Is it really necessary to activate the flight mode on the mobile phone? Pilot clarifies [vídeo]

The requirement to activate flight mode on mobile phones during plane travel is a widely known but often questioned practice. To clarify its importance, an American pilot posted a video on Tiktok that quickly became viral, accumulating more than two million views.

In the video, the pilot, identified on the platform, how he demystifies some wrong ideas on the impact of electronic devices on aircraft. According to it, there is no risk of the plane crashing if a passenger forgets to activate the flight mode.

However, this functionality is not just a formality as it can interfere with radio communications between pilots and control towers.

Flight mode disables mobile, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth networks, preventing the mobile phone from sending and receiving signs that may cause interference in the airplane’s communication systems.

This interference may not be catastrophic, but it may lead to noise in the frequencies used by pilots, making it difficult to clarity the voice transmissions and compromising the efficiency of operations.

Perchpoint, who has served in the US Army and has been working as a commercial pilot since 2021, stresses that this is not a conspiracy theory or an exaggeration of airlines.

“The flight button on the mobile phone is not a conspiracy,” he says in the video, referring to unfounded beliefs circulating on the Internet about the obligation of this function.

In addition to safety issues, activating flight mode can also help save battery during the trip as it prevents the phone from trying unsuccessfully to connect to land antennas thousands of meters in altitude.

Thus, the recommendation for placing the devices in flight mode remains an essential preventive measure to ensure clear communication between the piloting cabin and air traffic control.

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