Why can't you use your cell phone on the plane?

Question

What would happen if you do use it?

Answer 1

1) gets too many alerts on cell towers (line of sight) they have trouble choosing who should service your call

2) may interfere with the plane's avionics (i.e. the electronic instruments that guide the plane)

Answer 2

You can't use your cell phone because it interferes with air traffic controls, as well as the plane's communication and navigation systems. You can use it during taxi, because then it uses a different signal, but in the air the only signal is the one the aiplane needs. If you did use it, you could get lost, have the plane crash, had the pilot and all air traffic controlers listen to your conversation, possibly get any planes nearby lost or damages, and stop the pilots from communicating with the ground.

Answer 3

It would interfere with the air traffic and plane's signals. The pilot needs to have clear communication from the control tower without the air waves from your cell phone, which is dangerous!

Answer 4

There is a slim chance it will interfere with the plane's electronics. People use their cells all the time and nothing happens.  

Answer 5

In addition to all of the above (yes, there are tower issues, if you can lock on one, you will be moving so fast the system will not jump towers as fast as you will be), there are also safety issues.   It's possible, although not likely, the cell signal from a malfunctioning phone can overlap the air traffic control bands (the frequencies used are pretty close).   The phones do not generally emit enough of a signal to interfere with avionics (en masse, its technically possible).

On a personal note, I will rally against cell phones on planes until people figure out how to actually use them civilly in public.

Answer 6

Cell phones are a special case that are forbidden the entire time the plane is in flight. The problem is that your phone may be connecting to dozens if not hundreds of towers simultaneously because of your super high elevation. The land-based cell phone system is designed to automatically detect which tower is receiving your strongest signal and ignore whatever portion of your signal is also arriving at nearby towers at a lower level.

Imagine what would happen if hundreds of airborne passengers flying over a given city tried to use their phones with each of them connecting to dozens of towers. The computers controlling the system would be overwhelmed with conflicts and nobody could talk - not even those with their feet on the ground.  

Answer 7

The interference from you cell phone sending waves to towers causes problems with the planes controls and functions which could result in a crash.

Answer 8

you malfunction the controls and the plane comes crashing