1mobile phones – a danger? mobile phones and other gadgets could interfere with sensitive electronic systems, some theories suggest. according to a recent survey four out of 10 jet passengers in the us admitted they frequently leave their gadgets on during the flights. even a well known hollywood actor alec baldwin reacted furiously after being thrown off a los angeles-to-new york flight before take off for refusing to stop playing the online game and turn off his phone. according to worldwide jet regulations, the use of portable electronic devices is prohibited below around 3,000m , even in “flight mode” which blocks the transmission of signals. above this height laptops and music players can be used, but phones must be off, to avoid potentially dangerous interference between signals from these devices and sensitive onboard electronic systems. but do these fears have any scientific basis, or is it time to take it easier? ipods, laptops, gaming consoles – they all emit radio waves, which may influence the signals in case they are at frequencies close to those of the avionics. the risk increases if gadgets are damaged and begin emitting stronger radio waves than they are presumed to, or if multiple devices work together at the same time. nevertheless, there are no recorded incidents of crashes having been definitely caused by such problem, but the causes of accidents can occasionally remain unknown. a flight recorder may not identify that a critical system has failed because of electromagnetic interference from passengers’ devices. перевод
