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Proof that mobiles phones are a threat to aircraft By DAFFYD RODERICK June 30, 2000 Web posted at 12:30 p.m. Hong Kong time, 12:30 a.m. EDT On a recent flight from Manila, my seatmate pulled out his mobile phone, punched his speed dial and began giving a colleague instructions. After a moment he hung up and put his phone back in his pocket. I asked him if he'd missed the part of the safety presentation about mobile phones disrupting the plane's avionics equipment. Obviously the warnings from the cabin crew and on the seatback card hadn't penetrated his comb-over. He said it was an urgent call, and that there was no proof that phones caused a problem. After all, no plane had ever plummeted to earth because of a mobile phone, he stated. I smiled at him and admitted that while I didn't know of any such crashes, I also didn't want to be the first victim.
This is the first empirical proof that mobile phones are a clear-cut hazard. The tests found the following: •Interference levels varied with small changes in the location of the phone in the cabin •Internal doors in the aircraft, made of composite material, did not block the signal •Passengers in the path of the signal reduced the signal, so the number of passengers on the flight could affect the level of interference. The experiment also showed that phones not in use -- but turned on -- caused system problems as well. The CAA recommend, like most airlines, that once the engines have been turned on, phones should be completely switched off. Furthermore, the tests backed up anecdotal stories from pilots that blamed a host of "mystery" problems on the use of phones. They included false warnings and alarms, malfunction of systems, interference in pilot headsets, and the waste of crew time and energy in dealing with passengers using the damn things. The CAA says it is going to conduct further tests -- so they can say conclusively how specific aircraft systems are affected by phone signals. I think we better not wait for those results -- and be bright enough to simply switch off our phones. But if you just have to use it, you could at least step out of the plane. The wind is hell on a comb-over, but it would be the polite thing to do. For more information, click here. (www.caa.co.uk/about/press_releases/pr_958651205.html) Ticked off at Asia Buzz? Turned on? Talk back to TIME Write to TIME at mail@web.timeasia.com Search for recent Asia Buzz
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