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

Verified

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) to address potential 5G C-band interference with radio altimeters in approximately 1,100 U.S. helicopters, which are crucial for low-visibility operations.
The NPRM offers helicopter operators a choice: retrofit their altimeters to meet an interference tolerance threshold to avoid flight restrictions, or continue operations with new restrictions across the contiguous U.S.
The Helicopter Association International (HAI) supports aviation safety but emphasizes the need for any new rule to balance effectiveness with reasonable operational and financial impacts on the vital helicopter industry.
This proposed directive requires rotorcraft flight manual revisions by June 30, 2023, and supersedes an earlier AD, following previous voluntary 5G tower mitigations by wireless companies.

See a mistake? Contact us.

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.