Evening star., 1960-12-27
Study Doubts y
Radios Effect
0nNavigation
By CHARLES YARBROUGH
star stan writer

star STAN MrlteS
Government research Is ex+
pected to provide only ."ins
significant" proof that opera
tion Of small, personal radios
aboard airliners affects the
planes navigation instruments.
1t was learned today.
Possible use Of q passengers
transiStor radio aboard the
|DC-6 Jetliner has been one Of
the scores Of theories advanced
In investigation Of the Brook
lyn collision and crash Of two
commercial planes Decem-
ber 16.
As yet, there has been no
positive Identification Of any
passenger radio in the jumbled
wreckage. However, over the
week end, investigators found
two badly damaged devices
which could possibly be tran
sistor sets.
Study Under Way
The Federal Aviation Agency,
for the past several months,
has had o study under way ut
its National Aviation Facilities
Experimental Center In At
lantic City on any interference
o passengers radio might
create.
A spokesman said today he
expects ito 11nd insignificant
effect"
Yet there is q wide difference
OF opinion, even among the
experts. Veteran pilots say
they have experienced fiuctua-
tionS Of navigation instruments
ranging up to 20 degrees error
and attribute IL to signals
emitted from passenger radio
sets.
A number Of airlines have
issued literature asking pas
sengers not to operate their
radios while aboard aircraft.
Washington based Capital Air.
lines has asked that hoStesses,
on noting an operating radio
among passengers, request that
the set be turned on or report
its operation to the pilot.
Interference Doubted
The Air Transport Associa.
ton made q recommendation
to the FAA almost two year.
ago for q precautionary" rul.
ing prohibiting operation o.
passenger radios until somC
determination could be made
to determine their effect.
There is another study undel
way by q special committee o.
the Radio Technical Commits.
sion for AeronauticS, q volun.
tary group Of Government.
industry experts. But the com.
mittee is awaiting results o.
the FAA study.
Federal Aviation Administra.
tor Elwood r. Quesada says III
has never been definitely estab.
lished" that operation Of 9
radio receiver in the passenger
cabin could have effect or
navigation instruments, and thu
predominance Of opinion is thai
1t does not" $50
An FAA pilot whose basic
assignment is to fiight-checI
the ground navigation aids say.
'in my opinion there is very
little effect"
Enere was one make a1t
one model (of o personal radiol
about flve years ago that causeC
q little disturbance. but there
is none now that I know Of
he added.
Airline Pilot Disagrees
Yet Q veteran airline pilot
reports we've had q little ex.
perience with 1t and have beer
quite suspicious Of" interference
caused by passenger radios.
1t was pointed out by thu
Technical Commission that thu
possibility Of interference ap.
pleiS to tranSiStorS as well q!
vacuum tube-type personal sets
Basically, q tranSistor and {
tube perform the same function
The data sought in the FAA
study is how much tolerance
the aircraft navigation instru.
ments have to signals ema.
mating from q receiver in thu
passenger compartment.
Thoughts have even beer
given to possibility Of inter.