Samsung Galaxy S4 Active — GPS and Airplane Mode

I want to be sure that the GPS on my Samsung Galaxy S4 works in remote areas, far from cell towers and WiFi. My S4 has a great GPS that quickly picks up many satellites (I think also Glonass), even in the airplane mode and with mobile data and WiFi turned off. My question is this. Activating airplane mode and deactivating WiFi and mobile data turns off transmitting to network towers but does it necessarily turn off reception from the towers. In other words, if there are towers within range, will the phone still "see" towers and use them for GPS location assist even when communication to the towers is turned off? I'm not sure I've ever tried my GPS in an area where there was really no cell reception or WiFi nearby.