many of you will by flying at some point during your summer vacation. It may be your first time since airlines have loosened their rules on electronics use, or maybe you have already encountered this change. Either way, if you're like me you may wonder why they have rules at all about using electronics on planes. According to a survey done by the Consumer Electronics Association, almost 1/3 of passengers have left their phone on during a flight. If this is true why don't we hear about planes having problems due to electronics on a regular basis?
Studies done at Boeing's Electromagnetic Interference Lab have shown that laptop frequencies can jump into airplane frequency range which could cause interference with VFR radios. This interference won't cause a plane to crash, but it will cause pilots to have to work harder during crucial flight times. Interference can affect many aircraft systems including communication and navigation systems, flight controls, and warning systems. These problems caused could distract a pilot and cause them to make a mistake during a crucial time like take off or landing. On the other hand, electronics can be dangerous in other ways. An intense game of Angry Birds may distract a person from listening to the safety demonstration at the beginning of the flight. Laptops and other heavy electronics could become airborne during turbulence and hit you or someone else.
Also, even though no planes have crashed due to electronics there have been reports of interference. Between 2003 and 2009 there were 75 suspected reports of electronic interference. This means it is rare, but it definitely can happen. Our society's rapid increase in technology both helps and hurts this problem. As technology increases more of the plane's systems can be effected by interference and more things can go wrong. But the increase also leads to more safety measures being enacted that can stop some of this interference.
None of this shows that electronics are a definite safety hazard on planes, but now you may understand a bit more why planes handle them the way they do.
Studies done at Boeing's Electromagnetic Interference Lab have shown that laptop frequencies can jump into airplane frequency range which could cause interference with VFR radios. This interference won't cause a plane to crash, but it will cause pilots to have to work harder during crucial flight times. Interference can affect many aircraft systems including communication and navigation systems, flight controls, and warning systems. These problems caused could distract a pilot and cause them to make a mistake during a crucial time like take off or landing. On the other hand, electronics can be dangerous in other ways. An intense game of Angry Birds may distract a person from listening to the safety demonstration at the beginning of the flight. Laptops and other heavy electronics could become airborne during turbulence and hit you or someone else.
Also, even though no planes have crashed due to electronics there have been reports of interference. Between 2003 and 2009 there were 75 suspected reports of electronic interference. This means it is rare, but it definitely can happen. Our society's rapid increase in technology both helps and hurts this problem. As technology increases more of the plane's systems can be effected by interference and more things can go wrong. But the increase also leads to more safety measures being enacted that can stop some of this interference.
None of this shows that electronics are a definite safety hazard on planes, but now you may understand a bit more why planes handle them the way they do.
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