[Montezuma]

WORRY ABOUT THE SAFETY of others not you bb and emails its just a simple request turn off you bb? I have a small ? do you guys bb in church? no need to answer if you don't then dont.

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The safety of others? Just how do you think a phone is going to endanger the safety of others? Are you one of the whack jobs that thinks cell phones interfere with the equipment on an air plane? Please, tell me this is not so.

[Tylerd]

Exactly!! I know our Blackberries can do so much, but their wirekess signal won't hurt the plane. I and my Dad have used our Blackberries at the same time while taking off, landing, and in the air.

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[lori6666]

My Dad and boyfriend are both private pilots and they both call me on their cell phones while flying their planes. The boyfriend is also a helicopter pilot and he texts me all the time and calls when he flys. Using a cell phone on a plane is not dangerous at all.

[Kara81]

ROTFL, My BB has an off button??? I don't turn my Boo off at all: plane, train or automobile, lol!

[toadyy]

Mythbusters busted the myth about cell phones affecting modern airplanes in any way so I'm not sure that instructions to turn them off have anything to do with safety.

Yes, but they did find that in the 800MhZ range it did effect the instruments on the plane. So I would turn off my phone. Better safe than sorry.

[CGSCOT]

I don't think a phone can "bring a plane down" as such but what I've read some frequencies can interfere with the equipment giving false readings or static.

No e-mail can be that important & if you can go to bed at night & sleep 6 hours without checking your phone I'm sure you can go a few hours on a plane without e-mails. Sometimes its nice being "unavailable".

[weirdlilberry]

For me it's not a matter so much of safety, but of respect. The airline prefers that we do not use our cell phone in flight, so I will abide by that while I'm on their plane, as well as other rules they have to ensure a safe and confortable trip for everyone.

But that's just me.

[StatusCheck]

It's jerks like those responding to this forum, who refuse to turn off thier deivces, that screw it up for everyone. It won't be long before they collect phones at the door of the plane to ensure THEIR policies are being followed. I love all the self proclaimed RF experts who magically know the effects of cell phones on planes, or takes the word of a TV show as scientific fact.

[runner7395]

For me it's not a matter so much of safety, but of respect. The airline prefers that we do not use our cell phone in flight, so I will abide by that while I'm on their plane, as well as other rules they have to ensure a safe and confortable trip for everyone.

But that's just me.

Very well stated!!!!!! I like how you think!!!!!

[garbagefairy1967]

I just got back from Vegas 2 weeks ago, and that was the worst without my little berry!!!!!!!

[Denny_Crane]

If it was that dangerous then they would take your cell phones away at security before you got on the plane. I think this all started back in the analog days when the phones were much more powerful and gave off stronger signals. You can even use your cell phones in hospitals in BC now. It's no longer a policy to turn it off as soon as you walk in the door.

[Kinetic]

For me it's not a matter so much of safety, but of respect. The airline prefers that we do not use our cell phone in flight, so I will abide by that while I'm on their plane, as well as other rules they have to ensure a safe and confortable trip for everyone.

But that's just me.

I agree as well.

Also, it's kinda nice having the peace and quiet. When I'm on the subway or a bus and half the people are chatting away, playing games on their phones, choosing a ring tone, or blasting that awful Nextel chirp noise, it can really get to you. I can't imagine that a several hour flight.

[Denny_Crane]

How disrepectful could it be? I can't see someone openly talking on their phone on a plane for obvious reasons. So if some guy is sitting there with his phone on silent, sending a couple emails, how is that disrespecting you? You may travel for pleasure but Joe Blow who is on a plane everyday for business probably makes very good use of that time catching up on his emails.

Respect? Pfff! I would rather sit beside someone emailing on their BB then a crying baby.

[Kinetic]

How disrepectful could it be? I can't see someone openly talking on their phone on a plane for obvious reasons. So if some guy is sitting there with his phone on silent, sending a couple emails, how is that disrespecting you? You may travel for pleasure but Joe Blow who is on a plane everyday for business probably makes very good use of that time catching up on his emails.

Respect? Pfff! I would rather sit beside someone emailing on their BB then a crying baby.

As for respect, the original poster was referring to respecting the airline (flight attendants, pilots, etc) by keeping their phone off because that's what the airline had asked them to do. That's also what I was referencing when I agreed.

I brought up the point of people being loud/disrespectful while using their phones. Maybe you live in the perfect world where everyone would quietly use their phone for email but unfortunately that's generally not the case. Of course I wouldn't mind sitting next to someone using data while their phone was on silent - who would?

Also, what makes you think I travel strictly for pleasure? That would be nice and all but I find myself on a plane more often for business than for pleasure. I really do wish it were the other way around.

[Denny_Crane]

As for respect, the original poster was referring to respecting the airline (flight attendants, pilots, etc) by keeping their phone off because that's what the airline had asked them to do. That's also what I was referencing when I agreed.

I brought up the point of people being loud/disrespectful while using their phones. Maybe you live in the perfect world where everyone would quietly use their phone for email but unfortunately that's generally not the case. Of course I wouldn't mind sitting next to someone using data while their phone was on silent - who would?

Also, what makes you think I travel strictly for pleasure? That would be nice and all but I find myself on a plane more often for business than for pleasure. I really do wish it were the other way around.

Yes I know what the OP was saying but you were going off topic about the peace and quiet etc...my only point was that someone is not going to sit there on a plane talking on their phone so your comment didn't really make sense to me is all.

Anyways we are getting off topic here. The point is that unfortunately we aren't supposed to be using our cells on a plane I really hope that changes sooner then later. But seriously, how many of you can actually get signal up there? I never have been able to.

[dlgus]

Well, the truth for me is that very few of my emails are such that I can't wait till I get back on the ground.....I just read whatever book I've downloaded, play whatever game I've got, listen to whatever songs/podcasts I have on.

Then when the plane touches down, I get all of my crackberry info emails and life goes on-lol

[serenity3]

You guys think turning it off on a plane is bad? I work at a hospital and have to turn off the radio EVERY SINGLE DAY. It sucks the big one. I find stupid reasons to go outside and turn it on to get updates.

[mainetoby]

Hey all -

The requirement to turn your phone off (well, all electronics on the ground after the door is closed while on the ground, with the exception of cell phones after landing and off the active runway in the US) is not regulated by airlines, flight attendants or pilots - but rather is mandated by federal aviation regulations. Failure to turn your phone off could result either in a fine, or being removed from a flight. As flight crew, I personally am not going to be stuck in a aircraft at 37000 feet with someone who can not comply with the simple request of turning off a phone.

I'm not going to speculate why they have these regulations in place, and it might seem trivial, but we are required to make sure passengers are in compliance, both for our safety (as above noted for compliance reasons), and to avoid being issued personal fines ourselves.

[patrick.waugh]

The worry is that any radio frequency transmitter (like a cell phone) may interfere with or confuse the very sensitive navigation receivers on the plane ("plain" for those of you that cannot spell).

In reality, testing has now shown that they have no effect, but the real problem is that you have several hundred people fly over a cell tower, and now all the people on the ground can't communicate.

Some aircraft are going to be equiped with their own downlink so this will not happen, and then they may lighten up on it a bit.

If you are in really bad weather, and you want to land safe, you might want to turn it off to be sure. =)

Remember, a check of your cell phone records and you are busted.

Patrick

[jetcola]

Allways makes me laugh as soon as the plane lands you can hear 200 mobile phones been switched on.

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[CGSCOT]

Article on BBC Website today

Mobile calls on Emirates flights

Dubai-based airline Emirates has become the first commercial airline to allow passengers to make mobile phone calls during flights.
Emirates said the first permitted mobile phone call was made on a flight between Dubai and Casablanca.

The aircraft, an Airbus A340, is fitted with a system which stops mobiles from interfering with a plane's electronics.

Emirates plans to extend the system to more aircraft and later this year add BlackBerry and other data services.

According to the airline, the mobile service will only be activated when the aircraft is at cruising altitude and the cabin crew will be able to monitor and control the use of the system.

Passengers will be able to receive and send text messages, but the crew will be able to prevent voice calls at certain times, such as during night flights.

Passengers will also be requested to keep their phones on "silent" mode, said the airline.

High demand

Emirates said it decided to introduce the use of mobile phones in its fleet after experiencing high demand for the phones already installed in aircraft seats.

The airline had to obtain approval from international air safety organisations before adopting the system, which was developed by the AeroMobile company.

"We have gone to considerable lengths to ensure that all safety and regulatory issues have been fully addressed", said AeroMobile Chief Executive Bjorn-Taale Sandberg.

Emirates flies to more than 60 countries and is owned by the government of Dubai.

[momto4xys]

I always turn the wireless off before I turn it off on departure. Once they say electronic devices can be used, I whip out the crackberry for my in-flight entertainment. I read/compose e-mails, play games, and play around with wallpapers/themes.

Although I'd love to be able to chat & browse the web during a flight .... I think phone calls on flights would be incredibly annoying. With my luck I would get stuck in the middle seat with loud & obnoxious people talking on both sides of me!

[Garz]

I use mine for the mp3 player but turn off wireless connection.

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[jlynnp13]

I use mine for the mp3 player but turn off wireless connection.

I have an 8320 and here is my question.. I do not need/want the cell service on the plane. I understand about turning off my wi-fi. But, I will still want music, videos, games, software, etc. How can I run those programs WITHOUT burning through my battery while it searches for my cellular signal?

I fly a lot for work.. sometimes 12 hours straight. I got rid of my Palm TX for the BlackBerry convenience of all-in-one (LOVE IT!!). But, I would hate it if I would kill my battery searching for cell service on a flight that I don't need.

My last phone was a simple Samsung slider. It had a dedicated "airplane mode." I am surprised that a peice of equipment like this does not.

Thanks, Jess

[Denny_Crane]

Go into Applications/Manage Connections and you can turn off any/all radio frequencies.

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