Avionics
Cellphones may soon be approved for in-flight use
Passengers flying on the company jet may soon be allowed to use their personal cellphones to make and receive calls.

AirCell reports it is in th

Passengers flying on the company jet may soon be allowed to use their personal cellphones to make and receive calls.

AirCell reports it is in the midst of developing airborne hardware that would essentially turn the aircraft into a flying cellular relay tower, letting anyone inside place calls using a regular analog-based cellphone. A small onboard receiver/translator would pick up the cellphone’s signals and transmit them to cellular ground stations without disrupting calls below. Testing of the concept is scheduled to start next year, with a launch perhaps coming as early as next fall.