Although many people use flight mode for sleeping or during meetings, typically this mobile option, as its name suggests, is designed to reduce the interference that passengers’ electronic devices can cause to devices in the aircraft control room. It is for this reason that it is usually recommended to use it throughout the flight.
However, the reasons why this recommendation exists are very different from what we might think. This was recently explained by an aviation teacher Doug Drury in an article for Talk.
In it he points out how over the years technology used in aircraft so that the presence of switched-on instruments in the cabin does not create problems. So the real reason Airplane Mode is recommended is not transportation, but on the ground. It may seem strange, but it is true.
Coincidence less dangerous than it seems
Actually, the airplane mode was invented in the sense in which we all understand it today. For nothing less, since since the use of personal electronic devices in the cabin, there was a concern that these could tamper with on-board computers. It has since become known that these devices can emit signals within a single frequency. There are even recent studies to back this up. However, this does not necessarily mean that it is dangerous.
In fact, studies have been carried out showing that in reality the use of these devices, even with the coincidence, do not interfere with aircraft signalsno connection with flight controllers. Also, as if that weren’t enough, some countries, such as the US, have created frequency bands dedicated to different purposes. Thus, the cockpit and control room signals will take different paths.
With all this, it does not seem that airplane mode is necessary outside critical takeoff and landing maneuvers. In these cases, mobile phones must be turned off or in this mode, which prevents them from emitting any signal. Then the danger will disappear. It is for this reason that although it is recommended to use airplane mode, in the European Union it ceased to be mandatory during a flight as early as 2014.
So why are we still using airplane mode?
According to Drury, the real reason for using Airplane Mode is on Earth. But the fact that if you add the signals emitted by all the instruments in the cabin, when flying several aircraft a day, then yes, some can be saturated busy terrestrial networks.
Therefore, the danger is not in the aircraft. Of course, all these conclusions are made before using 5G. But the fact is that, apparently, the frequency range of this type of network is very close to that used in navigation systems near airports. Therefore, its use may become hazardous when flying over these areas. And it is very dangerous if you do not use airplane mode. landing. In any case, we have already seen that during takeoff and landing it is highly recommended, so we must not forget to use it.
Social component
Finally, the author of the article from Talk talks about the social component of this decision. On the one hand, it is mentioned that Stewardesses They would be uncomfortable if they had to wait until every passenger had finished talking on the phone before they could offer them food or any other service. We must not forget that it is not as easy for them to walk on an airplane as it is for a train conductor.
And that is not all. It is also believed that the use of phones without airplane mode may affect a phenomenon known as air rage. It consists of conduct disorder passengers, who tend to be more annoyed and even angry. The reasons are not clear, and it cannot even be considered as a medical or psychological phenomenon. It has just been observed that this happens frequently, especially on long flights.
It is believed that this may be due to spending so much time in such a small space with no way out, with the stress and fatigue that the entire previous period at the airport entails, or even with the smoking ban. Moreover, all this can be made even more noticeable if mixed with alcohol.
Finally, Drury believes that the use of mobile phones could make things worse. air rage, therefore, it is recommended to keep using Airplane Mode. Who knows? Perhaps some Spanish singer at one time forgot to hang up his cell phone, and so he staged a demonstration of air rage flavored with certain substances. Or maybe not. What’s clear is that even if it’s not for the reasons we thought it wouldn’t hurt to keep the phone in airplane mode. The more caution the better.
Source: Hiper Textual
