Licensing.
I have a good friend who is a senior pilot for one of the major airlines. He's a USAF Academy graduate and retired military pilot. When I asked him about the restriction against cell phone usage being credited to interference with aircraft flight systems he burst out laughing. He claims no such interference exists and that he's used his cell phone in the cockpit while the plane was in flight.
He claims that every radio transmitter on an aircraft in flight must be licensed by the FCC. Your cell phone lacks a license for use on an airplane in flight. Therefore you can't use it.
Ever wonder why you're supposed to turn off your cell phone before the plane pulls away from the gate but it's OK to turn it on after your aircrafts lands and is taxiing to the gate? It's due to the definition of the term "in flight": an aircraft is considered to be "in flight" from the time it pulls away from the gate until it touches down at its destination. In other words taxiing away from the gate to the runway is considered to be "in flight" activity but taxiing after landing is no longer considered "in flight" activity.
He claims that the FCC is in discussion with the cell phone carriers about licensing the use of cell phones while airplanes are in flight. In addition he says that the FCC will allow cell phone providers to charge cell phone users an extra fee for this privilege. He expects this will start to happen by the end of 2007.
I have a good friend who is a senior pilot for one of the major airlines. He's a USAF Academy graduate and retired military pilot. When I asked him about the restriction against cell phone usage being credited to interference with aircraft flight systems he burst out laughing. He claims no such interference exists and that he's used his cell phone in the cockpit while the plane was in flight.
He claims that every radio transmitter on an aircraft in flight must be licensed by the FCC. Your cell phone lacks a license for use on an airplane in flight. Therefore you can't use it.
Ever wonder why you're supposed to turn off your cell phone before the plane pulls away from the gate but it's OK to turn it on after your aircrafts lands and is taxiing to the gate? It's due to the definition of the term "in flight": an aircraft is considered to be "in flight" from the time it pulls away from the gate until it touches down at its destination. In other words taxiing away from the gate to the runway is considered to be "in flight" activity but taxiing after landing is no longer considered "in flight" activity.
He claims that the FCC is in discussion with the cell phone carriers about licensing the use of cell phones while airplanes are in flight. In addition he says that the FCC will allow cell phone providers to charge cell phone users an extra fee for this privilege. He expects this will start to happen by the end of 2007.