"E. Scrooge" (*sling) wrote in message
news:1200281873.491622@ftpsrv1...

"sam" wrote in message
...
Mark Robinson wrote:
Podge wrote:
I was on an Air New Zealand flight a while ago, and I started to take a
few pics (from my digital still camera) as the aircraft took off. An
air hostess politely told me that the use of electronic devices was not
permitted during take-offs or landings. I told her that I was using a
dedicated still digital camera and not a camcorder, but she still asked
me to turn it off. About 10 minutes later, when land was well out of
sight, we were able to turn on our "electronic devices". But about 10
minutes before landing, while still over the sea, all electronic
devices had to be turned off again. The only worthwhile photography
from this flight was during the first and last 5 minutes of the flight,
and this would apply to many other flights that I have been on.

Now I know that the use of camcorders has been banned during take-offs
and landings, but I didn't know that digital still cameras now suffered
this fate. My digital camera can't take movies, but I know that a lot
of digital still cameras can also take movies. From a practical point
of view, does anyone know whether digital cameras really CAN interfere
with an aircraft's navigation systems? Are airlines being a little too
cautious with regard to the use of digital cameras and camcorders?

About 5 years ago, nobody cared when I used my camcorder or digital
still camera during take-offs or landings, and there were no reports
then of interference with the aircrafts' navigation systems! So what
has changed during the last 5 years?

Any digital device can easily interfere with avionic systems.

They all contain square wave clock oscillators and logic circuits which
produce broadband radio noise which can easily land on critical
frequencies for things like precision approach, radar or communications
systems.

Mythbusted,
http://kwc.org/mythbusters/2006/03/e..._on_plane.html

Its because the aviation authorities don't want to do the testing.
No reason, its just policy.

Planes would be crashing a lot due to the digital watches that everyone
completely disregards otherwise.

Planes are well insulated from any interference, especially from different
electronics built into the plane itself. Otherwise the coffee maker might
bring up the landing gear and cause the engines to shut down.

E. Scrooge

However, this article suggests that interference from portable electronic
devices demonstrates 'potential for catastrophe'

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/m..._97423671/pg_2