Aviation Regulation
Refusing to Answer the Call
The aviation industry might then have the good grace to hang its head in shame. Passengers on aircraft will be able to talk to the ground, use the internet to look at news and . . . weather. Meanwhile, in the front of the aircraft, the pilots will rely on forecasts several hours old and then try to decipher instructions sent to them by controllers on VHF radios. ‘Safety’ says the aviation industry smugly. Aviation has special spectrum protected by being in the ‘safety of life’ bands. Because knowing what is going on, having up-to-date and accurate weather information and being able to communicate simply is clearly not safe. . . . So, at the front of the plane, the really important part of the aircraft, we carry on as if it is 1950, because we don’t want competition or innovation.”
—Andrew Charlton, “Aviation Regulation: Refusing to Answer the Call?” Aviation Intelligence Reporter, September 2012