Passenger's Electronics Permitted To Be Used In Aircraft Soon?

[Kip Powick]

CNN Article

http://money.cnn.com/2012/12/09/technology/in-flight-cell-phones/

[CD]

Not really certain if it can be claimed as a "CNN article", as it is a replica of information posted on various blogs, all quoting the origin of the information as The Hill - which is a blog.

Anyway, electronic devices in the U.S. 'could' be allowed for use during critical phases of flight if the airline chose to demonstrate that a particular device or devices will not cause interference. The FAA only recommeds prohibiting the operation of any portable electronic device during the takeoff and landing phase of flight via AC 91-21.1B... Canada is a wee bit different in that, at least for airlines, the operations manual has to contain information prohibiting the use of a portable electronic device "...during take-off, climb, approach and landing..."

[J.O.]

The way I'm hearing it, any change to our regs would come with a need to validate each type of device that you are going to allow to be used. With the pace of device development, that would be a tall order for any operator, not to mention the whining from passengers who couldn't use their new toy while the guy across the aisle is using his old iPad.

[CD]

That is the reason that in the U.S., you most often hear the crew members instructing passengers to turn the device "OFF" and power it down completely, as the same concept applies - the operator is only supposed to permit the use of devices that will not cause interference. My preference would be the deletion of the Part VII standards in favour of the general operating and flight rule found at 602.08 (which was the original intent in 1996 with the publication of the CARs, along with some advisory material).

Of course, the new evaluation being undertaken by the FAA will likely also produce some good data and guidance.

Here are links to some industry documents related to electronic device use:

DO-233 - Portable Electronic Devices Carried on Board Aircraft

This document addresses the potential interference to installed aircraft electrical and electronic systems from Portable Electronic Devices (PEDs) carried aboard by passengers. It defines the potential interference phenomena; outlines the risk potential from interference events; provides test methods to determine whether or not a potential for interference exists for certain PEDs, aircraft and combinations thereof; and addresses acceptable levels of interference. The report also recommends modification of Federal Aviation Regulation 91.21, continued PEDs testing to identify and better define the possibility of interference to aircraft electronic systems, increased public awareness of the potential for interference from PEDs, and the development and use of devices to detect spurious PEDs emissions.

Purchase your own copy here...

DO-294C - Guidance on Allowing Transmitting Portable Electronic Devices (T-PEDS) on Aircraft

DO-294C completes the work of Special Committee (SC) -202 and provides the results of work on dialog with consumer electronics manufacturers’ associations on consensus recommendations for facilitating safe use of PEDs onboard aircraft. Further, the document incorporates the previously released Change 1 to DO-294B, and addresses changes to align with the work done for DO-307. Changes were made to introductory materials in Appendix 5.B, Appendix 5.C, Appendix 6.D, and Appendix 10.

The document addresses near-term T-PED technologies such as existing devices enabled with cellular technologies, wireless local area networks (WLANS), and wireless personal area networks (WPANS) as well as emerging PED technologies, for example active RF Identification (RFID) tags, transmitting medical devices, and picocells for devices enabled by cellular technologies for use on board aircraft. The document defines and recommends a process by which aircraft operators and/or manufacturers may assess the risk if interference due to a specific T-PED technology within any aircraft type and model. It also provides a means for aviation authorities and others to determine acceptable and enforceable policies and processes for passenger and crew use of T-PEDs.

Purchase your own copy here...

DO-307 - Aircraft Design and Certification for Portable Electronic Device (PED) Tolerance

This document recommends aircraft design and certification criteria to tolerate the operation of PEDs. These aircraft design and certification recommendations, when implemented in an aircraft design, would reduce the need for restricting the use of PEDs.

Purchase your own copy here...

[Specs]

I still recall trying to fix my Sony Walkman when I was sitting in a DC10 economy seat while the cabin crew were trying to make announcements. Something was interfering with the PA and the static was making the announcements unintelligible. After a while it became pretty apparent it was my efforts in trying to unravel the tape. There was no doubt about the cause and affect as we could reproduce it a will. I still get teased about.Electronics aren't my thing so I never tried to figure it out but I won't object if they keep the ban in place.

Maybe it is possible to prove or qualify each device but then what about the non OEM equipment (eg batteries) you might install or what about modified or repaired equipment. It must be near impossible to enforce any quality standards.

Besides, shouldn't the concern be something along the lines of what is the risk from a bunch of hard plastic things being flung or strewn about the cabin during a bad landing or takeoff?

How would their use impede Emer Evac?

Will they injure anybody (probably more than a book or mag would)?

Could they spark when damaged?

[boestar]

When I was working on Certification of the interior installations on the Global Express we had to test ALL installed electronics on the aircraft. This test was conducted using special spectrum analysers. A single cell phone with the radio OFF caused interference accross the spectrum. with the radio ON the interference was markedly worse in the transmission frequency range. ALL electronics emit RF when turned whether they are transmitting or not and no 2 devices are the same in this regard. We did however notice that there was NO NET AFFECT to any operational aircraft systems including NAV systems as those systems are all shielded from the RF interference. That being said if the shielding within those systems becomes compromised then interference could become a real hazard.

[Airband]

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Boeing uses potatoes instead of people to test wi-fi

December 21, 2012 - BBC News

US planemaker Boeing used an unusual substitute for passengers to test its in-flight wi-fi system - potatoes.

Passenger seats on a decommissioned plane were loaded with huge sacks of the tubers for several days as signal strengths were checked.

The company's researchers say that potatoes "interact" with electronic signals in a similar way to humans.

The technique also took advantage of the fact that spuds - unlike humans - never get bored.

Boeing's engineers did a number of tests to ensure that passengers would get the strongest possible wi-fi signal while in the air, all while meeting safety standards that protect against interference with an aircraft's electrical systems.

Wireless signals fluctuate randomly in the enclosed space of an aeroplane cabin as people move about.

This means that signal distribution is uneven throughout the cabin, with weaker and stronger connectivity in different seats.

"You want your laptop to work anywhere it's located on your seat, [but] there can be significant signal changes just due to the location of the laptop," said Boeing engineer Dennis Lewis.

To test the signal distribution, the firm turned to spuds instead of human test subjects, filling the seats with 20,000lbs (9,000kg) of potatoes in sacks.

According to Boeing, potatoes' "interactions" with electronic signals mimic those of a human body, making them "the perfect stand-in for people who would otherwise have had to sit motionless for days while the data was gathered".

The UK Potato Council said many people underestimated the humble potato's alternative uses.

"[The examples are] in paper and ink manufacturing, potato starch is used in clothing to strengthen the fibres so they don't break during weaving, and for sweetening - glucose can be extracted from potato starch," said the council's spokeswoman.

"For beauty and sores - potatoes have calming, decongestant and astringent properties and raw potatoes can calm tired eyes, potato as alcohol, and potatoes can produce electricity."

Frederic Rosseneu of the European Potato Trade Association Europatat said the organisation was "looking forward to other experiments in which spuds can help to make our lives more convenient".

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