>   How fast are you traveling? Even if they could get a signal at high
>   altitudes, could the cell sites track the phone and keep up the
>   stream if the phone is passing through them at, say 500 mph?
> 
>   I've wondered about that myself- cell towers are (AIUI) designed to
>   radiate mostly out, but not so much UP. So we have a situation
>   where the planes are flying about two miles above the sites, at some
>   hundreds of miles per hour.
> 
>   Not saying it isn't impossible, just surprised that it works. I'd
>   like
>   to
>   see it tried. If I didn't think I'd disappear to a secret 
> CIA prison,
>   I'd
>   try it on my next flight. ;-)
> 
>   Mike H.
> 
> 
>  No, this particular part of the discussion was specifically 
> referring to Flight 93, which flew at 35,000 feet right until 
> the end when it nose-dived straight into the ground. The 
> phone logs and flight track confirm that the calls would have 
> been during the time the plane was at that cruising altitude. 
> However, all legitimate tests and info  I've seen tend to 
> indicate that cell phones don't work in airliners at that 
> altitude and speed.
> Also, the call logs don't show the expected mid conversation 
> disconnects.


Y'know, the more I read, the more I think the disbelievers are nutters.

35000 feet is about 10km.  CDMA phones do about 70km, analog about the same,
newer digital about 35km.  That's in Australia.  (Sorry about the metric
folks, do your own conversions to the old-fashioned stuff.)  Farmers &
country folk like CDMA for obvious reasons.  Not many towers in outback Oz.

Could a phone connect from up there?  Can't see why not.

As far as I can see, the flight DATA recorder hasn't been released, the
VOICE one was.  So the altitude of the plane at any point can't be
confirmed.  35000, 25000, 15000, take your pick.  I'd assume the hijackers
would fly relatively low, but that's just my opinion.  Anyway, most of the
reports say the while altitude varied wildly, it was at 35000 feet before
contact was lost.  (That means eyewitness reports of it flying level then
diving are a bit suspect.)

Most of the reports indicate the calls were short, and/or people made
multiple short calls.  That's consistent with the phone dropping out, or
threats from hijackers (apparently they didn't care).

And here's the kicker...

The plane was equipped with GTE Airfones anyway!  We don't need no stinking
cell phones!

These would only be in first or business class, and all but one passenger
there made a call (the exception was dead).

Gotta buy me some shares in tin-foil companies!

Tony


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