When travelling on our holidays, we're normally forced to turn our phones to flight mode while on a plane.
Devices that transmit signals are not permitted on most aircrafts due to the fact it could impact the plane's equipment. A phone would constantly be searching for a connection as all telephone towers would be out of range whilst in the sky.
Since a device would be constantly seeking out a connection, it may interfere with flight communications, which could impact a pilot's ability to speak with air traffic control.
This could, of course, lead to safety issues, and as reported by the Mirror, using devices in the air could also be annoying for pilots and crew.
Network interference could interrupt a pilot's headphones, causing a noise and disrupted communication between the cockpit and the cabin crew.
What happens if you don't put your phone on flight mode?
According to a pilot, it's never been proven that a mobile phone signal has "interfered with the navigation performance of an aircraft." But they added to Business Insider: "Just because it's never happened doesn't mean it will never happen."
Pilots have noted that mobile phones can cause audible interferences with radios. They compare the interference to the sound of a music track skipping, which may block one or two seconds of transmission and cause confusion between pilots and air traffic control.
By switching the phones to flight mode, any signal transmissions by the device are blocked.
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