MOVwiz
25th Oct 2000, 21:43
probably asked by everyone in past forums,but... why does the FAA/Airlines get nervous about computers, etc., on and running during takeoff and landing? Is it a problem for devices that are (or are not) IEEE 802.11 compliant? (i.e., Apple computer's Airport, and other wireless PCMIA cards, etc.)
A forum at Mac News Network suggested the Apple Inc. Engineers were concerned on airplanes, but this may be way in "left field".
I am working on a wireless network installation near some sensitive and "must work" electronic and electrical equipment - stuff that might be on a Nuc sub. I want to shield the installation from affecting this stuff..if there is really a concern. Would appreciate some clues as to the real concern for this kind of thing (or the thread...)
Self Loading Freight
25th Oct 2000, 22:58
This is from the Aug 21 2000 edition of US mag ComputerWorld
"Airlines have started to embrace wireless LAN technology to manage aircraft. While it might seem a no-brainer to include the most expensive and visible asset of any airline - its multimillion-dollar aircraft - in an enterprise information management system, Ed St. John, a program manager for air transport systems at Rockwell Collins Inc. in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, says that until now, a lack of bandwidth and regulations have made it difficult to connect planes.
Air-to-ground communication systems can support only short, canned text messages. Regulatory authorities such as the Federal Aviation Administration have strict requirements regarding the inclusion of commercial systems, such as wireless LANs, on aircraft. But, St. John says, Annapolis Md.-based Arinc Inc., a global communications provider, has developed worldwide standards for aircraft wireless LANs that should eventually gain widespread adoption.
Rockwell Collins has developed an integrated avionics system that ties a standard wireless LAN on the aircraft into ground stations that are accessible only when the aircraft is on the ground. The firm is also working on a system that extends the aircraft wireless LAN via satellite to anywhere on the globe.
Condor, the charter airline affiliate of Deutsche Lufthansa AG in Germany, has installed a wireless LAN on three of its Airbus 320s. St. John says laptops in the cockpit that are equipped with wireless LAN cards tie the crew into the wireless LAN server, which in turn communicates via an external antenna with the ground access points.
The Condor A320 wireless LANs also provide e-mail service to passengers."
R