Just Put A Cellular Tower In The Plane
from the yakking-while-flying dept
In something of a followup to a post from a few weeks ago, Guy Kewney is going through every reason given for banning mobile phones on planes and explaining why it doesn't have to be true. The real issue isn't one of danger (as has been pointed out many times before), but that each phone would be contacting so many cellular towers on the ground it would cause problems for the carriers. The simple solution (mentioned in that earlier article) is to place a modified mobile cellular tower on the plane that directs all communication down in a more appropriate manner. Having found such a local tower, the phones won't broadcast out to all the other towers on the ground. Still, some are worried about the danger issue, and Kewney systematically points out why all their arguments don't make sense. Of course, none of this addresses the annoyance issue - but perhaps we'll have airlines that advertise "no phoning" planes or zones and we'll basically be back to where we are now.
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re: Just put a Cellular Tower in the plane
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No Subject Given
In this and other techie forums, I notice a tendency to ignore the evidence presented in actual cases where cell phone signals did cause problems for planes.
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Re: No Subject Given
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Which service?
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Just Put A Cellular Tower In The Plane
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Re: Just Put A Cellular Tower In The Plane
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Re: Which service?
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Re: No Subject Given
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Re: No Subject Given
e.g.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/2992973.stm
"...Since 1996, pilots have reported 35 mobile phone-related safety incidents, including false warnings in the cockpit, distractions causing aircraft to stray accidentally onto runways or fly at the wrong altitude, interrupted radio communications and multiple safety systems malfunctions. "
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Re: No Subject Given
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This is evidence? Of what?
Cabin crew spent so long arguing with him about whether he would turn off his mobile they were unable to prepare the plane."
That's pretty weak evidence that cell phones are a legitimate electronic threat to aircraft. Heck, it could be just as disruptive if I refused to put my tray table up!
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Re: No Subject Given
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It only takes one
Only the plane you are on dorpus.
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Re: Just Put A Cellular Tower In The Plane
However, a MUCH HIGHER percentage of people who chat on cellphones do so at top volume, much more likely to annoy the crap out of everybody else.
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ASRS reports
has several incidents, some of which do seem very like passengers' widgets screwing up nav systems.
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