Pilot reveals what really happens if you don’t put airplane mode on during flight

A pilot has explained exactly what will happen if you decide to ignore the cabin crew and not put your electronic devices on aeroplane mode whilst in the sky.

As per the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), all plane passengers who have electronic devices with cellular connection on their person must place them in aeroplane mode or disable the connection before the flight leaves the runway.

The agency claimed this is because it could ‘interfere with critical aircraft instruments’, while Booking.com stated it was because networks on the ground could become ‘overloaded’.

“How much phones affect aviation technology hasn’t been studied in-depth, but pilots say they can hear background noise and interference from phones while flying, especially when they’re landing, and mobile phones begin to make contact with towers again,” the holiday experts continued.

But just how dangerous is it to use your phone on board a flight?

A aviation expert has explained what happens if you forget to put your phone on aeroplane mode (Getty Stock Image)

Well, according to aviation expert and TikTok content creator @Perchpoint, forgetting to put your phone in an aeroplane will not trigger the end of the world.

"This is just a friendly PSA that the aeroplane mode button is not a conspiracy,” he began.

“If you forget to put your phone on aeroplane mode, no, it's not the end of the world, the plane will not fall out of the sky, and it won't even mess with the systems on board."

However, there is apparently still a safety risk, with the flight professional revealing: "It does have the potential to mess with the headsets.

“If you have an aircraft with 70, 80, or 150 people on board and even three or four people's phones start to try and make a connection to a radio tower for an incoming phone call, it sends out radio waves.

"There's a potential that those radio waves can interfere with the headsets that the pilots are using.”

The pilot themselves have actually experienced this interference, claiming it sounded as if a ‘mosquito’ was buzzing around their head.

Not putting your phone in the desired mode could affect communications (Tyla)

“It's not the end of the world, but it's pretty annoying when you're trying to copy down instructions and it sounds like a wasp or something flying around you,” the social media star added.

“So if you're ever curious why you need to put on aeroplane mode, that's why.”

Dan Bubb, a professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, who is a historian and former airline pilot, has backed up @Perchpoint’s claims.

He told Newsweek: "The pilot is correct. It could interfere with the headset, but will not cause the plane to crash."

He also explained that in many aircraft, the pilots sits so high off the ground, meaning they can’t see the runway immediately beneath them when they come in to land.

They instead rely on what is called the radio altimeter and listen to a voice that will call out the altitude level as the plane approaches the runway.

There are not currently any known plane crashes that have been caused by cellular interference - but it’s better to be safe than sorry, right?

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