by Royal » Tue Jun 07, 2005 3:07 pm
June 7, 2005
UNITED Airlines and Verizon Airfone have won a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) go-ahead for the installation of WiFi wireless networking in the carrier’s aircraft. The first such approval to be granted to a US domestic commercial operator, the clearance is an important move towards official acceptance of passenger wireless devices in the cabin.
"Our research shows that connecting to the Internet is our customers’ preferred way of communicating with the ground,” says United marketing SVP Dennis Cary. “This certification is a crucial step towards bringing inflight wireless access to passengers.”
The approval was granted after the two companies successfully demonstrated that the use of IEEE 802.11b/g (WiFi) wireless technology in the cabin did not affect the aircraft’s operation.
Most laptop computers sold today are 802.11b/g-capable.
The companies worked for more than a year to obtain the approval, which currently applies to the United Boeing 757-200s used to test the technology. But the airline wants ultimately to extend the capability to its whole fleet in order to support an onboard Internet access service. The necessary hardware would comprise an additional avionics box, a wireless access point and a directional antenna.
We have no effective screening methods to make sure pilots are sane.— Dr. Herbert Haynes, FAA.