New Terrorist Dry Run Tactic?

Personal Experience | 08/28/2007 | GourmetDan

[<1/1,000,000th%]

Last time I flew, cell phones could be on except when taking off or landing.

[rwfromkansas]

The odds of actual interference with the plane is insanely small. The rule is archaic and silly.

[Hegemony Cricket]

He was just texting his BFF Jill...

[Pencil]

How would the ability to text assist a terrorist plot?

[ArrogantBustard]

Plot a solution for what? The GPS receiver and associated (custom) hardware exist for purposes that have nothing to do with cell-phone operation. I just tried using the phone as a matter of curiosity.

[Renegade]

She should havw elbowed him in the nose killing him instantly !

[Ignatz]

Er, why didn’t your wife report the man, clearly with his phone on (not allowed) to a flight attendant at the time rather than wait for the “after the fact” incident report.

Take your pick:

• She didn't her head lopped off in mid-flight. You see, everyone else would have been checked for weapons before boarding the plane. But this guy, being of middle-eastern descent would not have been. Wouldn't want the airport security people to be conducting "racial profiling", now would we?
• Afraid of being sued . Remember the Flying Imans? (they dropped their suit this week, btw).

[kidd]

Other than seeing if the use of cell phones really do interfere with airplane navigation, I cannot fathom why texting would represent any kind of threat.

It sounds like this guy just wouldn’t obey flight attendant instructions.

On a side note - I do recall seeing an episode of Mythbusters where they tested the use of a cell phone on a flight. I believe they came to the conclusion that it did not interfere with airplane systems and that they really didn’t know why the regulation was in effect.

[Vroomfondel]

As I understand it, the limitation is as much to protect the cell phone system as it is to protect the flight systems.

The cell phone system assumes your phone can only be seen by a limited number of neighboring cells; your phone is handed off to neighboring cells as you move around. If you’re perched way up high, you have a good line of sight to a large number of cells. Several cells might decide they are supposed to be handling your phone.

But, then, I’m not an expert.

[gura]

—ONOZ I FORGT shoe bmb.

—OMFG Adbul GTFO

[Minutemen]

cell phone signals can't reach the ground from a jetliner.
Completely false

ArrogantBustard:I've never gotten one to work .
No reason it would not work at 10kft, unless you are out of range between cities that have cell coverage.

[Sue Perkick]

Exactly. I also seem to remember a woman a while back who overheard a conversation & reported it. Turned out to be nothing but the media shamelessly ridiculed her for “overreacting”.

[Vinnie]

I haven’t flown lately but when I do I’m going to have a big bag of pork rinds in prominent view.

[ArrogantBustard]

I kinda covered that with the “civilised terrain” bit. I also suspect that there’s a sort of altitude “sweet spot” where getting higher brings you into line-of-sight with more base stations.

[Bob J]

They won’t.

[GourmetDan]

"I haven’t flown lately but when I do I’m going to have a big bag of pork rinds in prominent view."

LOL!

"Oops, sorry about those crumbs, sir. Didn't meant to spill them on you!"

[Hegemony Cricket]

LOL!

[nw_arizona_granny]

Thanks for the ping to Velveeta.

[Leftism is Mentally Deranged]

Sorry, but TM’ing while Arab is not a crime.

[GreenAccord]

There it is! I was going to do something similar. Glad I checked. Priceless!