Medical flights play a critical role in bringing the right medical help throughout the United States. They have been instrumental in driving better treatment outcomes and survivability owing to their speed. Reports say that the advent of 5G network can change all this. There are two primary concerns that many believe, will affect medical flights: restrictions placed on operations and the risk of accidents in times of low visibility. The root of both the problems lies in radar altimeters that assist medical flights and other aviation vehicles to land safely. The reason behind this is the frequency which these instruments use. Some of these frequencies might now be used for 5G networks.
What are the Stakeholders in Medical Flights Saying?
When we refer to stakeholders, we are referring to all the parties involved ranging from operators of medical flights to the government agencies that regulate them. The 5G-network-providing tele-companies point at other countries around the world where mobile networks and medical flights co-exist without any issues. On the other hand, the Federal Aviation Administration is asking operators of medical flights to demonstrate that their vehicles can safely navigate the new frequency dynamic brought about by 5G networks.
5G Network will Be Everywhere
Most commercial flights only take off and land from airports, so, in essence, the scene close to the airports need to be taken care of, which can be achieved. However, the same is not the case when it comes to helicopters and medical flights. They, most of the time, land in thickly populated areas where accidents occur or on hospital-owned helipads. Such landing areas may be surrounded by 5G network and make landing risky. In such situations, both the crew and the people in the neighborhood would be exposed to crash risk. A solution soon needs to be found so that medical flights can operate without safety concerns.
