15 September, 2003

Flying cellphones can spell disaster!

Sydney, Sept 15 (ANI): Ringing cellphones in the air can spell disaster, according to a study conducted by British Civil Aviation Authority.

According to a report in The Australian, the study reveals that mobile phones and other electronic devices can significantly interfere with a plane's navigational equipment.

Interference from portable electronic devices and mobile phones has resulted in more than 100 air safety incidents in the past 10 years, according to the Australian Air Transport Safety Bureau.

In one incident last year, pilots on a NSW flight got concerned when the plane started rocking slightly from side to side while under the control of the autopilot. The cabin crew discovered that a passenger was using a lap-top computer, which when turned off, solved all problems.

A British study, involving the use of mobile phones on passenger-less flights, found that electrical equipment could cause compass freeze, navigation instrument errors, communication interference and false warning reports.

It is a Civil Aviation Safety Authority requirement that airlines ban the use of mobile phones and other equipment such as lap-top computers during flights. Officials have now issued a fresh warning to Australian airlines and passengers stressing the fatal consequences of such an act. (ANI)

-Yahoo News.

09 September, 2003