Progression in the development of both aircraft and their systems have made it so that in many cases pilots manage the systems more than they handle the airplane. However, old-fashioned piloting skills remain as essential as ever since such systems can be affected by interference from outside sources such as the sun–a vulnerability that might rear its head quite soon. Every 11 years the
sun emits solar flares that can disrupt long-range communications and cause aircraft navaids to fail, and particularly those that depend on satellite navigation system. Such flares create difficulties in planning and operation, and the next expected flare–in 2013–will be particularly difficult because it will coincide with an enhanced magnetic cycle, according to Dr. Richard Fisher, director of NASA’s Heliophysics division.
In Europe the Technical and Air Safety Committee of the London-based Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators has issued a warning that space scientists say that solar storms are impending and will cause problems for satellite-dependent systems such as GPS and ADS-B.
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