Helicopter Industry Group Urges FAA To Use Caution With 5G NPRM

New federal rulemaking taking aim at potential 5G interference of helicopter radio altimeters should balance safety and operations, according to Helicopter Association International.

Meg Godlewski

Tuesday, April 18, 2023 at 11:51 AM ET

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The FAA's airworthiness directive is for all helicopters equipped with a radar altimeter due to the potential for 5G C-band interference. [Credit: Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

The FAA has proposed a new rule (NPRM) for helicopters to address potential 5G C-band interference with radio altimeters, requiring operators to either retrofit equipment to meet an interference threshold or face flight restrictions across the contiguous U.S.
Helicopter Association International (HAI) is reviewing the NPRM, emphasizing the need to balance aviation safety with the operational and financial impact on essential helicopter services like law enforcement and national security.
This proposed airworthiness directive targets approximately 1,100 U.S. helicopters, necessitating flight manual revisions by June 30, 2023, due to the ongoing deployment of 5G C-band base stations.

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Any new rule targeting potential 5-G C-band transmission interference with radio altimeters in helicopters needs to balance safety with operational impact, according to Helicopter Association International (HAI).

HAI’s comments come days after the FAA issued a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) regarding the impact of 5G C-band transmissions on helicopters equipped with radio altimeters, which are also sometimes called radar altimeters.