[crikli]

I'm a licensed (technically "certificated") private pilot and this is article is bullocks.

Aviation, both general and commercial, relies increasingly on GPS integrated avionics to navigate the rigidly defined airspace that instrument rated pilots refer to as "the system."

GPS has become so prevalent that the decades old method of navigation using VOR (VHF omnidirectional frequency) radials is going the way of that which came before it, ADF ("Automatic" Direction Finder).

Even the smelly old 1965 Piper Cherokee I fly sometimes has a Garmin GPS unit in it. The guy that taught me to fly has a 1947 Cessna 140 with a GPS unit. It's become ubiquitous in general aviation and is a de-facto requirement in commercial aviation.

GPS isn't going anywhere because it's too crucial to one of the major facets of the national transportation system.

[marshray]

Perhaps you can explain why the FCC is granting this license/waiver even in the face of vehement opposition from a broad collection of GPS manufacturers and aviation groups?

http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/ib/forms/report...

[crikli]

The opposition was vehement, yes, but limited to strongly worded letters from (mostly) small general aviation companies. No Boeings, no American Airlines, no 'big guns' with be-suited lawyers to make the FCC wake up and smell the jet fuel.

Wait until a couple airliners go missed on RNAV GPS approaches in low IFR conditions (visibility < 1 mile or cloud ceilings at less than 500 feet). The airlines will raise hell, the FAA will get involved and that'll be all she wrote.

[marshray]

I think this company is a customer of Boeing's. Boeing builds their satellites.

As for the airlines, they are so heavily regulated that they might think twice about filing official comments on stuff like this without permission. No doubt FAA and FCC are talking about this even if it's not official. Their offices are only a few blocks away.

[X-Istence]

What about this article is bullocks? Would you please elaborate on it? The only thing for aviation is:

"The results are even worse for the aviation GPS. The FAA has essentially discontinued support for the old LORAN electronic navigation system in favor of GPS, and now LightSquared has proposed a system that essentially disables GPS in exactly the areas aviation needs it most."

The author is agreeing with you in that it would be a disaster for both commercial and non-commercial.

Was the article modified since you posted your comment?

[crikli]

I scanned the article, rushed to judgement about the context, and totally missed that part.

Basically I was that guy on the internet I complain about.