For safety’s sake, Biden should hire a pilot to run the FAA and tackle the 5G problem
Appointed by former airline CEO Donald Trump and confirmed in a Senate vote split along party lines in the summer of 2019, Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Steve Dickson made it just halfway through his five-year term.
In January, the former Delta vice president flew into strong headwinds when Verizon and AT&T launched 5G cell service that can interfere with altimeters critical to key safety systems during badweather landings.
His resignation on March 31 leaves the agency mired in the 5G controversy currently affecting regional airlines operating 43% of the nation’s fights.
During his term, Dickson was no match for Trump’s Federal Communications Commission administrator, former Verizon attorney Ajit Pai, who upheld the special interests of his client. Despite years of warnings from airlines and pilot unions about potential 5G interference, this airsafety problem remains unresolved.
This challenge focuses on altimeter-dependent automatic landing systems and many other systems central to flight and engine control. In a worst case, such as a bad-weather landing, the unexpected collapse of these safety systems could trigger a surprise flight-deck crisis.
In Europe, large airport exclusion zones mitigated this problem.
Otjan de Bruijn, a 777 pilot and president of the European Cockpit Association, says the FAA’s failure to take such steps at all commercial airports nationwide means that “some aircraft types with the more vulnerable radar altimeters are banned from flying to the USA.”
He warns that, because of this interference, “multiple systems can be influenced and start showing unexpected behavior.”
And he asks: “How is it possible that the telecom giants pushing 5G have ignored for so long the warnings given by the FAA and other aviation groups? Isn’t this another example of where financial benefits outweigh the importance the safety? Why has this not been solved before rolling out 5G networks? Who will finally carry the responsibility if this leads to serious incidents?”
The FAA’s remedy potentially affects some of the hundreds of thousands of flights on Embraer 170, 175, 190 and 195 models at 35 airports including Oakland, Los Angeles, San
Jose, Newark, Minneapolis, Portland, Philadelphia and New York’s JFK each year.
Without an FAA-designated ”alternative method of compliance,” these Embraer aircraft would be unable to land in adverse weather. The problem also could impact air ambulance crews who would have to use night vision goggles to safely land should 5G interfere with their landings.
Regional Airline Association CEO Faye Malarkey Black also worries that today’s problem could mushroom: “As more 5G towers are turned on and transmission signals are turned up and even more high-speed internet users impact the signal, we expect even more airports to become excluded. This will certainly disadvantage more communities and passengers.”
When flights are diverted or canceled due to inclement weather that did not restrict flight operations pre-5G, passengers can end up with no airline alternatives to reach their destination.
Making matters worse for passengers is news that the airline industry, after accepting more than $70 billion in grants, loans and other federal assistance to maintain routes nationwide during the pandemic, has announced plans to potentially slash service to dozens of small airports this summer.
On March 11, United gave 90-day notice of cancellation to 29 airports served by its regional partner Skywest. Some of these airports could end up losing their only scheduled flights.
It’s now imperative that President Biden appoint an experienced pilot to lead the FAA, someone such as “Miracle on the Hudson” Capt. Chesley Sullenberger.
Making Sullenberger FAA administrator will help restore public confidence in U.S. aviation. The flying public needs a leader who can solve the 5G crisis and make sure that the industry does not have another FAA debacle like licensing the Boeing 737 MAX without adequate pilot training.