Study shows high risk of interference to navigation system

Written by Writer on Monday, October 13th, 2008

Study shows high risk of interference to navigation system

FROM PAGE 16 ically transmit when they are powered up.

“In the United States, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Federal Communications Commission are the regulators responsible for aircraft safety and communications respectively.

“The FAA has documented cases of electromagnetic interference to aircraft systems.

“It is yet to be convinced that safety and effective communications will not be compromised, and is awaiting the results of further research before considering lifting restrictions on using these devices in-flight.”

Furthermore, said Zombolas, a Carnegie Mellon University study in 2006, which monitored mobile phone and portable electronic device usage on 37 US commercial flights, indicated that the risk of interference to a plane’s navigation system was indeed real.

“Alarmingly, one of the researchers, Bill Strauss — an expert in aircraft EMI in the US Naval Air Warfare Centre — concluded that the risk posed by these portable devices is higher than previously believed.

“These devices can disrupt normal operation of key cockpit instruments, especially Global Positioning System receivers, which are increasingly vital for safe landings.”

The study also found that one to four mobile phone calls were made during each flight, despite rules prohibiting them.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has not discounted the possibility that electronic items could have caused the QF72 incident.

However, several press reports in Australia indicated that the fault lay not with electronic devices operated by passengers, but with the airplane’s control software itself.