AndyMan 7 #1 June 10, 2003 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/750893.stm Tuesday, 16 May, 2000, 15:46 GMT 16:46 UK Mobile phones 'a danger to aircraft' Mobile phone calls made by passengers on aeroplanes can seriously affect the aircraft's on board equipment, The Civil Aviation Authority carried out tests on two parked aircraft at Gatwick Airport to find out the potential dangers of mobile phone use. It found evidence that calls produced interference levels which could disrupt aircraft systems. Faults that could be attributed to mobile phones use include false cockpit warnings, the malfunctioning of aircraft systems, interference in pilots' headsets and the distraction of cabin crews from their normal duties. The Authority carried out the research on aircraft equipment certificated before December 1989 which has not previously been tested for immunity from interference from mobiles. Equipment manufactured after 1989 has higher levels of immunity. The Gatwick tests revealed that a plane's internal doors do not block mobile phone signals but that passengers in the path of the transmission did reduce the signal. Prison penalty Dan Hawkes, head of the avionics section of the CAA's safety regulation group said: "The tests showed that a mobile phone used near an aircraft's flight deck or avionics equipment bay will produce interference." The CAA is now recommending that notices reminding passengers of the mobile phone ban are placed in airport departure lounges. It also suggests airlines should be encouraged to look into installing mobile phone detection equipment which would warn crews if a phone was in use. In June last year, Neil Whitehouse, of Mansfield, Notts, was sentenced to 12 months in prison after being found guilty of "recklessly and negligently" endangering a British Airways flight from Madrid to Manchester. 'I love you' A Manchester Crown Court jury heard that Whitehouse, an oil worker, had repeatedly refused to switch off his phone after being spotted with it on the Boeing 737. Experts said the plane's navigational systems could have been affected by radio waves from the phone even though no calls were made during the flight. Whitehouse was asked by cabin crew to turn the mobile off after he was spotted typing "I love you" onto the text face. When told it might interfere with navigation, he replied: "Why? Are we going to get lost?" The judge hearing the case called for the ban on mobile phones on aircraft to be reiterated. _Am__ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest #2 June 10, 2003 Ruh-roh "The mouse does not know life until it is in the mouth of the cat." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Skyrad 0 #3 June 10, 2003 If you want to use that thing......get out of the plane! When an author is too meticulous about his style, you may presume that his mind is frivolous and his content flimsy. Lucius Annaeus Seneca Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SkydiveMonkey 0 #4 June 10, 2003 So what about the plans to install wireless network access points on planes for people to use their own laptops to get internet access?____________________ Say no to subliminal messages Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AndyMan 7 #5 June 10, 2003 Quote So what about the plans to install wireless network access points on planes for people to use their own laptops to get internet access? As the article stated, these tests were done on planes and equipment made before 1989 - when equipment manufacturers started using better electronic shielding. Presumably the airlines are planning on installing this equipment on new planes, and not retrofitting the old ones. _Am__ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MagicLou 0 #6 June 10, 2003 So the trick is to find a Cell Phone that will only affect the Alti on a C182. Voila. Buy 3K jump tickets and the Pilot takes you to 12.5K without knowing. (Our DZ only operates C182s, so substitute the ride at your favourite DZ.) This may be worth some investigation. Lou ___________________________________ . . . now you see that evil will always triumph because good is dumb - Dark Helmet Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 2,998 #7 June 10, 2003 >So what about the plans to install wireless network access points on >planes for people to use their own laptops to get internet access? We're testing that now, with an eye towards putting cellular picocells on planes - that way people can make calls on their cellphones with the call going out over a special aircraft backhaul link. We've already tested 802.11b on several types of aircraft without any problems. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Remster 30 #8 June 10, 2003 QuoteWe're testing that now You're a scary man Bill......Remster Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TitaniumLegs 8 #9 June 10, 2003 Also the range and power on a cell phone is way more than for 802.11b. Cell phones have to work for miles. Wireless networking is really only good for a few hundred feet. The different frequencies may also make a difference. You can hear the difference yourself. Hold you cell phone next to your FM radio or your regular phone. You'll hear the cell phone transmitting. Much less so with wireless networking. At least, that's what I've noticed. This link may require an account to access... Lufthansa To Equip Long-Haul Aircraft With Connexion Aviation Week & Space Technology 06/09/2003, page 15 LONG-HAUL CONNEXION Lufthansa German Airlines will equip some 80 long-haul aircraft, including Boeing 747400s and Airbus A330/340s, with Boeing's Connexion inflight Internet service beginning early next year. Lufthansa was the first carrier to test the broadband service and made a believer out of Wolfgang Mayrhuber, the incoming chairman of the airline's executive board. He indicated recently that passengers would be willing to pay a $30 service fee (AW&ST May 12, p. 46). But in announcing its decision, Lufthansa said it was considering a "host of payment options" including use of a passenger's frequent-flier bonus miles or "a nominal service access fee." German aviation authorities and the U.K.'s Civil Aviation Authority have certified wireless applications for Connexion, which enables passengers to use their own 802.11b WiFi devices within the airline cabin. British Airways is completing tests of Connexion. So yeah, they're mostly newer aircraft, and long-haul-only makes sense. (>o|-< If you don't believe me, ask me. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 2,998 #10 June 10, 2003 >You're a scary man Bill...... Why? So far we're doing it just on 727's and 757's, but we've done it on a lot of smaller planes (Challenger and Global Express business jets.) Works fine. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Remster 30 #11 June 10, 2003 Just that you seam to have a hand in everything... lol... nothing to do with testing this…Remster Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
