“US helicopter fleets nationwide might be grounded next week when 5G towers are switched on.”

By B.N. Frank

American opposition to 5G technology has been ongoing for years due to various significant risks associated with it including aviation safety risks. In December 2021, AT&T and Verizon agreed to delay expansion until January 5 due to warnings (see 1, 2). Airlines, the Federal Aviation Association (FAA), and transportation secretary, Pete Buttigieg asked for more time. The telecoms originally rejected their request but then agreed to delay the rollout until January 19 and also create 5G “buffer zones” at some (but not all) airports. That still may not be enough for helicopter operators though.

From Zero Hedge:

Helicopter Operations May Be Affected By Nationwide 5G Rollout

by Tyler Durden

The upcoming AT&T and Verizon 5G rollout create significant headaches for the US aviation community. The latest comes from the Helicopter Association International (HAI) revealed Thursday that US helicopter fleets nationwide might be grounded next week when 5G towers are switched on.

On Dec. 19, AT&T and Verizon plan to turn on their 5G towers as concerns over air safety have delayed the debut of the super-fast cellular network, originally scheduled to launch in early December.

HAI’s statement read, “transmission from these towers have been demonstrated to interfere with radar altimeters, widely used in helicopters and other aircraft to measure altitude.”

Over 1,450 Notices to Air Missions (NOTAMs) were issued by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) across the country next week around 5G towers that AT&T and Verizon will activate. This means that areas around the towers will be considered “hazards” and unsafe for helicopters to operate and may affect “a significant portion of commercial, law enforcement, and other helicopter operations,” HAI said.

The heart of the problem lies in the aircraft’s radar altimeter uses frequencies close to C-band. 5G towers also use C-band radio spectrum frequencies that have the potential to disrupt radar altimeters, an important device on a helicopter or airplane that informs the pilot of the aircraft’s height above ground.

The FAA is mitigating these disruptions by placing 5G buffer zones around major airports so that radar altimeter disruptions do not impact commercial flights.

Meanwhile, Comcast announced the world’s first 10G technology for its network that could dramatically increase upload and download capacity in the coming years.

Aircraft manufacturers better figure out how to make radar altimeters that don’t interfere with 5G, or some severe aviation disasters could be ahead.

Other significant risks associated with 5G include

Cybersecurity risks (see 1, 2, 3, 4)
Environmental risks (see 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
Health risks (see 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
Privacy risks (see 1, 2, 3)
Weather forecasting satellite interference risks
Utility infrastructure interference risks

Studies have also determined that 4G is still better, more reliable, and safer than 5G (see 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7).

Opposition and warnings have slowed and/or stopped 5Gdeployment in some places but not others. Since 2017 doctors and scientists have asked for moratoriums on Earth and in space (see 1, 2) and the majority of scientists oppose deployment. Since 2018 there have been reports of people and animals experiencing symptoms and illnesses after 5G was activated (see 1. 2, 3, 4). Some blame the COVID Crisis on 5G deployment while others do not. Regardless, there are health risks associated with 5G exposure as well as exposure to 4G and other sources of wireless Wi-Fi radiation (see 1, 2) and Electromagnetic Fields (aka “Electrosmog”).