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Cellphones Usable on Airplanes in 2006?

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the phoning-home dept.

JOhn-E G writes "In a recent article from the New York Times it seems that airlines and cellphone makers are working towards allowing cellphones to be used on airplanes during flight. (free reg. required) Currently the plan is to have a mini cell tower, a picocell, on the plane that would intercept all the calls from people in the plane and relay them to satelites or ground towers. The FAA, FCC, and the airlines really want to be absolutely sure that there will be no interference anywhere. The article also says that cell use may still be banned during landings just to be safe. Changes would start in 2006."

3 of 453 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Cell phones crash planes when you want them to. by prichardson · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    Whoa there, chester!

    If the plane flew over the whitehouse it would be shot down. Just shot down.

    --
    Help I'm a rock.
  2. That's great as long as... by zoid.com · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    The FBI, CIA, AFLCIO, EFF, PGA, SEC, NFL, RNC, and Zell Miller approve.

    Now I have to type a paragraph of non-sense because I can't post my comment due to the Lameness filter.

    Lameness filter encountered. Post aborted!
    Reason: Don't use so many caps. It's like YELLING.

    --
    Zoid.com
  3. Re:Cell phones crash planes when you want them to. by glesga_kiss · · Score: 0, Offtopic
    Cell phone use by passengers saved the White House on September 11th. Passengers were able to learn what happened at the World Trade Center, and correctly deduced that the plane was going to be used as a weapon. This is actually a security measure. Cell phones in the hands of passengers is the best chance that NORAD has of learning that a plane has been hijacked before it can be used to hit anything.

    Sorry, the passengers did not bring down that plane. The US government has never actually said that, they just led folk to believe it. A few people in governement have indicated that "the truth will come out on that one one day", or words to that effect. The whole story is suspect, and most people who are familiar with air wreckage patterns say it is clear that that particular flight was shot down. The "let's roll" story was just sugar coating.

    Besides, cell phones are irrelevant to this theory now. If you are on a plane that is hijacked, which date will come to mind? It will be easy to get a few folk willing to fight back. No need for a phone call for you to work out the worst-case scenario.