Differences

This shows you the differences between two versions of the page.

--- transportation:faa [2025/06/10 00:46] – [SpaceX] timb
+++ transportation:faa [2025/06/10 04:39] (current) – [Obsolete / Windows 95] timb
@@ Line 227: / Line 227: @@
-==== Hiring ====
+===== Hiring =====
 == The FAA's Hiring Scandal: A Quick Overview ==
@@ Line 298: / Line 298: @@
-===== Space Regulation =====
 ====== Incident ======
-===== Trevor Jacob =====
-== A YouTuber Purposely Crashed His Plane in California, FAA Says ==
-Posted by msmash on Thursday April 21, 2022 11:07AM
-The Federal Aviation Administration has found that Trevor Jacob, a daredevil YouTuber who posted a video of himself last year parachuting out of a plane that he claimed had malfunctioned, purposely abandoned the aircraft and allowed it to crash into the Los Padres National Forest in Southern California. From a report:
-<blockquote>In a letter to Mr. Jacob on April 11, the F.A.A. said he had violated federal aviation regulations and operated his single-engine plane in a "careless or reckless manner so as to endanger the life or property of another." The agency said it would immediately revoke Mr. Jacob's private pilot certificate, effectively ending his permission to operate any aircraft. Reached by email on Wednesday, Mr. Jacob appeared unaware of the F.A.A.'s ruling and replied, "Where'd you get that information?"</blockquote>
-https://news.slashdot.org/story/22/04/21/187238/a-youtuber-purposely-crashed-his-plane-in-california-faa-says
-== Feds Say YouTuber-Pilot Intentionally Crashed Plane for Views ==
-Trevor Jacob filmed himself parachuting out of a nose-diving plane, prompting a federal investigation.
-Lauren Leffer - 21 April 2022 1:05PM
-Apparently, actions have consequences.
-The pilot, YouTuber, and former Olympic snowboarder, Trevor Jacob, who posted a 13-minute video of himself escaping a crashing plane in December 2021, no longer has a license to fly. This comes after the Federal Aviation Administration wrapped up a 3-month long investigation that uncovered some pretty insane findings.
-In an April 11 letter to Jacob, first revealed in a New York Times report on Wednesday, the FAA said evidence shows he operated the flight to purposely cause it to crash, adding evidence like, “during this flight, you opened the left side pilot door before you claimed the engine had failed.”
-https://gizmodo.com/feds-say-youtuber-pilot-intentionally-crashed-plane-for-1848823657
-== FAA revokes YouTuber's pilot license, saying he deliberately crashed his plane ==
-The "I crashed my plane" guy won't be flying again anytime soon, unless it's commercial.
-Andrew Tarantola - April 21st, 2022
-On November 21st, Trevor Jacob's single-engine airplane fell out of the sky — a harrowing experience that the YouTuber just so happened to catch on film and upload to social media. In January, aviation experts began investigating the incident (as they are wont to do in the event of most every aviation crash) and, on Thursday, the Federal Aviation Administration formally accused Jacob of staging the entire incident and intentionally crashing his 1940 Taylorcraft for online clout.
-At the time, Jacob, a former Olympic snowboarder, claimed that his plane had malfunctioned, forcing him to bail out and parachute to safely while the aircraft crashed into the Los Padres National Forest in Southern California. However, in a letter dated April 11th, the FAA informed him that he had operated his plane in a “careless or reckless manner so as to endanger the life or property of another,” a violation of aviation regulations. The FAA also revoked his pilot's license effective immediately.
-https://www.engadget.com/faa-revokes-youtube-pilot-license-he-deliberately-crashed-plane-171141320.html
-== YouTuber who staged plane crash faces up to 20 years jail: US officials ==
-Huw GRIFFITH - Thu, May 11, 2023 at 7:13 PM PDT
-A YouTuber pilot who bailed out midair and deliberately sent his plane crashing into the ground to bolster viewing numbers on his channel could be jailed for up to 20 years, US authorities said Thursday.
-In a video seen by nearly three million people and entitled "I crashed my airplane," Trevor Jacob appears to experience engine trouble while flying over southern California in November 2021.
-The dramatic footage shows Jacob, 29, ejecting from the single engine plane -- selfie-stick in hand -- and parachuting into the dense vegetation of the Los Padres National Forest.
-Cameras placed all over the aircraft show its out-of-control descent into the forest, and its eventual crash landing.
-https://news.yahoo.com/youtuber-staged-plane-crash-faces-205718964.html
-== YouTuber who crashed plane admits he did it for money and views ==
-The maximum sentence for YouTuber's admitted crimes is 20 years.
-Ashley Belanger - 5/12/2023, 12:39 PM
-A YouTuber who deliberately crashed a plane to "gain notoriety and make money" has agreed to plead guilty to obstructing a federal investigation, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) announced yesterday. In his plea agreement, California pilot Trevor Jacob admitted to "deliberately destroying" the plane wreckage and repeatedly lying to officials.
-The crimes of destruction and concealment with intent to impede a federal investigation carry a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment and a potential fine of up to $250,000. The Los Angeles district court may impose a lesser sentence due to the plea deal, though.
-Jacob is scheduled to appear in court in the coming weeks, the DOJ reported. A DOJ public information officer, Ciaran McEvoy, told Ars that Jacob has not yet pleaded guilty. After an initial court appearance—essentially a bond hearing—a change of plea hearing will be scheduled. If Jacob pleads guilty at that hearing, a federal judge will schedule a sentencing hearing several months later. From there, Jacob would meet with the US Probation Office, which will draft a confidential pre-sentencing report recommending the sentence that the office thinks he deserves. Jacob and the prosecutors can either agree or disagree with that sentencing report, and then, ultimately, a judge will determine what sentence is imposed.
-https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/05/youtuber-who-crashed-plane-admits-he-did-it-for-money-and-views/
-== YouTuber Pleads Guilty to Intentionally Crashing an Airplane ==
-Trevor Jacob faces up to 20 years in prison for an intentional plane crash and dismembering and hiding the aircraft's wreckage.
-Nikki Main - 12 May 2023
-A YouTube pilot has pleaded guilty to intentionally crashing an airplane and intent to obstruct a federal investigation. Trevor Daniel Jacob, 29, of Lompoc, California ejected himself from an airplane he was flying in November 2021, claiming there was no safe place to land, while the plane crashed somewhere near the Los Padres National Forest.
-Jacob installed numerous cameras on the plane before takeoff, according to a DOJ press release, and had equipped himself with a parachute and selfie stick, all of which captured Jacob ejecting himself from the plane and parachuting to the ground. He uploaded the 12-minute video to YouTube which has 3.1 million views at the time of writing. The video shows Jacob taking off before claiming the plane was malfunctioning 35 minutes later when he parachutes out of the plane and the video shows it crashing into the side of a mountain. Jacob records himself hiking through the park and complaining of exhaustion before being picked up by local farmers.
-https://gizmodo.com/youtube-trevor-jacob-airplane-crash-1850431856
-====== Technology ======
-== US air traffic control still runs on Windows 95 and floppy disks ==
-Agency seeks contractors to modernize decades-old systems within four years.
-Benj Edwards – Jun 9, 2025 8:36 AM
-On Wednesday, acting FAA Administrator Chris Rocheleau told the House Appropriations Committee that the Federal Aviation Administration plans to replace its aging air traffic control systems, which still rely on floppy disks and Windows 95 computers, Tom's Hardware reports. The agency has issued a Request For Information to gather proposals from companies willing to tackle the massive infrastructure overhaul.
-"The whole idea is to replace the system. No more floppy disks or paper strips," Rocheleau said during the committee hearing. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy called the project "the most important infrastructure project that we've had in this country for decades," describing it as a bipartisan priority.
-Most air traffic control towers and facilities across the US currently operate with technology that seems frozen in the 20th century, although that isn't necessarily a bad thing—when it works. Some controllers currently use paper strips to track aircraft movements and transfer data between systems using floppy disks, while their computers run Microsoft's Windows 95 operating system, which launched in 1995.
-https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2025/06/faa-to-retire-floppy-disks-and-windows-95-amid-air-traffic-control-overhaul/
-==== Cellular ====
-== Why you can never get any cell service on the tarmac ==
-Dec. 08, 2019 - Madison Blancaflor
-While just about everyone knows to turn their cellphone off or on airplane mode once the plane takes off, there's no rule against using it while your plane is on the ground. But we've probably all faced the struggle of trying to use our phones on the airport tarmac, only to get caught in an endless loading cycle.
-I've experienced it personally on many occasions. I'll want to send a quick text to friends or family to update them that I'm about to be unavailable for a bit. Or I'll remember last minute that I wanted to download an episode of the Netflix show I'm currently bingeing for the flight. But more times than not, I'm unable to get a stable connection.
-https://thepointsguy.com/airline/slow-connection-airport-tarmacs/
-== Exclusive: FAA Investigates If It's Safer to Leave Cellphones On ==
-G and 5G signals might help warn pilots when their GPS is being spoofed
-Mark Harris - 02 Sep 2021
-The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has been quietly funding tests with live cellphones in light aircraft cockpits as a possible counter-measure to GPS spoofing attacks, Spectrum has learned.
-The series of tests, which occurred this summer in the skies over Virginia, used commercial smartphones connecting to standard 4G and 5G wireless networks operated by AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon, according to documents filed with the Federal Communications Commissions (FCC).
-The phones were running an app developed by the Mitre Corporation's Center for Advanced Aviation Systems Development, a federally-funded research center that provides the FAA with advanced technical capabilities in systems engineering, mathematics, and computer science.
-https://spectrum.ieee.org/faa-tested-4g-5g-flights
-== Aircraft can't land safely due to interference with upcoming 5G C-band broadband service ==
-Expect flight delays and diversions, US Federal Aviation Administation warns
-Katyanna Quach Wed 8 Dec 2021 21:50 UTC
-The new 5G C-band wireless broadband service expected to rollout on 5 January 2022 in the US will disrupt local radio signals and make it difficult for airplanes to land safely in harsh weather conditions, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
-Pilots rely on radio altimeter readings to figure out when and where an aircraft should carry out a series of operations to prepare for touchdown. But the upcoming 5G C-band service beaming from cell towers threatens to interfere with these signals, the FAA warned in two reports.
-Flights may have to be delayed or restricted at certain airports as the new broadband service comes into effect next year. The change could affect some 6,834 airplanes and 1,828 helicopters. The cost to operators is expected to be $580,890.
-https://www.theregister.com/2021/12/08/aircraft_5g_interference/
-== FAA urges airlines to replace altimeters that can’t filter out 5G signals ==
-Better late than never: FCC asked aviation industry to fix problem in early 2020.
-Jon Brodkin - 5/4/2022, 9:36 AM
-The Federal Aviation Administration is reportedly urging airlines to retrofit or replace altimeters that receive transmissions from outside their allotted frequencies. The FAA is meeting Wednesday "with telecom and airline industry officials on a push to retrofit and ultimately replace some airplane radio altimeters that could face interference from C-Band 5G wireless service," Reuters reported Tuesday.
-https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2022/05/faa-urges-airlines-to-replace-altimeters-that-cant-filter-out-5g-signals/
-== FAA to airlines: 5G-sensitive radio altimeters have to go ==
-Affected jet equipment will need retrofitting and eventual replacement, agency warns
-Brandon Vigliarolo - Wed 4 May 2022 14:31 UTC
-The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) met with airline and telecom officials yesterday to present its latest solution to the instrument interference problem presented by C-band 5G: replace the affected equipment.
-A letter from the FAA's head of aviation safety, Chris Rocheleau, proposed the meeting to establish a timeline for retrofitting or replacing radar altimeters in US airliners that are affected by 5G C-band signals, Reuters reported.
-G C-band was expected to roll out in the beginning of 2022, but was put on hold until July while the FAA, airlines, and jet manufacturers seek a resolution. A number of different planes were affected, including most of the Boeing 737 family, due to their use of radio altimeters, which use radio signals to determine the plane's distance from the ground.
-https://www.theregister.com/2022/05/04/faa_5g_altimeters/
-== FAA Wants US Airlines To Retrofit, Replace Radio Altimeters ==
-Posted by BeauHD on Thursday May 05, 2022 03:00AM
-The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will meet Wednesday with telecom and airline industry officials on a push to retrofit and ultimately replace some airplane radio altimeters that could face interference from C-Band 5G wireless service. Reuters reports:
-<blockquote>The altimeters give data on a plane's height above the ground and are crucial for bad-weather landings, but airline concerns about wireless interference from a planned 5G rollout led to disruptions at some U.S. airports earlier this year. The FAA wants to use the meeting to establish "an achievable timeframe to retrofit/replace radar altimeters in the U.S. fleet," according to a previously unreported letter from the FAA's top aviation safety official Chris Rocheleau reviewed by Reuters. It also asked aviation representatives "to offer options and commit to actions necessary to meet these objectives."</blockquote>
-https://tech.slashdot.org/story/22/05/05/008229/faa-wants-us-airlines-to-retrofit-replace-radio-altimeters
-== AT&T and Verizon give FAA another year to remedy C-band 5G interference issues ==
-Airlines are retrofitting altimeters with radio frequency filters.
-Kris Holt - June 17th, 2022
-AT&T and Verizon have given the Federal Aviation Administration another year to fix altimeter issues as they look to roll out C-band 5G services around airports. “We believe we have identified a path that will continue to enable aviation and 5G C-band wireless to safely co-exist,” acting FAA administrator Billy Nolen said in a statement.
-Under a phased plan, operators of regional aircraft with radio altimeters that are most susceptible to interference are required to fit them with radio frequency filters by the end of this year. That work is underway and the FAA says it will continue on an expedited basis.
-The agency also says it worked with AT&T and Verizon to identify airports where they can bolster service with minimal risk of upending flight schedules. The FAA plans to monitor the pace of RF filter retrofits on altimeters too.
-https://www.engadget.com/faa-c-band-5g-verizon-att-airports-altimeters-183206836.html
@@ Line 691: / Line 499: @@
 https://www.theregister.com/2023/02/07/faa_notam_air_traffic/
@@ Line 711: / Line 518: @@
-==== Radios ====
+===== Trevor Jacob =====
+== A YouTuber Purposely Crashed His Plane in California, FAA Says ==
+Posted by msmash on Thursday April 21, 2022 11:07AM
+The Federal Aviation Administration has found that Trevor Jacob, a daredevil YouTuber who posted a video of himself last year parachuting out of a plane that he claimed had malfunctioned, purposely abandoned the aircraft and allowed it to crash into the Los Padres National Forest in Southern California. From a report:
+<blockquote>In a letter to Mr. Jacob on April 11, the F.A.A. said he had violated federal aviation regulations and operated his single-engine plane in a "careless or reckless manner so as to endanger the life or property of another." The agency said it would immediately revoke Mr. Jacob's private pilot certificate, effectively ending his permission to operate any aircraft. Reached by email on Wednesday, Mr. Jacob appeared unaware of the F.A.A.'s ruling and replied, "Where'd you get that information?"</blockquote>
+https://news.slashdot.org/story/22/04/21/187238/a-youtuber-purposely-crashed-his-plane-in-california-faa-says
+== Feds Say YouTuber-Pilot Intentionally Crashed Plane for Views ==
+Trevor Jacob filmed himself parachuting out of a nose-diving plane, prompting a federal investigation.
+Lauren Leffer - 21 April 2022 1:05PM
+Apparently, actions have consequences.
+The pilot, YouTuber, and former Olympic snowboarder, Trevor Jacob, who posted a 13-minute video of himself escaping a crashing plane in December 2021, no longer has a license to fly. This comes after the Federal Aviation Administration wrapped up a 3-month long investigation that uncovered some pretty insane findings.
+In an April 11 letter to Jacob, first revealed in a New York Times report on Wednesday, the FAA said evidence shows he operated the flight to purposely cause it to crash, adding evidence like, “during this flight, you opened the left side pilot door before you claimed the engine had failed.”
+https://gizmodo.com/feds-say-youtuber-pilot-intentionally-crashed-plane-for-1848823657
+== FAA revokes YouTuber's pilot license, saying he deliberately crashed his plane ==
+The "I crashed my plane" guy won't be flying again anytime soon, unless it's commercial.
+Andrew Tarantola - April 21st, 2022
+On November 21st, Trevor Jacob's single-engine airplane fell out of the sky — a harrowing experience that the YouTuber just so happened to catch on film and upload to social media. In January, aviation experts began investigating the incident (as they are wont to do in the event of most every aviation crash) and, on Thursday, the Federal Aviation Administration formally accused Jacob of staging the entire incident and intentionally crashing his 1940 Taylorcraft for online clout.
+At the time, Jacob, a former Olympic snowboarder, claimed that his plane had malfunctioned, forcing him to bail out and parachute to safely while the aircraft crashed into the Los Padres National Forest in Southern California. However, in a letter dated April 11th, the FAA informed him that he had operated his plane in a “careless or reckless manner so as to endanger the life or property of another,” a violation of aviation regulations. The FAA also revoked his pilot's license effective immediately.
+https://www.engadget.com/faa-revokes-youtube-pilot-license-he-deliberately-crashed-plane-171141320.html
+== YouTuber who staged plane crash faces up to 20 years jail: US officials ==
+Huw GRIFFITH - Thu, May 11, 2023 at 7:13 PM PDT
+A YouTuber pilot who bailed out midair and deliberately sent his plane crashing into the ground to bolster viewing numbers on his channel could be jailed for up to 20 years, US authorities said Thursday.
+In a video seen by nearly three million people and entitled "I crashed my airplane," Trevor Jacob appears to experience engine trouble while flying over southern California in November 2021.
+The dramatic footage shows Jacob, 29, ejecting from the single engine plane -- selfie-stick in hand -- and parachuting into the dense vegetation of the Los Padres National Forest.
+Cameras placed all over the aircraft show its out-of-control descent into the forest, and its eventual crash landing.
+https://news.yahoo.com/youtuber-staged-plane-crash-faces-205718964.html
+== YouTuber who crashed plane admits he did it for money and views ==
+The maximum sentence for YouTuber's admitted crimes is 20 years.
+Ashley Belanger - 5/12/2023, 12:39 PM
+A YouTuber who deliberately crashed a plane to "gain notoriety and make money" has agreed to plead guilty to obstructing a federal investigation, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) announced yesterday. In his plea agreement, California pilot Trevor Jacob admitted to "deliberately destroying" the plane wreckage and repeatedly lying to officials.
+The crimes of destruction and concealment with intent to impede a federal investigation carry a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment and a potential fine of up to $250,000. The Los Angeles district court may impose a lesser sentence due to the plea deal, though.
+Jacob is scheduled to appear in court in the coming weeks, the DOJ reported. A DOJ public information officer, Ciaran McEvoy, told Ars that Jacob has not yet pleaded guilty. After an initial court appearance—essentially a bond hearing—a change of plea hearing will be scheduled. If Jacob pleads guilty at that hearing, a federal judge will schedule a sentencing hearing several months later. From there, Jacob would meet with the US Probation Office, which will draft a confidential pre-sentencing report recommending the sentence that the office thinks he deserves. Jacob and the prosecutors can either agree or disagree with that sentencing report, and then, ultimately, a judge will determine what sentence is imposed.
+https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/05/youtuber-who-crashed-plane-admits-he-did-it-for-money-and-views/
+== YouTuber Pleads Guilty to Intentionally Crashing an Airplane ==
+Trevor Jacob faces up to 20 years in prison for an intentional plane crash and dismembering and hiding the aircraft's wreckage.
+Nikki Main - 12 May 2023
+A YouTube pilot has pleaded guilty to intentionally crashing an airplane and intent to obstruct a federal investigation. Trevor Daniel Jacob, 29, of Lompoc, California ejected himself from an airplane he was flying in November 2021, claiming there was no safe place to land, while the plane crashed somewhere near the Los Padres National Forest.
+Jacob installed numerous cameras on the plane before takeoff, according to a DOJ press release, and had equipped himself with a parachute and selfie stick, all of which captured Jacob ejecting himself from the plane and parachuting to the ground. He uploaded the 12-minute video to YouTube which has 3.1 million views at the time of writing. The video shows Jacob taking off before claiming the plane was malfunctioning 35 minutes later when he parachutes out of the plane and the video shows it crashing into the side of a mountain. Jacob records himself hiking through the park and complaining of exhaustion before being picked up by local farmers.
+https://gizmodo.com/youtube-trevor-jacob-airplane-crash-1850431856
+====== Regulation ======
+===== Space Regulation =====
+==== SpaceX ====
+== Citing slow Starship reviews, SpaceX urges FAA to double licensing staff ==
+“Licensing at this point for Starship is a critical path item for the Artemis program."
+Eric Berger - 10/17/2023, 7:09 AM
+In a remarkably frank discussion this week, several senior SpaceX officials spoke with Ars Technica on background about how working with the Federal Aviation Administration has slowed down the company's progress not just on development of the Starship program, but on innovations with the Falcon 9 and Dragon programs as well.
+The SpaceX officials said they want to be clear that the FAA is doing a reasonably good job with the resources it has, and that everyone supports the mission of safe spaceflight. However, they said, the FAA needs significantly more people working in its licensing department and should be encouraged to prioritize missions of national importance.
+In recent months, according to SpaceX, its programs have had to compete with one another for reviews at the FAA. This has significantly slowed down the Starship program and put development of a Human Landing System for NASA's Artemis program at risk. Inefficient regulation, the officials said, is decreasing American competitiveness as space programs in China and elsewhere around the world rise.
+https://arstechnica.com/space/2023/10/citing-slow-starship-reviews-spacex-urges-faa-to-double-licensing-staff/
+====== Technology ======
+===== Obsolete / Windows 95 =====
+== US air traffic control still runs on Windows 95 and floppy disks ==
+Agency seeks contractors to modernize decades-old systems within four years.
+Benj Edwards – Jun 9, 2025 8:36 AM
+On Wednesday, acting FAA Administrator Chris Rocheleau told the House Appropriations Committee that the Federal Aviation Administration plans to replace its aging air traffic control systems, which still rely on floppy disks and Windows 95 computers, Tom's Hardware reports. The agency has issued a Request For Information to gather proposals from companies willing to tackle the massive infrastructure overhaul.
+"The whole idea is to replace the system. No more floppy disks or paper strips," Rocheleau said during the committee hearing. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy called the project "the most important infrastructure project that we've had in this country for decades," describing it as a bipartisan priority.
+Most air traffic control towers and facilities across the US currently operate with technology that seems frozen in the 20th century, although that isn't necessarily a bad thing—when it works. Some controllers currently use paper strips to track aircraft movements and transfer data between systems using floppy disks, while their computers run Microsoft's Windows 95 operating system, which launched in 1995.
+https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2025/06/faa-to-retire-floppy-disks-and-windows-95-amid-air-traffic-control-overhaul/
+== Floppy disks and paper strips lurk behind US air traffic control ==
+Not to worry nervous flyers, FAA vows to banish archaic systems... in a few years
+Richard Speed - Mon 9 Jun 2025 12:43 UTC
+The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has confirmed that the US air traffic control system still runs on somewhat antiquated bits of technology, including floppy disks and paper strips.
+This came during last week's Budget Hearing for the US House Appropriation Committee, in which the current FAA boss, Chris Rocheleau, explained to the committee that a new system would mean "no more floppy disks or paper strips."
+Asked by Congressman Mike Quigley how the FAA plans to make up for the "12 percent of aeronautical information specialists" – who update charts, maps and key data – that had either left the FAA or were planning to leave, Rocheleau said "first and foremost we're assessing how we're doing that and what what can we do better – so for instance going from a paperbased process to an electronic based process, that's one of them."
+A few staffers should probably expect their job descriptions to enlarge, it seems. Rocheleau said the FAA would keep hiring for critical safety positions but would also be "leveraging the talent that we do have that is staying and making sure that they can both do the critical safety functions as well as those support functions."
+Asked by Kentucky representative Hal Rogers whether the FAA planned to "build a new system separate and apart from the present system" where it would simply switch the one system to "on and the other one to off," Rocheleau described the transition as "a little more complicated than that" while committee chair Tom Cole quipped "They'll be doing it while you're in the air, Mr Rogers."
+https://www.theregister.com/2025/06/09/floppy_disks_and_paper_strips/
+== FAA To Eliminate Floppy Disks Used In Air Traffic Control Systems ==
+Posted by BeauHD on Monday June 09, 2025 08:30PM
+An anonymous reader quotes a report from Tom's Hardware:
+<blockquote>
+The head of the Federal Aviation Administration just outlined an ambitious goal to upgrade the U.S.'s air traffic control (ATC) system and bring it into the 21st century. According to NPR, most ATC towers and other facilities today feel like they're stuck in the 20th century, with controllers using paper strips and floppy disks to transfer data, while their computers run Windows 95. While this likely saved them from the disastrous CrowdStrike outage that had a massive global impact, their age is a major risk to the nation's critical infrastructure, with the FAA itself saying that the current state of its hardware is unsustainable.
+"The whole idea is to replace the system. No more floppy disks or paper strips," acting FAA administrator Chris Rocheleau told the House Appropriations Committee last Wednesday. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy also said earlier this week," This is the most important infrastructure project that we've had in this country for decades. Everyone agrees -- this is non-partisan. Everyone knows we have to do it." The aviation industry put up a coalition pushing for ATC modernization called Modern Skies, and it even ran an ad telling us that ATC is still using floppy disks and several older technologies to keep our skies safe. [...]
+Currently, the White House hasn't said what this update will cost. The FAA has already put out a Request For Information to gather data from companies willing to take on the challenge of upgrading the entire system. It also announced several 'Industry Days' so companies can pitch their tech and ideas to the Transportation Department. Duffy said that the Transportation Department aims to complete the project within four years. However, industry experts say this timeline is unrealistic. No matter how long it takes, it's high time that the FAA upgrades the U.S.'s ATC system today after decades of neglect.
+</blockquote>
+https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/25/06/09/2249232/faa-to-eliminate-floppy-disks-used-in-air-traffic-control-systems
+===== Cellular =====
+== Why you can never get any cell service on the tarmac ==
+Dec. 08, 2019 - Madison Blancaflor
+While just about everyone knows to turn their cellphone off or on airplane mode once the plane takes off, there's no rule against using it while your plane is on the ground. But we've probably all faced the struggle of trying to use our phones on the airport tarmac, only to get caught in an endless loading cycle.
+I've experienced it personally on many occasions. I'll want to send a quick text to friends or family to update them that I'm about to be unavailable for a bit. Or I'll remember last minute that I wanted to download an episode of the Netflix show I'm currently bingeing for the flight. But more times than not, I'm unable to get a stable connection.
+https://thepointsguy.com/airline/slow-connection-airport-tarmacs/
+== Exclusive: FAA Investigates If It's Safer to Leave Cellphones On ==
+G and 5G signals might help warn pilots when their GPS is being spoofed
+Mark Harris - 02 Sep 2021
+The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has been quietly funding tests with live cellphones in light aircraft cockpits as a possible counter-measure to GPS spoofing attacks, Spectrum has learned.
+The series of tests, which occurred this summer in the skies over Virginia, used commercial smartphones connecting to standard 4G and 5G wireless networks operated by AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon, according to documents filed with the Federal Communications Commissions (FCC).
+The phones were running an app developed by the Mitre Corporation's Center for Advanced Aviation Systems Development, a federally-funded research center that provides the FAA with advanced technical capabilities in systems engineering, mathematics, and computer science.
+https://spectrum.ieee.org/faa-tested-4g-5g-flights
+== Aircraft can't land safely due to interference with upcoming 5G C-band broadband service ==
+Expect flight delays and diversions, US Federal Aviation Administation warns
+Katyanna Quach Wed 8 Dec 2021 21:50 UTC
+The new 5G C-band wireless broadband service expected to rollout on 5 January 2022 in the US will disrupt local radio signals and make it difficult for airplanes to land safely in harsh weather conditions, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
+Pilots rely on radio altimeter readings to figure out when and where an aircraft should carry out a series of operations to prepare for touchdown. But the upcoming 5G C-band service beaming from cell towers threatens to interfere with these signals, the FAA warned in two reports.
+Flights may have to be delayed or restricted at certain airports as the new broadband service comes into effect next year. The change could affect some 6,834 airplanes and 1,828 helicopters. The cost to operators is expected to be $580,890.
+https://www.theregister.com/2021/12/08/aircraft_5g_interference/
+== FAA urges airlines to replace altimeters that can’t filter out 5G signals ==
+Better late than never: FCC asked aviation industry to fix problem in early 2020.
+Jon Brodkin - 5/4/2022, 9:36 AM
+The Federal Aviation Administration is reportedly urging airlines to retrofit or replace altimeters that receive transmissions from outside their allotted frequencies. The FAA is meeting Wednesday "with telecom and airline industry officials on a push to retrofit and ultimately replace some airplane radio altimeters that could face interference from C-Band 5G wireless service," Reuters reported Tuesday.
+https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2022/05/faa-urges-airlines-to-replace-altimeters-that-cant-filter-out-5g-signals/
+== FAA to airlines: 5G-sensitive radio altimeters have to go ==
+Affected jet equipment will need retrofitting and eventual replacement, agency warns
+Brandon Vigliarolo - Wed 4 May 2022 14:31 UTC
+The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) met with airline and telecom officials yesterday to present its latest solution to the instrument interference problem presented by C-band 5G: replace the affected equipment.
+A letter from the FAA's head of aviation safety, Chris Rocheleau, proposed the meeting to establish a timeline for retrofitting or replacing radar altimeters in US airliners that are affected by 5G C-band signals, Reuters reported.
+G C-band was expected to roll out in the beginning of 2022, but was put on hold until July while the FAA, airlines, and jet manufacturers seek a resolution. A number of different planes were affected, including most of the Boeing 737 family, due to their use of radio altimeters, which use radio signals to determine the plane's distance from the ground.
+https://www.theregister.com/2022/05/04/faa_5g_altimeters/
+== FAA Wants US Airlines To Retrofit, Replace Radio Altimeters ==
+Posted by BeauHD on Thursday May 05, 2022 03:00AM
+The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will meet Wednesday with telecom and airline industry officials on a push to retrofit and ultimately replace some airplane radio altimeters that could face interference from C-Band 5G wireless service. Reuters reports:
+<blockquote>The altimeters give data on a plane's height above the ground and are crucial for bad-weather landings, but airline concerns about wireless interference from a planned 5G rollout led to disruptions at some U.S. airports earlier this year. The FAA wants to use the meeting to establish "an achievable timeframe to retrofit/replace radar altimeters in the U.S. fleet," according to a previously unreported letter from the FAA's top aviation safety official Chris Rocheleau reviewed by Reuters. It also asked aviation representatives "to offer options and commit to actions necessary to meet these objectives."</blockquote>
+https://tech.slashdot.org/story/22/05/05/008229/faa-wants-us-airlines-to-retrofit-replace-radio-altimeters
+== AT&T and Verizon give FAA another year to remedy C-band 5G interference issues ==
+Airlines are retrofitting altimeters with radio frequency filters.
+Kris Holt - June 17th, 2022
+AT&T and Verizon have given the Federal Aviation Administration another year to fix altimeter issues as they look to roll out C-band 5G services around airports. “We believe we have identified a path that will continue to enable aviation and 5G C-band wireless to safely co-exist,” acting FAA administrator Billy Nolen said in a statement.
+Under a phased plan, operators of regional aircraft with radio altimeters that are most susceptible to interference are required to fit them with radio frequency filters by the end of this year. That work is underway and the FAA says it will continue on an expedited basis.
+The agency also says it worked with AT&T and Verizon to identify airports where they can bolster service with minimal risk of upending flight schedules. The FAA plans to monitor the pace of RF filter retrofits on altimeters too.
+https://www.engadget.com/faa-c-band-5g-verizon-att-airports-altimeters-183206836.html
+===== Radios =====
 == Airlines’ faulty altimeters spur FCC plan to regulate wireless receivers ==