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Comment by aeternum | Hacker News Reader

This isn't completely true, the FAA does have this rule: https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=b8db9ae6ed5c2d88cd...

And this makes it risky for airlines to allow because how can the operator determine that every different electronic device will not cause interference?

I've flown small planes where my phone absolutely did cause a burst of noticeable radio interference every few seconds with LTE enabled, but those avionics likely have much less shielding than the commercial planes. Simple fix is to just turn on airplane mode or disable LTE.

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Ex-avionics engineer here.

If there was a risk to the aircraft, do you think that safety point would be left to the passenger to turn off the device? Of course not so if there was any risk at all of them being used they would not have been allowed on the aircraft.

Agreed, I'm not claiming there is any real safety risk.

The issue is that FAA rule requires the operator to determine that any allowed electronic device does not cause interference. It clearly places the burden of proof on the airline operator, that's a pretty high bar by some interpretations.

I personally like to put it in the negative.

Let's set aside for a moment FAA, FCC, IATA, etc.

The airline has a several million dollars/euro worth aircraft to lose in case of a crash.

The insurance has many more millions to pay.

If I were them and if I suspected that having phones or smartphones switched on and/or used during flight might in 0.00001% of cases cause a crash, my policy would be to frisk all passengers and take all their electronic devices in custody before boarding.

Since this is not done, they (airline and insurance) must be pretty sure that the devices (and their use) are not dangerous for flight safety.

Say we expect a fatal accident to cost an airline $1 billion in lost equipment, training, loss of business, etc. The average cost of leaving cellphones on per flight is 0.0000001*$1,000,000,000 or $100. Frisking passengers and taking their phones costs more than $100 per flight, so airlines wouldn't do it.

Don't forget the lost business because you will force business travelers to check bags. Literally everyone would have to check a bag, so you can't charge extra for it. And, no mobile boarding passes. And no move to bring-your-own-screen entertainment.

Yep, but they are still checking if you don't happen by chance to have with you a bomb (or actually even a pair of tiny scissors or a small cutter).

While the bomb might be a chance greater than 0.00001%, the scissors should be far less dangerous.

That's the government. Their goal is to convince you that the government is doing something to make you safe. To accomplish that, they run big, obvious security screenings. The airlines, left to their own devices, wouldn't bother.

(I'm a CFI.) 91.21 is irrelevant. The FCC specifically forbids the use of cell phones aboard aircraft, and the FAA doesn't have the power to overrule the FCC in matters of radio interference. The FAA has no rule, and cannot make a rule, that in any way allows the operation of cell phones aboard aircraft as long as the FCC forbids it.

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