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When you don’t put your phone in airplane mode while flying, it emits electromagnetic waves that can disrupt the GPS and communication systems of the aircraft.
Modern aircrafts are designed to mitigate these issues, but the signal-seeking nature of various devices may lead to a build-up of electromagnetic interference.
As your phone travels between ground-based cell towers, its high speed and altitude can cause it to overload and drain its battery.
Phones are unlikely to create major issues, although many devices can interfere with critical equipment or ground control-to-cockpit communication.
An Expert’s Opinion
Aviation safety specialist, Michael Daniel believes that modern technology has advanced to the point where a phone’s signals shouldn’t significantly impact an aircraft’s operation.
“Modern aircraft, the wiring is much, much better these days. They actually have wiring that reduces the HIRF (high-intensity radiated field) effect. The high-intensity radiated field is the radio-frequency energy that can affect another device.
“Through all these years of testing, and with the HIRF standards, it significantly reduced the risk and there’s no tangible effect or tangible concern that would cause the planes to crash or something like that,” he stated.
“The deal about the airplane mode is it doesn’t necessarily turn off the Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, it just reduces the amount of signalling on the device. So the more passengers that turn off and reduce that HIRF effect, the better is for the aircraft avionics,” he added.
Mr Michael Daniel is a member of the panel of experts for the Association of Aerospace Industries in Singapore.
Conclusion
Passengers may not be directly harmed by the electromagnetic radiation that phones emit. However, when airplane mode is not activated, the extended use of electronic devices can raise stress levels. It also interferes with sleep cycles, and impair vision because of blue light.
Doctors advise taking advantage of the time spent in an airplane to unplug, unwind, or read lightly or meditate to reduce stress and enhance mental health.
