Why You Can't Use The Phone On The Plane And At The Gas Station

2024 Author: Bailey Albertson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 12:53

Why you can't use the phone on the plane and at the gas station

Mobile phones have long and reliably entered our lives. But for some unknown reason, owners of gas stations and flight attendants on airplanes are urging people not to use these devices. What is the reason for such precautions?

It's all about the navigation system

During the flight, pilots have to coordinate their actions with ground services using the aircraft's highly sensitive navigation system. A mobile phone is essentially a powerful radio receiver capable of transmitting signals over thousands of kilometers. While on board the aircraft, he makes his own adjustments to the operation of electronic systems. And you don't have to use the phone. Even when in standby mode, the device maintains a tower signal. This leads to malfunctions of navigation and control systems. For example, frequency overlap may occur and instruments will display incorrect data. Or the pilot will not receive important information from the controller. It is for this reason that passengers on the plane are asked to turn off their mobile devices or put them into a safe "flight mode".

Ignoring safety rules can lead to disaster

Video: why you can't use your phone on board an aircraft

Myths and reality of gas stations

The ban on the use of a telephone at a gas station has generated a lot of speculation and is often puzzling. The most common hypotheses are:

• the switched on phone affects the fuel supply system, which leads to its incorrect operation. It is a myth. Modern equipment for gas stations is tested in specialized laboratories and is fully insured against electromagnetic interference emitted by mobile devices;
• a working mobile phone can be struck by lightning during a thunderstorm, causing the entire station to explode. It is a myth. A discharge between a thundercloud and a telephone can only occur in an open area and provided that there are no tall objects nearby: houses, poles, trees. This is out of the question at the gas station.

Gas stations have warning signs that the use of a mobile phone is prohibited.

Another common myth is that cell phones generate static electricity, and an accidental spark can cause an explosion at a gas station. There is indeed a fire hazard due to sparks, but cell phones do not generate static electricity. The cases recorded in history are rather the result of rubbing of clothing, upholstery, hair and other materials.

Why, then, is it forbidden to use mobile phones at the gas station? The fact is that when refueling a car, air saturated with gasoline vapors is displaced from the tank and enters the surrounding space. Therefore, in the current documentation regulating the operation of gas stations, a 3-meter zone near each dispenser is considered explosive. Since mobile phones, with rare exceptions, do not have an explosion protection certificate, they cannot be used at gas stations. This explains the ban.

Thus, the ban on the use of mobile phones at gas stations and on the plane is justified. This means that you should not break the established rules and tempt fate.