[Symmetry]

That link is down for me right now, but if they really do claim that they're getting interference from GPS then that site is sufficiently unhinged that I can't trust their analysis.

I figure that the way this works is something like this

* Flight instruments will have problems occasionally.

* People on planes always use electronic devices, but the flight crew here about it unless they specifically ask the stewardesses to look for people using electronic devices.

* The flight crew will ask the stewardesses to look if and only if there is interference.

Which means that if the flight crew are normal humans who have heard rumors that these devices cause interference, they will quickly be able to assemble what they regard as evidence for that view.

[justin66]

No offense, but this is what I meant when I mentioned that it fascinates me the way people react. You had a pretty extensive reaction and you didn't even GET to the site, you simply heard about its existence and formed an extensive opinion. FYI: it's run by NASA and collects safety incident reports from pilots and flight crew, air traffic controllers, mechanics, and so on.

Reports have at times been as detailed as reporting that crew determined that a passenger's device caused interference with navigation equipment by observing the effect of repeatedly powering the device on and off. This isn't what the site is for, it's more generally about safety incidents.

The interesting thing about this to me is that it's not exactly inexplicable for devices to emit RF radiation when they shouldn't, or for equipment to not be shielded as well as it should, but engineering-minded people are often inclined to treat this like someone sighted a flying saucer.

edit: if that seems too much like an attack, I can tell you that I thought the whole thing was idiotic until I started digging into the reports and occasionally talking to people about the issue.