By Kevin Wilkerson, PubClub.com Travel Blogger
Enough of the BS, the PR-prepared statements and back-and-forth bickering between the airlines and cell phone providers.
I was tired of watching news reports without ever getting a straight answer from anyone in regards to the safety or danger of 5G towers being placed next to airports. Fed up with a lack of answers from a real source, I decided to go directly to my own. So I called a friend of mine who is a captain for a major U.S. airline. I knew he would give me unfiltered answers. Straight from the cockpit, so to speak.
He did, and some of his answers are quite surprising.
“The new 5G technology operates on frequencies adjacent to those used by the radio altimeters on commercial aircraft. Thus, airlines may experience operational disruptions as radio altimeters are a critical component of aircraft that commercial airlines fly as they precisely measure the height of aircraft above the ground.
“In the interest of safety of passengers and the commercial aircraft that they fly on, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has instituted operating restrictions on aircraft, including how and when they can be operated into certain U.S. airports because 5G airwaves could potentially interfere with radio altimeter airwaves and pose a safety risk. At this point it is unclear how much of an operational impact will occur particularly in inclement weather conditions.
“Major airlines are coordinating with the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) to receive authorization for what is called Alternative Methods of Compliance with restrictions that have been instituted due to these safety concerns.
“For example, 5G technology may have significant, limited or no impact on radio altimeters or aircraft made by different manufacturers. Based upon the level of impact, major airlines may be authorized operations into airports utilizing AMOCs.
“The traveling public can rest assured that safety is of the utmost concern and will not be sacrificed to continue operations into the 5G environment near our nation’s airports.”
It is those different manufacturers of radio altimeters that are the key to this issue. Some the more modern planes use one that has a slightly different frequency than the cell towers and they do not interfere as much as altimeters from some other companies.
The problem here is that many of the older planes use altimeters that are on the same 5G frequency and if cell towers are interfering with the signal then planes would not be able to land at airports where 5G towers are close to the airport. The result, he said, “would be a lot of canceled flights.”
Now I don’t need a pilot or any other aviation expert to tell me that the easiest way to rile up passengers in this country is for airlines to cancel fights. For those who need a quick reminder, just think back to the recent holiday travel when flights were canceled left and right because of weather and airlines’ staffing issues related to COVID.
Keep THAT in mind when you say “oh just go ahead with it, what’s the harm.”
And what about the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) arguing that 5G towers are close to airports in Europe and there is no issues at those airports?
“The 5G signal is stronger in the USA than it is in Europe” the captain said. “Plus, they have a rule where the towers have to be, I believe, two miles from airports. Here, they want to put them in right next to the airports. So in Europe, the G5 signal is half the power of those in the U.S., and are farther way from airports.”
“I am surprised that the FCC was so quick to approve implementation of 5G for the cellular companies near airports without doing the appropriate level of coordination with the FAA and commercial airlines so that we would not be in this predicament today.”
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