Mechanical Cameras Only - turn PEDs off for take off and landing

[Roger Hicks]

No planes have ever crashed from my cell phone being on...(

Well, no, by definition, really. If they had, you'd not be able to post here.

Cheers,

R.

 

[AshenLight]

I don't even turn off my cell phone. Sometimes I carry an extra set of headphones just for the wire, so I can listen to music during takeoff/safety procedures and when they bug me I just show them the wire from the dummy set.

No planes have ever crashed from my cell phone being on, though I usually lose signal just after takeoff 🙁

How thoughtful of you to potentially endanger a plane full of passengers to save yourself the inconvenience of having to turn your cell phone off...

 

[Ron Smith]

On a flight to Los Angeles a couple years ago, I had an opportunity to talk with an American Airlines pilot who was sitting next to me.

I asked him about the cell phone issue. His answer confirmed my thoughts - if they were dangerous, they wouldn't be allowed on the plane.

Here's a shot of Mt. Rainier that I took out the window on a flight out of Seattle with a Canon 20D and 50/1.4.

 

[kansas_parker]

I'm an Air Traffic Controller in a radar approach facility. A couple of years ago the FAA banned cell phones in ATC facilities. Recently my cell phone inadvertently rang (I forgot to turn it off) and after I turned it off a pilot reported constant static on our frequencies. Everyone thinks that the rule is not necessary, but like many people have already stated, is it worth the risk? Many of the cockpit instruments are based off of radio navigation aids with vhf or uhf frequencies. Makes sense that a cell phone could disrupt the signal. While this wouldn't be likely to cause a crash, the dead air in ATC communications could very well lead to an incident.

BTW, great pictures everyone!

 

[David R Munson]

I love flying and always have my camera handy when I fly. Or, I do assuming I have a window seat, which I always try to do even on reeeeeeally long flights.

Two of my favorites, not quite with all-mechanical cameras, but both on film. One with a Nikon F3P and 50/1.2 and the other with an F4s and 24/2.

I never fail to feel stimulated to shoot when I fly.

However, I do hesitate to use my headphone amp when I fly.

 

[squirrel$$$bandit]

R-D1, coming into Iowa City. Nobody bothered me, perhaps because it looks to most people like an antique.

 

[climbing_vine]

If there's any doubt that a cell phone can cause electromagnetic interference, leave it next to your computer and be sure your speakers are on. Then from a landline, call your cell.

Or, ever notice that clicking and buzzing in your car every once in a while, while your cell is laying on the console?

Yeah... from six inches away. Everything I've heard, from commercial pilots to one of the top three or four engineers who has worked on aircraft control system safety and failures with the FAA for 30 years, is that no modern passenger aircraft has any problem with the level of EM from consumer devices and the rule is about getting people to pay attention. Which I fully support, btw.

Why would airlines be moving ahead with wifi and cell relays in planes if there were an inherent danger? That should put paid to this myth.

 

[Tuolumne]

I used to use a hand held GPS on airplanes. It's really a kick to see yourself going 500 MPH on it as the scenery rolls past the window and the GPS scrolls along. I would hide it in my hand as I turned toward the window to pick up the GPS satellites.. It answered all my questions about city identity and landmark identification. Loved that thing! The flight attendants always caught me and made me turn it off. Needless to say, I would never consider doing such a thing since 9/11.

/T

 

[Mephiloco]

Most probably it won't be the plane crashing from your cell phone being on. It will be that you are making the pilot's work more complicated than it needs to be because you can't be bothered to switch off your bloody phone.

You're like a person on a bus who goes to the driver and insists on putting his book over the speedometer and then says that no bus has ever crashed from it.

How thoughtful of you to potentially endanger a plane full of passengers to save yourself the inconvenience of having to turn your cell phone off...

Hardly. Leaving a cell phone on doesn't even interfere with the instruments in my brother's Cessna, yet somehow it interferes with the instruments in a 737 ? How many plane crashes have been attributed to iPods and cell phones? Still zero? Even in countries that don't ban cell phone use on planes?

I guess the reason why the ban is being revisited is because it's so 'dangerous'. Cell phones were banned in 1991, erring on the side of safety. In reality the main reason cell phones are still banned is because of the effects it'd have on the cell phone towers, not the planes. You'd be hitting far more towers at 40000 feet than at ground level thus the cell carriers would be allowing a huge burden with no monetary compensation for the added service. I also imagine most people don't want to be stuck next to someone on their cellphone for several hours.

Having a cell phone on on a plane is no more 'dangerous' than using a cell phone during a surgical procedure (in terms of EMR).

 

[Tuolumne]

Cell phones are banned on commercial flights because the airlines want a monopoly on your using their expensive phones when you call from the air. period. Everything else is just noise.

/T

 

[Olsen]

Over here, SAS, Scandinavian Airline System, is already testing use of cell phones and PC's with 'wireless' connection inside their commercial airliners. - For a fee, mind you. USA has always been far behind in cell phone technology, but you will have it one day.

 

[ampguy]

Here are a few snaps I took with an RD1 and I think a 40/2 Rokkor a couple years back.

 

[Chris101]

...
Having a cell phone on on a plane is no more 'dangerous' than using a cell phone during a surgical procedure (in terms of EMR).

Thanks. If I ever have surgery, I'll make sure the surgeon is not gonna be taking calls during the procedure.

Just to keep it on-topic:

 

[Tuolumne]

Thanks. If I ever have surgery, I'll make sure the surgeon is not gonna be taking calls during the procedure.

Someone shoulda told Michael Jackson's doctor that.

/T

 

[Olsen]

I should mention that your photo, Frozenintime, of SF with the Golden Gate Bridge was a very good one for being taken through aircraft window. It should be remembered that the SWC/38 mm Biogon is based on a areal spy camera that the Germans were using during WWII.

I guess your picture is taken at about 30.000 ft, which would be the same altitude as the German Dornier planes that flew over Norway during the winter 39/40', way beond reach of any Norwegian fighters. They photographed shipping as intelligence for the u-boat fleet. The event of the Carl Zeiss Biogon lens with multi coating, a military secret at the time, was important. It reproduces reality without any distortion which was important to be able to recognize and identify ships from fast flying Dorniers at 30 - 33.000 ft.

A few days after the German attack on Norway, a Norwegian fighter pilot managed to shoot at and damage a Dornier. But this was a slower and lower flying model. - The heftiest models of the plane had been moved to Southern Germany in preparation of the attack on France. This Dornier hit fell down in Sweden, which was neutral during WWII. The Germans demanded the dead crew and documents returned (order of battle, maps, codes etc.), but ignored the plane wreak. Swedish intelligence found it most interesting. Not the least the cameras which they showed to Victor Hasselblad. The Swedish Airforce asked him if he could make them a similar one. According to the tradition Victor Hasselblad answered; ' not only that, I can make you a better one..'

That's how the Hasselblad camera was born.

 

[Mephiloco]

Thanks. If I ever have surgery, I'll make sure the surgeon is not gonna be taking calls during the procedure.

There's a common misconception, similar to phones on airplanes, that cellular phones interfere with certain surgical equipment. I've gotten phone calls several times from surgery from an anesthesia guy about mundane things like 'Hey what was the final score of that yankees game last night... Oh, so they swept the Sox.. Good. Alright talk to you later.' No doubt within 2 feet of all the equipment. Go Yankees 🙂

 

[Mephiloco]

This is probably the biggest reason, I agree. They conveniently place headsets right on the back of everyone's seat for their calling convenience... With a nice slot for running your credit card through!

I've not seen a phone on a plane in a few years. All of Northwest's planes had them but no longer do, and no Delta flight I've taken recently has had them, not even overnight trips to Europe and Brazil.

 

[Gumby]

I've not seen a phone on a plane in a few years.

Fly United... they all have them!

 

[Spoks]

Take the train! It is more and more popular over here. Not the least because of all the security fuss when flying.

No one here with train pictures...?

 

[dmr]

I used to use a hand held GPS on airplanes. It's really a kick to see yourself going 500 MPH on it as the scenery rolls past the window and the GPS scrolls along. I would hide it in my hand as I turned toward the window to pick up the GPS satellites.. It answered all my questions about city identity and landmark identification. Loved that thing! The flight attendants always caught me and made me turn it off. Needless to say, I would never consider doing such a thing since 9/11.

Southwest permits GPS units and after I got mine I took it on a few flights mostly for the novelty of it.

On mine at least, you have to be in the window seat and hold it up to the window. Still, it goes into "locating satellites" quite often.

It was very interesting, I admit, to see the path we were taking, especially when approaching the destination.

The FAs saw that I was using it, said nothing. The guy in the aisle seat kept asking where we were, even after I turned it off. 🙂