Re: ADF and GPS equip %

I disagree. I think Galileo will work fine, and will find good application in
aviation, both commercial and private. Part of me understands the "we don't
want to depend on a system the US can switch off" argument. But the European
solution is no better - The public will have to pay the fees to develop the
system, and the users will have to pay usage fees, and the benefits will be
distributed in the form of massive, windfall profits to companies like
Alcatel, to add the the massive, windfall profits they are already receiving
from other public works type projects.It seems to be written into the
European constitutions that any public project must involve huge profits to
one or several of a small constellation of companies, with strong government
ties and who are always in court for allegations of illegal campaign
contributions. The fact that something so useful could just be free and
available seems to rub them the wrong way. Also the police will want their
hands in the mix, so they can better track peoples' movements.

Worst of all, GA in Europe is already 20 years behind the US in technology,
(I love the mouse-in-the-tailwheel anecdote)and this will add another 10. As
for receiving equipment, I'm hoping they allow Garmin, King etc, who know
what they're doing, to sell boxes that work - because if they start to get
protectionist about that end of it, as they often do, then ther'll be more
years to wait while Alcatel develops their own box, during which period any
airplane with a GPS receiver in it may be seized by customs authorities....

I suppose from a military standpoint it is simply not acceptable to be
dependant on technology controlled by another country, but civil users would
be oh so much better off if they could just benefit from the GPS revolution
as the Americans are doing.

GF





In article <rh4c32lel49vkcdepkvdcajoaeophq1uh8@xxxxxxx>,
nospam@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx says...








It's a poor analogy. There is the non-trivial issue of economic
dependence.

The #1 guarantee (if anything in life - other than death - can be
guaranteed) of GPS availability is US economic dependence on it.

Of course the US can turn it off, in an instant. But they WON'T.
(Short of a 9/11-type situation but much worse, and then none of us
will be flying anyway)

The morally and intellectually superior Europeans (I am a European
too) just don't get it. So they are doing their own GPS which will
ultimately be "guaranteed" (or not) in precisely the same way as the
US one.

Galileo will be irrelevant for a very long time, because

a) existing receivers will not be able to receive the signal, and the
US one is free and works

b) the charging plans (in the aviation context) can be linked only to
GPS approaches (because the US one is fine for en route) and for a
very long time, possibly for ever, the only European airports that
will have GPS approaches will be those with conventional approaches as
well, and they can be and are routinely flown with "GPS assistance"

The indications are that Galileo will find a use in road charging...

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Solar storms spell trouble for GPS
    ... Perhaps the European or Russian GPS systems operate in a frequency ... band that won't be affected by solar flares. ... Europeans intend to sell the signals from their Galileo satellites ...
    (rec.aviation.piloting)
  • Re: Off Road storing of untaxed vehicles
    ... In a few years time this will be possible with the GALILEO satellite radio navigation system, an initiative launched by the European Union and the European Space Agency. ... designed as a one way GPS system. ...
    (uk.business.agriculture)
  • Re: Barack Obamas Real Space Omission
    ... :> Galileo isn't anything. ... :>:doors with small conventional bombs. ... it is the European version of GPS. ...
    (sci.space.policy)
  • Re: Lockheed Martin Delivers First Modernized GPS Satellite to U.S. Air Force for May Launch
    ... GPS World: GPS and Galileo Reach Signal Agreement ... delegation and the European Commission that negotiated the deal ... GPS and Galileo signals in an area of conflict without negative ...
    (sci.geo.satellite-nav)
  • Lets avoid another trans-Atlantic feud
    ... The European Union's recent launch of the first of 30 satellites in its ... Galileo is Europe's response to the U.S. military's Global Positioning ... If China and the United States ... China has a history of using foreign technology and assistance to ...
    (soc.culture.indian)