Does GPS work onboard aircraft (civil)?

kjm · April 21, 2002, 07:25 PM

Just out of curiosity, will a GPS reciever work on an airliner? Does the metal skin interfere with its ability to track satelite signals?

psssniper · April 21, 2002, 07:30 PM

worked for me

Christopher II · April 22, 2002, 09:31 AM

Yup, and nope. My Dad's Garmin GPSIII works great on airplanes. Some commercial pilots buy handheld GPS units to back up the equipment on the aircraft.

- Chris

Sierra · April 22, 2002, 04:47 PM

My Garmin 12XL and E-map both work just fine on commercial aircraft. Its slick reading the airspeed and direction off the data page along with the estimated time of arrival.

prescott · April 22, 2002, 09:59 PM

The greater the altitude of the receiver the more satellites it can track due to less obstructions including the horizon. The greater number of satellites being tracked as well as increased signal stregnth due to lack ground clutter will increase the reception exponentially. This explains why the receiver works better in an aluminium aicraft than it does in the aluminium tool shed in your back yard.

Foxy · May 5, 2002, 05:00 PM

I was recently on a Southwest flight; one of the forbidden electronic devices on an airplane (along with cell phones and radios) was a GPS receiver.

Coronach · May 5, 2002, 08:50 PM

query: forbidden to have turned on during certain portions of the flight, or forbidden period? I haven't had a reason to fly since 9/11, but that will be changing shortly.

Mike

Foxy · May 6, 2002, 12:34 AM

It was classified with cell phones and other such devices - you can bring them on but they must be turned off during the duration of the flight (according to the safety manual in the seat pocket). Before the plane pulls away from the gate and after it arrives at the new gate they are ok to have on.

Coronach · May 6, 2002, 06:27 PM

gotcha.

Thanks,
Mike

Westicle · May 9, 2002, 04:27 AM

The Reason that GPS is not allowed on civil flights like all cell phones is the possibility of electrical interference (sp?) with the flight insturments and Electronics.......

I have used mine in Both Helicopters and Fixed Wing Light Planes and it works great, Garmin 12xl

STLRN · May 9, 2002, 05:14 AM

I have used my civilian GPS and issue GPS (PLGR) in the back of Marine helicopters on numerous occasions, the accuracy goes down when you go inside the bird, because the skin of the aircraft can block the signal and cause multipath errors, if used in aircraft it is recommended you use the external antenna if you don't have a LOS of the sky through say a canopy.

April 21, 2002, 07:25 PM	#1
kjm Senior Member Join Date: December 24, 1999 Location: College Station, Texas Posts: 1,871	Does GPS work onboard aircraft (civil)? Just out of curiosity, will a GPS reciever work on an airliner? Does the metal skin interfere with its ability to track satelite signals? __________________ COME AND TAKE IT!!!

April 22, 2002, 09:31 AM	#3
Christopher II Senior Member Join Date: November 22, 1999 Location: Germantown, MD Posts: 2,349	Yup, and nope. My Dad's Garmin GPSIII works great on airplanes. Some commercial pilots buy handheld GPS units to back up the equipment on the aircraft. - Chris __________________ "There is no worse tyranny than to force a man to pay for what he does not want merely because you think it would be good for him." – Robert Heinlein "Contrary to popular belief, your vote does not matter, and you cannot make a difference." - Bob Murphy, "Picking Neither of Two Evils" My PGP Public Key

May 5, 2002, 08:50 PM	#7
Coronach Senior Member Join Date: March 25, 1999 Posts: 3,147	query: forbidden to have turned on during certain portions of the flight, or forbidden period? I haven't had a reason to fly since 9/11, but that will be changing shortly. Mike __________________ The axe bites into the door, ripping a hole in one panel. The maniac puts his face into the hole, cackling gleefully, "Here's Johnny...erk." "And here's Smith and Wesson," murmurs Coronach, Mozambiquing six rounds of .357 into the critter at a range of three feet. -Lawdog "True pacifism is the finest form of manliness. But if a man comes up to you and cuts your hand off, you don't just offer him the other one. Not if you want to go on playing the piano, you don't." -Sam Peckinpah "A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects." -Robert Heinlein

May 6, 2002, 06:27 PM	#9
Coronach Senior Member Join Date: March 25, 1999 Posts: 3,147	gotcha. Thanks, Mike __________________ The axe bites into the door, ripping a hole in one panel. The maniac puts his face into the hole, cackling gleefully, "Here's Johnny...erk." "And here's Smith and Wesson," murmurs Coronach, Mozambiquing six rounds of .357 into the critter at a range of three feet. -Lawdog "True pacifism is the finest form of manliness. But if a man comes up to you and cuts your hand off, you don't just offer him the other one. Not if you want to go on playing the piano, you don't." -Sam Peckinpah "A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects." -Robert Heinlein

May 9, 2002, 04:27 AM	#10
Westicle Senior Member Join Date: June 14, 2000 Location: Fort St. John / BC / CANADA Posts: 174	The Reason that GPS is not allowed on civil flights like all cell phones is the possibility of electrical interference (sp?) with the flight insturments and Electronics....... I have used mine in Both Helicopters and Fixed Wing Light Planes and it works great, Garmin 12xl __________________ *PROUD TO BE CANADIAN*

April 21, 2002, 07:30 PM	#2
psssniper Senior Member Join Date: October 9, 2001 Posts: 186	worked for me

April 22, 2002, 04:47 PM	#4
Sierra Senior Member Join Date: November 29, 1998 Location: Portland,OR,USA Posts: 335	My Garmin 12XL and E-map both work just fine on commercial aircraft. Its slick reading the airspeed and direction off the data page along with the estimated time of arrival.

April 22, 2002, 09:59 PM	#5
prescott Member Join Date: February 15, 2002 Location: Columbia, SC Posts: 59	The greater the altitude of the receiver the more satellites it can track due to less obstructions including the horizon. The greater number of satellites being tracked as well as increased signal stregnth due to lack ground clutter will increase the reception exponentially. This explains why the receiver works better in an aluminium aicraft than it does in the aluminium tool shed in your back yard.

May 5, 2002, 05:00 PM	#6
Foxy Senior Member Join Date: September 14, 2001 Location: Maryland Posts: 846	I was recently on a Southwest flight; one of the forbidden electronic devices on an airplane (along with cell phones and radios) was a GPS receiver.

May 6, 2002, 12:34 AM	#8
Foxy Senior Member Join Date: September 14, 2001 Location: Maryland Posts: 846	It was classified with cell phones and other such devices - you can bring them on but they must be turned off during the duration of the flight (according to the safety manual in the seat pocket). Before the plane pulls away from the gate and after it arrives at the new gate they are ok to have on.

May 9, 2002, 05:14 AM	#11
STLRN Senior Member Join Date: October 28, 1999 Location: USA Posts: 1,163	I have used my civilian GPS and issue GPS (PLGR) in the back of Marine helicopters on numerous occasions, the accuracy goes down when you go inside the bird, because the skin of the aircraft can block the signal and cause multipath errors, if used in aircraft it is recommended you use the external antenna if you don't have a LOS of the sky through say a canopy. __________________ God truly fights on the side with the best artillery