Originally published at: Fix Found For Starlink Static - AVweb
Satellite internet was interfering with the flight deck radios.
No. This wasn’t a glitch. It was radio interference affecting primary flight comms. That’s not minor, it’s a direct threat to situational awareness and safety, especially in congested airspace. The fact that Starlink’s system interfered with VHF radios means something went wrong in either design, shielding, installation, or certification. These systems are required to meet DO-160 EMI standards. If it passed certification but still caused cockpit interference, that suggests a serious disconnect between lab testing and operational reality.
Press statements calling it a “common” issue with new Wi-Fi systems miss the point. The fix matters, but so does knowing how this got missed.
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“If it passed certification but still caused cockpit interference, that suggests a serious disconnect between lab testing and operational reality.”
Maybe. It is entirely possible that it met all emissions standards but a low-level spurious signal that is within specs fell on a comm channel and was detected by the pilots. Yes, it would be good to fix that but also, it may be that it is a special case that requires special shielding and/or filtering.
For what it is worth, I operate a Starlink system in my personal aircraft full time. I have never detected any interference with anything. Yes, that is anecdotal but it suggests that maybe the problem is not significant.
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Anything connected with Musk is suspicious!
Musk and Starlink are beside the problem. Raf is correct. Assuming the article is accurate the problem is the engineer team failed miserably, along with the FAA when systems interference is a required analysis on this category of aircraft alteration.
Part of what my organization does is flight testing as part of our R&D efforts. We run into the disconnect between lab and flight all the time because it’s difficult to replicate everything on the ground. If there was a deficiency, it was not enough flight testing before going operational. And if it’s some aircraft but not all aircraft, then maybe those aircraft aren’t meeting specs elsewhere.
It would be interesting to know if they conducted actual flight testing with a full load of “passengers” on board using the system.
My tounge-and-cheek response to get the curmudgeons blood boiling: To avoid paying $5 and avoid clicking “I agree” when connect to the airliners unreliable wifi systems, could one bring their own Starlink Mini and stick it to the window? Not saying to do that or if it would work, but is there a regulation that prevents that? Is it the same regulation that mandates everyone use “airplane mode” on their phones wink-wink? If it interferes with cockpit comms that is a serious thing and nobody wants to crash and die on their way to vacation in Florida. But I have never heard of a cell phone or ipad crashing an airliner. As I understand it, an “unapproved electronic device” is banned until / unless the FAA or operator can show that the device does not interfere with communications or navigation functions. Weird that Elon’s creation is causing so much static at this time …
Definitely not acceptable if a transmitter, which a SATCOM device like Starlink has to be. Passive receiver like GPS is different.