Cell phones are not allowed to be used while on a plane because they can interfere with the airplane’s navigation instruments and cause various safety and social issues.

As soon as the plane lands, we’re permitted to turn off flight mode, but at some airports we can’t get much of a signal. That’s because airports are known as phone signal “dead zones” due to a lack of mobile towers – they can’t be placed at the airport itself due to height restrictions.

Any nearby cell towers would be located away from the airport’s runway systems to avoid interfering with the airplane’s flight path, especially takeoff and landing direction. Most airports put up indoor repeater antennas within the airport terminal; these help increase the phone signal strength coming from the nearest cell tower somewhere near the airport.

But you won’t be allowed to make calls while walking away from the plane, anyway.

Why can’t I use my phone?

As we are taxiing in, the cabin crew remind us not to smoke outside of designated areas at the terminal and not to use our cell phones until we are inside the terminal building.

If you exit the plane down the rear stairs, why aren’t you allowed to use your phone once away from the airplane, if you can get a signal? Surely it won’t affect navigation.

The answer is manifold, and regulations aren’t the same across the world.

In my home country of Australia, a government regulation prohibits the use of cell phones on the runway or the airplane parking area of the airport.

You won’t be fined if you whip your phone out while walking to the terminal, but the airline may admonish you for not following the rules. However, if you decide to run around on or near the runway, you could get arrested by federal police.

The airport apron is very busy not just with aircraft, but also baggage carts, catering trucks, airplane waste removal trucks and fuel trucks. Getting passengers off the airfield apron and into the terminal building quickly and safely is a priority for the staff.

If you are distracted while walking to the terminal building because you’re talking on your phone, it can be highly dangerous and even deadly if you end up too close to an operating plane. An operating jet engine is extremely hot and has a strong exhaust. Additionally, the front of the engine has a low-pressure area called an ingestion zone that can suck in a person. Ground staff are trained to stay at least 10 meters away from this area. However, this information is not shared with the passengers.

A myth about fuel

You may have heard that cell phones are a fire hazard near fuel, and airplanes are, of course, refueled at airports.

However, the chances of fuel catching fire during this process are extremely low, because the refueling truck is bonded and “grounded” to the plane: the operator attaches a wire to the aircraft to move built-up static electricity to the ground to prevent any chance of a spark.

There have been stories in the press about cell phones sparking fires at petrol stations in Indonesia and Australia, but these turned out to be inaccurate. There is no evidence a phone can spark a fire at a fuel pump, despite the warning labels you might see.

Either way, the chances of a mobile phone causing this on the ground with a refueling truck that is grounded to the airplane are extremely low, not least because the passenger-permitted areas and refueling areas are completely separated.

Why are we told not to take photos?

This rule varies from airport to airport depending on their security processes.

Such restrictions are carryovers from the changes to airport security following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The now federalized security teams, TSA (Transportation Security Administration) in the United States and the Department of Home Affairs in Australia, change their processes frequently to prevent having any identifiable patterns that could be used to create a security breach.

The increased security measures also mean new technologies were introduced; airport security sections do not want photos taken of how they operate.

The airport security process is a major choke point in the flow of passenger movement due to the screening process. If a passenger is perceived to be slowing the process down by taking photos or talking on their phone, they will be reminded to turn off their device and/or stop taking photos of security personnel and equipment.

If you refuse to follow the rules of the screening process, you will be denied entry into the airport terminal gate area and miss your flight. Can you also get arrested for using your phone? Depends on the airport and country. I, for one, do not want to find out.

Editor’s Note: Doug Drury is professor/head of aviation at CQUniversity Australia.

Evacuations are underway across Hawaii’s Big Island and Maui as passing Hurricane Dora helps fuel wildfires that have damaged structures, prompted rescues and spurred people jump into the ocean to escape danger, officials said.

In Maui County, 12 people were rescued near Lahaina after “entering the ocean due to smoke and fire conditions,” the Coast Guard and county officials said. “Individuals were transported by the Coast Guard to safe areas,” Maui County officials said in a news release.

Fire behavior in both the Lahaina and Upcountry areas of Maui has challenged crews.

“Maui Fire officials warn that erratic wind, challenging terrain, steep slopes and dropping humidity, the direction and the location of the fire conditions make it difficult to predict path and speed of a wildfire,” Maui County officials said in a Tuesday news release.

“The fire can be a mile or more from your house, but in a minute or two, it can be at your house,” Maui County Fire Assistant Chief Jeff Giesea said in the release. “Burning airborne materials can light fires a great distance away from the main body of fire.”

“Buildings on both sides were engulfed. There were no fire trucks at that point; I think the fire department was overwhelmed,” business owner Alan Dickar told the outlet. “That is the most important business street on Maui.”

Elsewhere on the island, the Upcountry fire is estimated to be about 1,000 acres, according to county officials. The cause of the fire was unknown.

Dora, a powerful Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of 130 mph, was about 740 miles southwest of Honolulu as of late Tuesday (5 a.m. ET Wednesday), the National Hurricane Center said.

Two brushfires were burning Tuesday on the Big Island, officials said in a news release, one in the North Kohala District and the other in the South Kohala District. Some residents were under mandatory evacuation orders as power outages were impacting communications, the release said.

Luke, who is acting as the governor as Gov. Josh Green travels out of the state, issued an emergency proclamation related to the fires on Tuesday.

“We are closely following the wildfires caused by the strong winds of Hurricane Dora,” Luke said in a statement. “The safety of our residents is paramount, and this emergency proclamation will activate the Hawaiʻi National Guard to support emergency responders in the impacted communities.”

Green has been fully briefed on Dora and its impacts, according to the news release.

“Lieutenant Governor Luke has my full support,” Green said. “My thoughts are with the residents and businesses affected by Hurricane Dora.”

In the continental US, a brush fire Tuesday in Cedar Park, Texas, destroyed one apartment building, damaged others and prompted evacuation orders. The blaze had charred about 50 acres in the Austin suburb.

On the eve of his Hall of Fame induction, NBA legend Dirk Nowitzki has said that his daughter is “mostly embarrassed” about any “hoopla” surrounding her dad.

The former Dallas Mavericks superstar, who was the first European in league history to receive the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award, will be among those inducted into basketball’s Hall of Fame on Saturday.

Alongside the German, two-time NBA champion Pau Gasol, four-time NBA champion Tony Parker, San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich, Dwyane Wade and the 1976 U.S. Olympic Women’s basketball team, among others, will be inducted.

However, at a press conference on Tuesday, Nowitzki admitted that his impending inauguration has not yet fully resonated with his children.

“They always watch me towards the end of my career and all they know is: ‘Papa, you were so slow,’” the 45-year-old said with a laugh. “I go to YouTube and it’s all grainy, it’s still films. But I try to pull up some stuff from the early 2000s. But they’re not really having it.

“I think my daughter understands the most, she’s 10 now and I think she’s mostly embarrassed about the whole hoopla or when people recognize me when we travel and she goes: ‘Oh, God,’ and she just walks the other way.”

It’s understandable that Nowitzki gets recognized when he’s out and about; he became one of the most iconic NBA players over his long career in North Texas.

His trademark fallaway jump shot was nigh-unstoppable and has been immortalized in a statue outside the Mavs’ American Airlines Center as well as being replicated by many of the current generation of basketball stars.

Nowitzki scored 35,223 points across 21 seasons in Dallas, playing 1,667 games for the only NBA team he ever featured for – only John Stockton played more games for one team across his career.

His crowning moment arguably came in 2011 when he led the Mavs to the NBA title, the organization’s first and only championship in its history.

Such was his success, Nowitzki is credited with playing a key role in opening the floodgates for European basketball talent to flourish in the US, paving the way for the current set of international superstars in the NBA, including current Mavericks star Luka Dončić, as well as Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokić.