![]() In fact, Delphi, maker of XMs SkyFi receiver, told us that using one in an airplane wasnt legal. A one-percent penetration into the auto market, I was told, would make the billions invested worth the effort. Im in the radio business and when I first heard about satellite radio several years ago, before the first satellite was launched, I contacted the two companies providing the service -XM Radio and Sirius Radio–to suggest that their new service was perfect for airplanes. There are the usual portable wiring hassles but performance is excellence and although weve heard of some GPS interference issues, we dont think this is a serious problem. Dwellers of the cutting edge are finding that satellite radio eliminates line-of-sight issues-except for deep canyon flights-and delivers CD-quality sound with a wide variety of programming.īetter yet, the very same satellite radio receiver that works in your car and your house can easily be pressed into service in the cockpit, in portable mode. Tape, CD and even MP3 players have been used and remain popular (okay, maybe not cassette players) but the killer app in in-flight entertainment has remained elusive, at least at prices most light airplane owners consider affordable.īut here comes satellite radio and it looks promising. While FM stations have better fidelity and selection, a Bonanza driver on a cross-country trip must re-tune constantly as stations come into and move out of reception range. High on the option list is in-flight entertainment in the form of music.Ĭlearly, scratchy AM radio beaming Rush or the farm report through the ADF (remember them?) wont do. Somewhere around the 200-hour mark, most pilots pass the point where its enough to just be in the air and they start thinking about creature comforts.
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