How often have you used a cell phone in the air?

Have you used a cell phone while flying?

  • Yes, I do it all the time

  • Yes, but only if it is an absolute necessity.

  • No, I wait until I am on the ground.

Results are only viewable after voting.
TimRF79 said:
The what?
Click to expand...

1800wxbrief.com

1. Can have your briefing sent to your phone or email.
2. Can have text message(s) sent that the reply allows you to open and close a flight plan WITHOUT talking to the 1-800WXbrief personnel directly.
 
Texts quite often. I usually don't have good enough reception for calls except when departing or landing. I also had to connect my kid's wifi from his chromebook to give him more time recently.
 
If you don't turn your phone off in the plane, are you violating an FCC reg if your phone pings a tower even if you didn't "tell it to"???
 
I leave it on to run the aviation apps and also to get a back up to the ELT if anything goes wrong. Actually, given the way ELTs work or not, the ELT is a back up the cell tower pings they would use in search and rescue. Also use it for mapping the flight for post flight enjoyment.
 
I made a voice call once while flying... a paraglider with the engine off, just to razz a flying buddy who had to work that day. As noisy as my plane is, there's no way I could make a call, I haven't connected the phone to the headset. But I occasionally text an ETA to my ride while airborne.

I believe the FCC rule prohibiting inflight cell phone use applies only to the voice network, LTE data is different (and didn't exist when the rule was written).
 
Read 91.21. When flying IFR this would require a series of EMC tests to legally use the cell phone. I'm an EMC engineer, and have been for about 44 years. I know what these tests would entail. I turn mine off and ask anyone else in the plane to do the same. I'd rather fly than run EMC tests.

Not a requirement when flying VFR, but I still turn mine off.
 
For those who don't know, "EMC" = electromagnetic compatibility.
 
How often have you used a cell phone in the air?

Percentage-wise not so much because for the first 35 years of my flying nobody had a cellphone. But now? Doesn't everybody have it mounted in front of them with some sort of backup flight planning or if not then using it to take pictures or video?

Oh yea, maybe a phone call, they can do that too you know.
 
You know it's in common practice when the controller of a tower actually recommends using a phone if you are going to be coming in NORDO.
 
I recently installed a new PS Engineering audio panel with Bluetooth, so if the need arises, I'll take a call or make a call, maybe once every other flight.
 
Used it for pics. Would use it to call the tower if I had a com problem. Don't think the coverage in SE AK would allow me to use the cell in route.
 
Has anybody tried viewing an airport webcam, while flying?

I’m guessing that could be very useful, for example identifying frozen precip on the ground, or judging the visibility. I’ve only done that from the ground, before departure, which is useful, but I haven’t tried it en route.
 
No but that would be a nice feature; “real world conditions”. I’ve done that before to investigate the actual wx in areas where the field station is reporting nonsense. I just would hope that doesn’t cause someone to fly without backup options.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top