A question for well versed phone privacy folks

I have heard contradictory things about location tracking on the phone.

Some say turning off location services stops location being tracked.

Others say that this is not so. Location information is still gathered, even then and even in Airplane mode by the phone baseband computer which is actually in charge of radios. These folks say that turning off Location Services merely stops location information be accessed by otherwise allowed apps. And that if the phone is not connected to wifi or cellular no location information can be phoned home until it is connected again.

So what is the truth of it? I have even seen the same privacy advocates seem to say both of these different things on different occasions.