If you haven't flown lately (dang, I haven't for almost a year!) you may not be aware that you have to turn off all your electronic devices until the plane has reached an altitude of 10,000 feet, then you may turn them on except cell phones (unless they are in airplane mode) or anything that sends/receives a signal (except WiFi if the plane is so equipped). Confused yet?
Now it looks as if that policy is rather . . . dumb (for lack of a better word). Why? According to Nick Bolton writing in the "Bits" blog at the New Yuck Times:
The government might be causing more unnecessary interference on planes by asking people to shut their devices down for take-off and landing and then giving them permission to restart all at the same time. According to electrical engineers, when the electronic device starts, electric current passes through every part of the gadget, including GPS, Wi-Fi, cellular radio and microprocessor.
It’s the equivalent of waking someone up with a dozen people yelling into bullhorns.
So it might be better just to leave the devices on.
As Bolton points out, if just 1% of folks forget or can't be bothered to turn off their devices, that's about 2 people in a 737 and more on a bigger plane. Yet there is not one recorded incidence of a plane crashing due to an on-board electronic device. What's more:
Michael Altschul, senior vice president and legal counsel for CTIA, the wireless industry association, said a study that it conducted more than a decade ago found no interference from mobile devices.
“The fact is, the radio frequencies that are assigned for aviation use are separate from commercial use,” Mr. Altschul said. “Plus, the wiring and instruments for aircraft are shielded to protect them from interference from commercial wireless devices.”
I frankly think the whole scam is to get you to pay attention to the safety briefing.
But with government over-caution, don't expect this rule to change soon if at all. Maybe as electronics become more ubiquitous, the FAA will have to bend to reality. But don't count on it.



