Treo 650 on Southwest Airlines?

[Maddogmike]

Plunker,

Just a little bit of clarification. I'm a 737 Captain for a major airline. Cell phones and other devices do sometimes interfere with the navigational radios on airplanes. It is a very rare occurance but has happened to me a couple of times. While in cruise it's no big deal but when you are close to the ground and need that radio it becomes a big deal. When it rarely does happen it is usually on an older airplane. So, while it rarely happens and usually (at least with me) on older airplanes, and the FAA doesn't like to make exceptions, that is why the restriction is there. It has nothing to do with phone service on the airlines.
I have used my PDA functin when I'm deadheading in the back & the F/A's have told me to cut it off during approach. Their guidance is "if it has an on or off switch, it has to be off". Don't shoot them, they're just the messenger.
Enjoy the trip.

JimeB

C'mon Jimmy, what kind of interference did you experience that you know for sure was attributed to a cell phone? I mean, I have my Treo superphone going in my home office while using my main PC and my wireless laptop at the same time, along with my cordless phone (VOIP...thanks Vonage & Comcast) my various remote control units and NONE of them affect the other! If there was a chance, wouldn't the FCC, which keeps track of all radio frequencies none to God and man, keep those alotted for cell use WAY away from avionics? Are you really sure the "older" airplane didn't just generate its own interference??

Maddog
(against-cell-phone-use-in-public-aircraft-due-to-annoyance-factors-only)

Maddog + Lottery = cell phone use in Gulfstream G4

[Bondelev]

I hear interference from my cell phone on almost all audio equipment. It has a very distinctive rhythmic beeping sound.

[matrixcode]

I was asked to turn off my kyo 7135 once on SW and wrote a letter to SW. Basically they said any device that can show the phone is "off" is useable and that the flight attendant probably did not know.

I used to carry the letter they sent me OKing this and finally pitched it. I have not had any problems using the t650 on flights. The only problem I have had is that sometimes the phone soft resets when it is out of service and I have had the phone come back on after this happens. (more of a problem for me than anyone else as noone called me)

Mark

[toy_room7]

Thanks everybody,

This is great advice and very informative. Keep the stories coming and i am sure i will not run into a problem at this point...

[JimeB]

Maddogmike,
What kind of interference you ask? Well, when a radio (either navigation or communication) isn't working, you get a red flag that drops down to alert you to a malfunction. How did I know it was interference? The radio worked the leg before and was working after takeoff. The Flight Attendent came up (pre 9-11) and asked if a passenger could use a device (I believe it was a transceiver). Shortly thereafter the flag appeared. We asked the Flight Attendent to ask the passenger to cut off the device and the flag disappeared and navigation radio worked fine.
Now you asked about the "new" 737. Actually the original 737's came out in the 70's I believe. Just about all of them are gone because they are gas guzzlers. However, you would be surprised to know how many 20 year old 737's are out there in service now. The newer 737's (as with all newer airplanes) have better shielding on the wiring to prevent this. The problem is you don't know if the airplane you are on has the shielded wire.
As to the FCC, this is a relatively new phenomena, something the FCC (a goverment agency) is even debating itself. That is why the FAA (another goverment agency) is dragging it's feet on because how do you make a rule that would allow use on some airplaned (newer) and not others (older). Can you imagine trying to enforce that? Thus, the blanket approach of no.
As to the letter from Southwest, do remember who it was from? Any chance it was a pilot or engineer who might have some technical or legal knowledge of the subject? Or was it from a Customer Service Representative whose only job is to get you to fly with their company again?
I hope this doesn't come off as too "high and mighty" or as a slap at the employees of Southwest. I'm just trying to give you some idea of the conflicting approaches to this problem and why there seems to be mixed messages coming from different people. I bet I probably didn't clear anything up but I hope you can see why almost everyone has a different answer. And, as a pilot, I'm going to take the answer that, when there is conflicting information, is the most conservative and safest.

JimeB