PC World - Cell Phones Don't Crash Airplanes

I was reading through the May issue of PCWord the other day and I ran across the following on page 66.

<quote>

Cell Phones Don't Crash Airplanes

Why can't you use your phone on flights? The FAA fears that the RF signal emited by devices on the 800MHz spectrum band may interfere with navigation, specifically GPS. Yet there is no documented case of an air accident or serious malfunction caused in this way. The FCC's Concern is that phones overhead might disrupt networks on the ground, possibly hurting network performance. But some experts say the worry is outdated. "Modern phones use lower power and further cell towers have directional antennas designed for covering the surface of the earth [not the air above]," says Ken Biba, CTO of Novarum a wireless consulting and engineering group.

The fix = There isn't a lot you can do. At least you don't have to fly with people jabbering on their phones from takeoff to landing.

</quote>

It just struck me as funny since one of the take aways from this article is that cell phones wont work once you get out of the antenna's plainer range, IE at high altitude.

Just a little inadvertant truth from corporate media.

Not so sure..

that the author is referring to the actual ability of using cell phones on the planes moreso than referring to an airline rule prohibiting their use. I may be mistaken, I haven't flown since the invention of cell phones really. I far more enjoy driving to my vacation places than flying. If the author's contact info is available, we could ask them. If he/she says cell phones could not work, we could then retort by asking "then how did they work on airplanes on 9/11?" Maybe the laws of physics and probability were suspended for cell phones that day too.

thanks for posting, interesting point.

together in truth..

dtg