Here's why you should put your phone on airplane mode when flying

We all know the practice very well. You board the plane, you make your last calls and send your text messages before you put your phone in flight mode.

We imagine all the dreadful scenarios if for some reason we leave our phones on in-flight. No, the plane will not blow up mid-flight nor will your phone interrupt with the pilot's communication with the control tower.



The reason is actually a really simple one. It gives the pilot a headache. So if you do not turn your phone to airplane mode, the sound can be picked up in the cockpit and can be irritating for the pilots.

"Your phone will probably annoy a few pilots and air traffic controllers. But, most likely, not badly enough for them to take action against you...” an unidentified pilot told the question and answer site Quora.



"You may have heard that unpleasant noise from an audio system, that occasionally happens when a mobile phone is nearby."

"I actually hear such noise on the radio while flying. It is not safety critical, but is annoying for sure," the pilot added.

However, he concluded that if 50 people on the plane did not turn their phone onto airplane mode, it would cause a lot of "radio pollution".

This article originally appeared on Traveller