From doing research on this topic earlier this year, I came across news

see: http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,41177,00.html there are several reasons why cell phones aren't allowed to be used on planes, the above citation provides explanations. Irwin -----Original Message----- From: Leigh Anne Chisholm [mailto:lachisho@tnc.com] Sent: Thursday, June 27, 2002 4:54 PM To: Scott Weeks; nanog@merit.edu Subject: RE: How do I log on while in flight? The FCC prohibits communication using a cellular telephone while in an aircraft in US airspace. In Canada, I don't believe there is such a regulation. articles that say that several aircraft manufacturers have tested the use of cellular telephones on aircraft systems and found no effects whatsoever. So why the FCC ruling? Likely it's because of the design of the cellular network - which from what I understand, is far more dense in the US than it is in Canada (which might be why the CRTC doesn't have such a prohibition). The problem is what happens when a cellular device is based above the cellular system antennae - there is an ability to connect to multiple systems simultaneously, and that's something the system wasn't designed to see happen. Additionally, there's the hand-off factor, of the negotiation process of what happens when you leave the range of one cellular tower and enter the range of another. In an aircraft, that happens at a rate greater than would be if the cellular phone were used in a car - so again, there's a problem there. The Airphone system found on commercial aircraft was designed to overcome these limitations - which is why they CAN be used onboard commercial aircraft systems. So, besides it being illegal, you run the risk of taking down your service provider's cellular network - and from what I've heard, this doesn't make them very happy. In summary - don't do it. -- Leigh Anne Chisholm Network Engineer Applied Design Networks

-----Original Message----- From: owner-nanog@merit.edu [mailto:owner-nanog@merit.edu]On Behalf Of Scott Weeks Sent: Thursday, June 27, 2002 2:11 PM To: nanog@merit.edu Subject: How do I log on while in flight?

I was wondering if any of y'all could give me pointers to services I could use to log into a network during flight on a private airplane. For example a person is in flight cross-country and needs to do a videoconference, send email from his network to interested parties, or any of the normal things we do from the ground. Is this possible or would it interfere with the plane's other systems?

scott