Oh Noes! New Report Says In-Flight Gadgets Really Do Hurt Airplanes!

June 10, 2011 at 11:01 AM | by Omri | Comments (0)

A new confidential report by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), meant to evaluate whether in-flight cell phones and other electronic devices can really interfere with airplanes, has been obtained by ABC News. The report is based on surveys returned by employees of 125 airlines covering flights from the years 2003 to 2009. Out of that sample, 75 incidents were identified as examples of possible electronic interference. On the basis of those incidents, ABC News—and just about everybody else who has picked up the story—concludes that "there really could be serious safety issues related to cellphones and other PEDs."

Before you get worried though, yes of course this is idiotic. Social scientists have a word for the kind of "incidents" documented in this report. They call them "anecdotes." The rest of us also have a word for that kind of data—which seems to be compiled from flight attendants who think that coincidences are proof and that cell phones are powered by crystals that transmit magical waves through the ether—but this is a family blog. Kind of.

You know that older grandparent or employer who insists that their computer only works when they press a certain random combination of buttons, a combination that you absolutely know can't possibly have anything to do with making the computer work? But one time they did that and things seemed to work, and since then they do it all the time, and since things keep working, they have faith that there's some kind of link? This is a lot like that, except with cell phones. For example:

One case involved a 747 flying at 4,500ft whose automatic pilot disengaged by itself. When flight attendants went through the cabin they found four passengers still using their electronic devices. Once switched off, the flight carried on without incident. The study described how 'a clock spun backwards and a GPS in cabin read incorrectly while two laptops were being used nearby.

Now does that sound like somebody's Angry Birds caused the autopilot to disengage? Or does it sound like the auto-pilot hiccuped, at which point the cockpit started frantically resetting it while flight attendants went through the plane shutting down electronic devices, and then when the auto pilot came back online it worked? Imagine your computer froze. To fix it you did a rain dance and then turned it off and on. When it powered back up successfully, would you think it was because your dancing was magical? Because if so we've got some bad news for you.

Even the ABC News writeup includes a disclaimer emphasizing that "the report... stresses it is not verifying that the incidents were caused by PEDs" and that it was made up of "a sampling of the narratives provided by pilots and crewmembers who believed they were experiencing electronic interference." Oh. Well if it included a sampling of narratives by people who have beliefs with zero basis in physics, that's almost like a real study.

Don't get us wrong. In-flight cell phones are the devil, a fact that was obvious even before the intrinsically evil Ryanair led the way in embracing the technology. But it's not because they bring down Boeing jets. Because they don't.

Anyway, video:

Jaunted

Select a Destination:

Cell Phones / Technology / Travel News / Stupid Ideas / in-Flight WiFi / Travel Tech / → All Tags