CarolC..
Nice set of quotes. When you have your EE degree, or at leats a 3rd class radio operators permit, you might actually understand what was said, and how it does NOT support your assertion that "Cell phones can't work in airplanes at 30,000 ft"

The CENTRAL lobe of an antenna pattern can certainly be downward ( ie, set so that the bottom edge of the main lobe is at ground level, or even below) and the antenna will still receive signals from high elevations. As for 800 vs 1900 mhz, BOTH are primarily line of sight, as is the 120 and 240mhz "aircraft " bands that are used to talk between aircraft and grouing ( ATC and towers)

"Hand-held phones can use a MAX power of .6 watts as per FCC.
but most digital phones actually only go up to a max of .4"

Let me see...

.4 watts at say 50 miles (Using the accepted radiated signal strength dropoff of the square of the distance )

vs 10 watts at 300 miles ( aircraft typical ranges)
vs 5 watts at 750 miles ( average power and spacecraft distances)

I will let you figure out the relative power levels, since you claim to know so much about this topic.