Letters to the Editor
-
It doesn't seem like such a big deal to me.
This is what I know from four years/1500 flight hours as a pilot in the Learjet 60, 2001-2005, a bizjet with modern electronic flight monitoring and navigation equipment (EFIS), in addition to electronically controlled engine (FADEC) technology:
1. The only effect of cell phone usage in the cockpit is an occasional irritating noise heard in the overhead speaker or headphones.
2. Cell phones are virtually useless more 10,000 feet above the surface. At the cruising altitudes I frequented, between 37,000 and 43,000 feet--only a little higher, perhaps, than the typical airliner, on average--only once or twice did I have a signal strong enough (while holding the phone to the window) to actually make a connection. So, as for the worry of passengers being able to yack nonstop across the continent, unless the handset and base station technology changes substantially, there's nothing to be concerned about. In other words, you're better off turning the thing off so as to save the battery.
And of course, your results may vary.