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FAA prohibits autoland in vicinity of 5G C-band cell sites
You need to check up on that. The colors have changed as well.
Hm.
I must confess, I have a little respect with men who are longer here on this beautiful platform than me... And, in contrast to Gabriel and 3WE, I still don't know how much older than me you are.
But we can discuss that. More than 8000 forum entries in my eyes are a permission to discuss whatever you like.
Do you know that I'm able to find again my avatar, today, in the jetphotos database? That's what a very good database is good for, after 15 years: https://www.jetphotos.com/photo/6351454
And of course, I can provide a copy of that, hopefully with the permission of the photographer:
This photo has been taken in September 2008. I don't know much about autumn in California, but for further discussion, we are able to look at the Exif data.
For autumn, without having looked up the daytime (afternoon?), the colors especially on the 744 tailfin are quite perfect. I don't know if I could do it better,
with a good digital SLR camera.
The thing is, the LH-B744 tailfin is something like a touchstone of color quality, also for your computer screen.
The LH-B744 tailfin isn't black, it only seems like that when the sun doesn't directly shine on it.
Thus, if we now compare two photos, we also have to know, does the sun shine directly on the tailfin or not. Not that easy.
Officially that color has also a name, but I always call it the Lufthansa 1997 (Star Alliance) Night Blue, white upper deck, white main deck, 4 x light gray nacelles,
and also a light gray belly (in the area of the landing lights and below).
--
Now, that we know that the light is important, let's look at the LH-B748 tailfin. Same airport (SFO), but not the same rwy and/or not the same moment during t/o (I'd say t/o flaps).
My avatar was filmed earlier within the t/o procedure.
The light and the season is completely different, spring instead of autumn, but on the B748, you can see what Lufthansa 1997 Night Blue is all about. This Night Blue shines when the sun shines on it (!).
It is the same color than on my avatar, I could swear it!
We could ask the LH CEO Chief Flight Captain Spohr (*1966) about his opinion. I swear it is the same color, Lufthansa 1997 Night Blue on our tailfins, only the light is different: https://www.jetphotos.com/photo/10701507
Same airport, B748 instead of B744, May 2022 instead of September 2008, ... but the color on our tailfins has been and still is Lufthansa 1997 Night Blue, only with spring light on it,
instead of autumn light.
Convinced, or should I write an eMail to Lufthansa about the color question?
The German long haul is alive, 65 years and still kicking.
The Gold Member in the 747 club, 50 years since the first LH 747.
And constantly advanced, 744 and 748 /w upper and lower EICAS.
This is Lohausen International airport speaking, echo delta delta lima.
Are we cross thread here? I thought this was about 5G?
Sorry. Yes, the aviation authorities say they need more time to refit all their aircraft INCLUDING THE LH-B744 with altimeters that have 5G safeguards, but the US government says no dice, we must have 5G now so that we can TikTok faster and spread more disinformation on the holy interweb. So expect the usual chaos and hopefully not the unusual chaos.
In the meantime, pilots of non-retrofitted aircraft are asked to refer to the GPS altitude on their phone ADS-B flight tracker apps via the 5G interweb.
The FAA has "determined that additional limitations are needed" for "the Boeing Company Model 747-8F and 747-8 series airplanes" and is now proposing an update to its previously issued 2022-03-05 AD for these aircraft types.
Comments are requested by May 23, 2023. Also applies to "Model 777 airplanes".
The proposed new AD would prohibit auto-land of these aircraft in the mainland USA after June 30, 2023, regardless of NOTAMs, at any airport located within a 5G CMA (per FAA Domestic Notice), unless their altimeters have been replaced or an alternative means of compliance has been agreed. Specifically, the FAA has made "a determination that this interference may affect multiple airplane systems using radio altimeter data, including the pitch control laws, including those that provide tail strike protection, regardless of the approach type or weather."
Ref a recent contribution to this thread, this also applies to 747-8s and 747-8Fs operated by Lufthansa, whether or not those airplanes are painted with the pre-2018 or post-2018 livery colors
Ref a recent contribution to this thread, this also applies to 747-8s and 747-8Fs operated by Lufthansa, whether or not those airplanes are painted with the pre-2018 or post-2018 livery colors
I knew I was on topic!
You know what would be crazy... what if the FAA simply delayed the 5G rollout until ALL of these airplanes can be refitted? I know, I know, people would have to somehow survive with LTE, like stone age hominids. It's probably better to induce diversions and chaos in these patterns than to put off our ascension into the metaverse any further.
You know what would be crazy... what if the FAA simply delayed the 5G rollout
The FAA doesn't have authority to do so.
--- Judge what is said by the merits of what is said, not by the credentials of who said it. ---
--- Defend what you say with arguments, not by imposing your credentials ---
You know what would be crazy... what if the FAA simply delayed the 5G rollout until ALL of these airplanes can be refitted?
Here's another crazy idea. What if the FCC leaned on the companies to whom they had previously sold the C-band spectrum for several billions dollars (AT&T and Verizon), and persuaded them to delay the rollout of C-band 5G antennas near airports for 18 months, in order to give extra time to the operators of 747-8 and 747-8F aircraft to fit more modern altimeters. Oh wait ...
Here's another crazy idea. What if the FCC leaned on the companies to whom they had previously sold the C-band spectrum for several billions dollars (AT&T and Verizon), and persuaded them to delay the rollout of C-band 5G antennas near airports for 18 months, in order to give extra time to the operators of 747-8 and 747-8F aircraft to fit more modern altimeters. Oh wait ...
I don’t see why the FCC would have to persuade anyone to comply with a safety issue. It is what it is. 5G is a threat to those standard altimeters and newer ones are in short supply.
I don’t see why the FCC would have to persuade anyone to comply with a safety issue. It is what it is. 5G is a threat
I'm not saying there isn't a safety issue here, but I don't think it's an FCC responsibility. Three reasons:
1. The FCC has to "persuade" because they already sold (more correctly, licensed) the spectrum. Provided the licensees are complying with the part 27 regulations, the FCC has very little power until the license expires. There are actually several thousand licenses of the C-band spectrum. The biggest licensees are AT&T and Verizon. Once licensed, the spectrum is theirs to use as they see fit, provided they stay within the limitations of their license. Specific usage, compliant with the terms of the license, is not an FCC issue.
2. The C-band spectrum does _not overlap with radio altimeters. C-band uses 3.7-3.98 GHz. Radio altimeters use 4.2-4.4 GHz. C-band transmissions only interfere with older types of altimeters because the electronics in those devices are poorly designed. To be precise, they're insufficiently "selective". They make the mistake of thinking certain C-band frequencies are altimeter signals. Or to use another phrase, the altimeters "ignore assigned spectrum boundaries". In the past, adjacent signals were rare and highly localized because they were mostly used by satellite earth stations, so the fault wasn't visible. That's now changed.
3. This is similar to the situation in the old days where you were dismayed to discover you could no longer reliably tune into your favorite AM radio station because a new radio station had started up on an adjacent frequency. You found it hard to "tune it out". If both radio stations are transmitting in accordance with FCC rules (frequency, sideband width, power), the problem merely reveals an inadequacy in your radio. If you get a more modern radio and/or a different antenna, the problem goes away.
Yes there have been supply-chain problems in the past with obtaining modern altimeters. However, market demand and an accelerated approvals process means there are now many manufacturers offering "5G tolerant" altimeters for a variety of different aircraft:
The FAA has "determined that additional limitations are needed" for "the Boeing Company Model 747-8F and 747-8 series airplanes" ... Comments are requested by May 23, 2023. The proposed new AD would prohibit auto-land of these aircraft in the mainland USA after June 30, 2023 ...[at specific airports] [unless AMOC]
Summary of public comments received prior to the deadline:
1. Boeing: Concurs with the proposed rule. No additional comments will be forthcoming.
2. American Airlines: Requests that the FAA allows at least 30 days from the effective date of the AD for its accomplishment.
3. Airline Pilots Association: Concerned that interference will negatively affect TCAS, TAWS, and the successful execution of emergency maneuvers.
4. All Nippon Airways: (a) Asks why aircraft with tolerant RAs will still be "prohibited to landing to non-CMA airports" (b) Requests a list of approved tolerant RAs (c) Requests AMOC be defined in the AD.
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