AIRPLANE mode doesn't STAY ON...

Just to clear up a misconception - the ban on cell phones on planes has little or nothing to do with safety. Some airlines outside the US allow cell phone use in flight.

The problem is that the carriers can't / don't want to deal with it. The other problem is that Americans tend to have an irrational dislike of other people using mobile phones in public places. (Which kinda eliminates the point of "mobile" - but that's another discussion.) The bottom line is that if your phone switches on mid-flight, you'll live to tell the tale.

A little off topic and not trying to start anything but... I noticed that when my blackberry receives email or calls and if my ipod was close, it would randomly change the volume. If it can do this maybe it can change flight controls? I guess it would have to be close enough to cause any problems...

It is a safety reason. Have you ever placed a cellphone near (usually older) radio equipment, like amplifiers? You often hear a loud clicking or buzzing/beeping sound, which is from the phone network interfering with unshielded equipment. How would you like to hear that in your ears when trying to land a plane in fog when the control tower is telling you which way to turn? 😉

The buzzing sound only occurs within a short distance from a speaker. But also, pilots don't land planes manually, especially not in the fog or at night! Almost all landings are done automatically by a landing computer.

And if it were a safety issue, this:

http://www.airbus.com/en/presscentre/pressreleases/pressreleasesitems/07_06_19_onboard_mobilecertif.html

would never have happened.

Two years ago I was a pilot for American Airlines.

Almost 98% of the time, a human lands the aircraft, ESPECIALLY during fog and storms.

Also, it is a safety hazard. With new models coming out each and every day, there's no telling what technology they use that could interfere with on board aircraft instruments.

The Myth Busters tried everything to cause instrument interference with a myriad of devices to no avail. The myth that phones can interfere with airplane instruments was totally busted.
I suppose there could possibly be a one in a million chance that it could happen, but not very likely. This is certainly cause to play it safe. But to assume that everyone turns off their devices on a flight is nonsense anyway. I have had to tell others near me many times to do so. It is highly unlikely everyone on the plane does it.

A big problem with leaving it on is that it is searching for a signal during the whole flight and this quickly drains the battery. I, uhum, have accidentally left mine on a few times.

i am on a plane just about every week and have successfullly used airplane mode until just recently. On my last flight, in fact, airplane mode was abandoned three times while the phone was in my pocket. As we were hurdling down the runway I got a call- oh the indignity! Each time I activated airplane mode, I promptly powered off with the button on the top-right of the phone, so am sure of no accidental user input on the screen while the unit was in my pocket. As I see it, this is major issue Apple should be working on. I'd hate for the airline industry or FAA to get wind of this and start banning iPhones inboard airplanes!

If you leave your phone on it won't interfere with the plane but most likely you will have a dead battery when you land because the phone will be constantly searching out a new tower as you travel at 550MPH. The only way to make cell phones work on a plane would be for the plane to be its own cell tower of sorts.


And as far as landing I would want my pilot with his hands on the yoke.

As a follow-up to my post last night, when I re-booted my iPhone, airplane mode stayed active when selected this time. Before reaching this conclusion, however, I did allow the unit to go to sleep on its own (vs. pressing the power button on the top-right corner), and the same problem resulted. Hopefully, someone from Apple is looking into this and will provide a fix with the next software update.

just tested it as you said. Mine stays on, a little window pops up saying "you must disable airplane mode", and gives you the option to cancel or disable airplane mode

Not really unsafe. Just not pleasant to have the flight attendant scold you while crossing the Atlantic when your phone rings. 🙂

A little levity on this forum can't hurt. 🙂

Yes, I've had the same problem. My iPhone will only stay in airplane mode a couple of minutes at the most then it switches off. Does anyone have any ideas on what is going on?

I saw the same Mythbusters episode as Richard. They really TRIED to interfere with the plane's signals, just didn't happen. I wouldn't worry about it.

Make sure to post this problem in the feedback section. I am traveling to Italy in the next week and will be checking into that myself. 😀 Also, will be looking at the Data roaming "off" option. 😀