Mobiles To Be Allowed On Passenger Aircraft

    Plans have been announced today to allow commercial aircraft to offer a mobile phone service on flights in European Airspace.

    UK regulator Ofcom has given the approval for this system which would involve small ‘pico cell’ systems to transmit a network around the plane.

    Personally, I think this is utter madness. Firstly it has been proven that mobile phone signals can interfere with aircraft controls, especially navigation systems. Even the slightest of miscalculations could lead to a fatal catastrophe.

     As a keen watcher of television investigation programmes such as “Seconds From Disaster” and “Survival In The Sky” it seems apparent that the most bizarre and unexpected thing can go wrong with an aircraft and bring the whole plane down.

    Scientists, engineers and other experts are often surprised by faults that occur, serious or otherwise, in parts and places that were thought to be completely safe beforehand. The truth is there are always surprises and in the sky that’s not a good thing.

    An example is that of American Airlines flight 587, in October 2001. Constant changing of pressure on the rudder by the pilot, who thought they were experiencing severe turbulance, caused the tail-fin to break off completely. Engineers had no idea that this was even possible, but it still happened.   

    So the idea of having a mobile phone service on board aircraft, even if they believe it to be 100% safe, is sticking two fingers up at the God’s and asking to be proven wrong. Something will eventually go wrong, and it will be because of an unforeseen reaction, problem or event, especially as experts KNOW that phone signals interfere with equipment.

    As the famous quote goes “In the ongoing battle between planes and the ground, the ground has yet to lose.”

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