way way OT: wireless on planes

[Keith F Weatherhead]

Enrique Arredondo wrote:

> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Bob Rasmussen" <ras at anzio.com>
> To: "Enrique Arredondo" <henry at vegena.net>
> Cc: <filepro-list at lists.celestial.com>
> Sent: Friday, December 17, 2004 11:17 AM
> Subject: Re: way way OT: wireless on planes
> 
>> On Fri, 17 Dec 2004, Enrique Arredondo wrote:
>>
>>> Does anybody knows if it's bad for the plane electronics if I take my 
>>> laptop
>>> with wireless wifi 801.g and another friend same thing and then we 
>>> player
>>> multiplayer games on the plane from different seats ?
>>
>>
>> The instructions I usually get are to avoid running anything that
>> uses radio waves. This would certainly apply to Wi-Fi. I usually turn off
>> my Wi-Fi (I have a switch on the case), and eject my cell-modem.
>>
>> I have noted that they especially mention GPS devices. I suspect that 
>> this
>> is because radio receivers tend to transmit some also.
>>
>> In the news recently, the FAA and the FCC are reexamining both WiFi and
>> cell phone possibilities.
>>
>> Regards,
>> ....Bob Rasmussen,   President,   Rasmussen Software, Inc.
> 
> Imagine been able to wifi to the plane's router and get information 
> about plane speed, current location, gas indicator, and order drinks or 
> request pillows , watch movies using quicktime. Requesting a car rental 
> upon arrival or make flight changes on the "fly".

Enrique,

Currently, in the US it is illegal to use ANY transmitter on 
aircraft.  That includes, cell-phones, 2-way pagers, GPS, BlueTooth, 
and Wi-Fi.  That said on 12/16/2004 the FCC O.K'd the use of Wi-Fi 
on aircraft starting in 2006, however, that same vote on Cell Phone 
use has NOT been taken and they are simply in the Request For Info 
(RFI) mode with regards to cell phones.  I for one would hope, for a 
peace of mind and escape mode, as others have mentioned, that they 
DO NOT OK cell phone use, but that is my personal feelings.

I have a friend that is a Jet Pilot, rated upto 100-seat, things 
like the Embraes and Canadiars, etc.  While they will NEVER say so 
publically, some pilots and flight-deck personell have been known to 
be on their cell phones right up to being cleared onto the active 
runway for take-off, even though the passengers were made to shut 
them off when the cabin doors close.

On the smaller puddle jumpers (i.e. Turbo-props) the cell phones 
cause a clicking in the pilots headset, so they are aware of when 
their passengers have NOT complied with the turning off of their 
phones.  The communications systems on jets are more capable and not 
effected like their smaller counterparts are.

That said I have on more than one occassion (shame on me) turned the 
wireless and bluetooth on, on my PDA, while in flight and found 
other systems available.  I have sat near brain-deads that have 
their notebooks on with the wireless card in the PCMCIA slot 
scanning the frequencies while they work on the plane.

The FCC and FAA have known for years that they do not interfer with 
modern jetliners BUT older planes and some of the smaller planes 
that is not the case and they have had a hard time trying to decide 
how they could OK one and not the other.

You probably will have to wait another year for WiFi, probably 
longer for cell phones... but like it or not, it will happen in the 
near future just the same.  I wish I could recall the figure, and I 
can't find it at the moment, but it was going to cost in the range 
of 250-500 thousand/per plane to provide the service in 2006.  I'm 
sure there will charge just like they do for the airphones and the 
only real benefit, unlesss you are independently wealthy, will be to 
do Ad-hoc mode wireless with other associates or passengers WITHOUT 
using the planes access-point/router.

Regards,
Keith
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Keith F. Weatherhead                   keithw at ddltd.com

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