I’m a pilot — this is why airlines really tell you to put your phones in airplane mode

Ever wondered why pilots and plane cabin crew tell you to turn off your phone or put it in airplane mode? Worried about whether turbulence can pose a threat? Or what happens next if an aircraft’s engine fails?

Such queries might frequently cross your mind if you’re an anxious flyer like myself. To seek some clarity, a few years ago I consulted Patrick Smith, a US-based airline pilot and the host of www.askthepilot.com.

He is also the author of the New York Times bestseller Cockpit Confidential: Everything You Need to Know About Air Travel. Some of his insights are derived from this book, .

1. Can turbulence ever be dangerous?

It’s extraordinarily uncommon for an aircraft to sustain structural damage due to turbulent air, says Patrick. However, severe turbulence encounters can occasionally result in injuries.

Almost invariably, these injuries occur because passengers have not fastened their seat belts when required. It’s logical to assume that as climate change exacerbates certain weather patterns, we’ll witness an increase in unusually strong turbulence.

Most passengers find turbulence to be a nuisance rather than a threat. For pilots, turbulence is seen primarily as a comfort issue rather than a safety concern. It’s not the kind of thing to toss the aircraft about dramatically.

This leads us to the concept of the “passenger embellishment factor,” or PEF, a term coined for the intense exaggeration that travellers often apply to the actual movements of an aircraft. Even on particularly bumpy flights, what feel like drastic drops are usually minor altitude shifts – mere blips on the altimeter.

2. Why are passengers asked to turn their phones off or on to airplane mode?

It’s unlikely that a mobile phone can cause problems in the cockpit, particularly on modern aircraft where components are, by design, carefully shielded, but it’s not impossible.

I’d guess at least half of all phones, whether inadvertently or out of laziness, are left on during flight. That’s about a million phones a day in the United States. If indeed this was a for disaster, I think we’d have more evidence by now. That said, phones may have had a role in at least two serious incidents. The key word there is “may”, as interference can be impossible to trace or prove. Some blame a phone for the unsolved crash of a regional plane in Switzerland in 2000, claiming that spurious transmissions confused the plane’s autopilot. Interference also was cited as a possible factor in a fatal crash in New Zealand in 2003.

Ultimately, though, the phone thing is more of a social issue rather than a technological one. That is, do you really want to be sitting on an airplane listening to 200 people chatting away simultaneously? It’s possible that airlines are using the mere possibility of technical complications as a means of avoiding the social implications of allowing cellular conversations on planes. The minute regulators say that phones are safe, a percentage of flyers will demand the right to use them, pitting one angry group of travelers against another.

3. What would happen if the landing gear didn’t come down when you were landing?

Landing gear issues are relatively low on the list of a pilot’s concerns. If a problem arises with your aircraft, the landing gear is one of the least dangerous areas for it to occur.

The only exception might be tyre failure or fire following a high-speed take-off abort, but generally, gear problems are manageable. The absolute worst-case scenario would be the gear failing to deploy entirely, resulting in a belly landing.

There’s a slight risk of a fuel tank rupture, but with emergency services nearby, even this is a minor hazard.

4. Could a passenger shatter an airplane window and would everyone be sucked out if that happened?

Aircraft windows are much stronger than they appear. If a window were to break, either accidentally or intentionally, the plane would rapidly decompress. It’s possible, though unlikely, that someone could be sucked through the hole in the initial seconds, but it wouldn’t result in the -style disaster many envision.

5. Is it safe to fly during a storm? What happens if the plane gets struck by lightning?

Pilots skilfully navigate thunderstorms using onboard radar and assistance from air traffic control, much like ships steer clear of icebergs. Despite these precautions, lightning strikes can occur, but aircraft are engineered to handle them.

The electrical charge doesn’t surge through the cabin causing harm to passengers; instead, it’s directed overboard, often via discharge wicks on the wings and tail. In most cases, there’s no trace left by a strike.

Occasionally, there might be damage, typically to the plane’s electrical systems. A notable incident in 1963 involved a Pan Am 707 where lightning led to a wing explosion.

This prompted the FAA to introduce new safety measures, including fuel tank modifications and the installation of discharge wicks. It’s been over half a century since then, and I’m not aware of any other lightning-induced catastrophes.

6. What’s the scariest thing that’s happened to you while flying?

The most terrifying experience I’ve had was a near miss with another aircraft, says Patrick. At just 21 years old, flying a small four-seater under “visual flight rules” in uncontrolled airspace, this close call remains vivid in my memory. The fact that this occurred many years ago in a basic aircraft highlights the remarkable safety record of commercial aviation. Since becoming an airline pilot in 1990, I can’t recall a single moment of fear throughout my career.

7. What happens if the engine fails?

All commercial jets are designed to be fully operational even if an engine fails. They must have the capability to power up and climb after a complete engine failure during takeoff, ensuring safety beyond the airport’s vicinity, including any buildings, mountains, or other structures.

Before every flight, data is calculated to ensure the aircraft can safely ascend and navigate around any obstructions. Factors such as airport altitude, runway length and weather conditions play a role in this.

In certain situations like short runways, high temperatures, or mountainous areas, there may be restrictions on the weight of the aircraft.

8. How likely is a plane to crash?

Originally answering this in 2017, Patrick said the past decade had been the safest in commercial aviation history. In , he writes: “2023 goes down as one of the safest years in commercial aviation history. Not a single fatal accident was recorded involving a commercial jet. Not one. Combining jet and turboprop operations, IATA says there were 37 million commercial flights last year. Among those, the only deadly crash was that of an ATR turboprop in Nepal last January. If I’m counting right, this puts last year as the second-safest on record, bested only by 2017.”

For a point of comparison, go back and take a look at the year 1985, when, worldwide, 27 major aviation accidents killed almost 2,500 people. That included two of history’s ten deadliest disasters happening within two months of each other! The 60s, 70s and 80s were an era rife with horrific crashes, bombings, airport attacks and so on.

Large-scale disasters have become a lot less frequent. If it seems like more planes are crashing, that perception is largely the result of the media and its relentless fixation with even minor mishaps, compounded by the effects of social media. In decades past there was no 24/7 news machine to feed, spread across multiple platforms and starving for sensationalist fodder.

9. How does one become a pilot?

Traditionally, most airline pilots gained their wings and honed their skills in the military. However, today, a majority of pilots (including myself) progress through civilian routes. It’s a lengthy and costly journey involving gradual accumulation of flight hours, along with obtaining necessary licenses and ratings. Once you’ve garnered the required experience, you’ll typically kickstart your airline career at a regional carrier. A direct leap to a major carrier is a rarity for most pilots.

The aviation landscape is evolving, with an increasing number of carriers adopting “ab-initio” programs. These initiatives are designed to take individuals with zero flying background and mould them into pilots from scratch.

While such schemes are a rarity in North America, they’re gaining traction elsewhere. Candidates undergo rigorous classroom and simulator sessions focused on a specific aircraft type before taking to the skies alongside a training captain for a set number of hours, all within the realm of regular passenger service.

10. How much does a computer fly the plane and how much does the pilot fly it?

The topic of cockpit automation and pilot interaction with this technology is perhaps the most overstated and misunderstood aspect of commercial flying, says Patrick. The public holds a wildly inflated view of autopilot capabilities.

It’s undeniable that modern pilots depend on a somewhat altered skill set, where traditional, hands-on proficiency plays a less dominant role than in bygone eras. Nevertheless, even the most standard flight involves numerous potential variables and requires extensive crew input.

You may occasionally come across claims suggesting that pilots spend a mere three minutes actively flying the plane during a typical flight. Such assertions, which surface frequently, can be misleading.

What they imply is that pilots only briefly have their hands on the control column or stick. However, this doesn’t mean they aren’t in control of the aircraft throughout the entire flight.

Automation in the cockpit doesn’t fly the plane; instead, pilots control the plane through the automation, instructing it on what to do, when, and how.

For instance, on the Boeing I fly, there are six different methods to set up an “automatic” climb or descent, depending on the situation. Every flight has periods of high and low workload, but you’d be surprised how hectic the cockpit can become, even with the autopilot engaged, to the point of task saturation.

A suitable analogy is the relationship between flying and medicine: technology aids a pilot in flying a plane just as it assists a surgeon during an operation. A jetliner cannot “fly itself” any more than an operating room can perform a surgical procedure “by itself.”

Notably, over 99% of landings and 100% of takeoffs are executed manually, with either the captain or first officer at the controls.

11. Have you ever spotted another plane nearby and thought it was too close?

I’ve only had one close encounter as a private pilot in a four-seater. Passengers often misjudge the distances between aircraft. This is a classic case of PEF: “While we were flying to Paris,” someone will excitedly recount, “another plane passed so close to us, you could see the people inside!”

In reality, while landing on parallel runways or intersecting at high altitudes, planes do come within what seems like a stone’s throw of each other. However, in air traffic control terms, ‘close’ is actually measured in miles or thousands of feet.

During cruising altitude, there’s always at least a thousand feet of vertical separation. To a nervous passenger, perceptions can be skewed.

Aircraft are large, and indeed, seeing a 747 whizz by a thousand feet above or below might seem alarmingly near. But rest assured, you have never been close enough to another aircraft to discern faces through those tiny oval windows.

12. Why do all planes always fly at (or around) 35,000 feet?

Typical cruising altitudes for commercial flights range between 30,000 and 40,000 feet, although this can vary. The specific altitude at which a plane cruises is determined by air traffic control limitations and the aircraft’s capabilities, with each model having its own maximum permitted altitude.

Generally speaking, flying higher equates to better fuel efficiency up to a certain point. However, just because an aircraft can reach 39,000 feet doesn’t guarantee it will do so on every journey.

Air traffic controllers may have different plans, or the aircraft could be carrying too much weight. Pilots often employ a “step climb” strategy, ascending to more fuel-efficient altitudes as the aircraft burns off fuel during the flight.

13. Are bird strikes dangerous?

Bird strikes are a frequent occurrence and typically pose little danger, except, of course, from the perspective of the birds involved. Nonetheless, it’s important to acknowledge that there are instances where bird strikes can be seriously hazardous, such as the notable incident where US Airways Flight 1549 was forced to make an emergency landing in the Hudson River after both engines were disabled by a flock of geese.

Modern turbofan engines are robust, yet they’re not designed to handle the ingestion of foreign objects, especially at high velocities. Birds don’t exactly “clog” an engine but can cause significant damage by bending or breaking the internal blades, leading to a loss of power.

The risk increases with the size of the bird; for instance, colliding with an average-sized goose at 250 knots – the top speed allowed below 10,000 feet in the US where birds typically fly – can result in an impact force exceeding 50,000 pounds.

You might wonder why engines aren’t fitted with protective screens. The reason is twofold: not only would a screen obstruct air intake, but it would also have to be enormous and exceptionally sturdy.

If such a screen were to fail, it could introduce both avian and metallic debris into the engine. Despite the incidents mentioned, the likelihood of multiple engines failing due to bird strikes is so low that installing such protective devices is deemed impractical.