MythBusters test to see if cell phones actually have any effect on airplane controls

Published on Sep 28, 2025 at 11:06 PM (UTC+4)
by Daisy Edwards

Last updated on Sep 25, 2025 at 4:24 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by Emma Matthews

Did you know that the MythBusters tested to see if cell phones actually have any effect on airplanes while they’re on the tarmac because regulations said they couldn’t do it in flight?

The team didn’t just use modern smartphones; they tried multiple phones, from old-school analog devices to newer ones.

They picked a purposely higher-tech plane, a Hawker 800XP, which is loaded with many electronic systems, including LCD digital displays.

The team was surprised to come to their conclusion, but it seems very much to be a case of better safe than sorry when it comes to using your phone in the air.

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MythBusters see if cell phones have any effect on airplane controls

You know when you get on an airplane and the air stewards tell you that you must turn off your cell phones because it might interfere with the airplane’s controls?

Well, the Mythbusters team decided to test whether phones had as big an effect on planes as it was suggested they did.

In order to do their test, the team picked a Hawker 800XP with a ‘glass cockpit’ because it’s chock-full of tech that could be potentially interfered with. phoe

The only problem for the team was that, due to regulations, the tests had to take place on the tarmac, so it wasn’t entirely an experiment to see whether the phones would affect the controls in the air.

Did the phones affect anything?

The team began experimenting with all different types of phones, from old-school analog phones to newer smartphones.

Engineers explained to the team that while electronic systems can sometimes interfere with each other, modern aircraft are heavily shielded against outside radio frequency (RF) signals.

After extensive testing, the MythBusters found no evidence that cell phones interfere with plane controls, declaring the myth busted.

However, there are some caveats to this busted myth. Firstly, there’s the fact that they didn’t do the experiment while airborne, which could have affected the result as well.

Certifying every phone model against every aircraft system would cost millions, and with new phones hitting the market constantly, regulators play it safe by banning them all just in case.

Better safe than sorry!

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Daisy Edwards is a Content Writer at supercarblondie.com. Daisy has more than five years’ experience as a qualified journalist, having graduated with a History and Journalism degree from Goldsmiths, University of London and a dissertation in vintage electric vehicles. Daisy specializes in writing about cars, EVs, tech and luxury lifestyle. When she's not writing, she's at a country music concert or working on one of her many unfinished craft projects.