ORLANDO, Fla. — Orlando International Airport will be one of 50 “high priority” airports in the United States to get a temporary buffer zone around it as wireless companies turn on their 5G signals Wednesday.

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The announcement came after several airlines canceled flights out of concerns the new bandwidth would interfere with a critical piece of equipment and lead to crashes in bad weather.

How does 5G technology — blamed by conspiracy theorists for causing COVID-19 — pose an actual threat of making an airplane miss the runway? And how will this buffer zone work?

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Here are answers to top questions.

What does 5G have to do with airplanes?

Since the 1930s, many airplanes have carried a radio altimeter (also known as a radar altimeter) on their underside. The altimeter beams a signal at the ground, which bounces back to the aircraft. It lets the pilot know how far from the ground the plane is and can warn them if the plane is approaching land too quickly, such as an unexpected mountain in the dark.

While a pilot can see the ground on a good day, this instrument allows a plane to land itself during a rainstorm or fog. It’s also isolated from other systems, meaning it should still work in the event of an equipment failure onboard.

“It’s one more level of safety in the aircraft,” retired fighter pilot Rich Owen explained, who said he was surprised no one had flagged this issue until now.

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5G’s newest bandwidth, known as the C band, operates practically next to the altimeter’s range. The FCC created a small gap between the two and is arguing it should be enough, but airline industry executives and FAA leaders haven’t been persuaded. The aviation regulator sent a memo to pilots warning them that interference from 5G towers could make their altimeters inaccurate during landing and would create a safety issue.

Will my flight be canceled?

At the moment, probably not. Verizon and AT&T have delayed turning on towers near airports for a few weeks. The FAA is implementing a temporary buffer wide enough to cover a plane’s final 20 seconds before landing at OIA and other major airports.

However, the buffer will only last six months and is far smaller than the permanent zone given to airports in France, which get 96 seconds of approaching flight without 5G interference. Government and industry leaders are now scrambling to come up with a permanent solution.

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Some airlines are still canceling routes. Emirates announced the Orlando to Dubai route would be put on hold until the airline’s safety concerns are addressed.

Will I still be able to use my phone inside an airport?

Yes. The buffer only covers 5G, which uses different equipment from 4G.

Are there any other concerns?

Altimeters are used inside more than commercial airplanes. Private airplanes and helicopters also use them, with the latter especially relying on the instrument to fly at night.

Owen said he was concerned about medevac helicopters used by EMS agencies and hospitals, as well as police helicopters.

“Those things are going to be operating out of areas where there’s cell phone coverage,” he noted. “What’s the impact on them?

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What are possible solutions?

Since airlines refuse to fly without being able to fall back on an altimeter, going without will only be possible on a clear day at the plane’s destination.

Owen and other aviation experts said some sort of permanent buffer zone was a likely solution, though he said 20 seconds was an uncomfortably small amount of time for a pilot to ensure a safe landing. He believed France’s approach was more appropriate.

Additionally, not all altimeters are affected, so figuring out which aircraft have issues and seeing if they can be modified to eliminate interference will be a priority.

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“Obviously, there’s a lot of concern, and that’s why they’re asking for 5G rollout to be held back until the testing can be completed,” he said.

Video: Officials are worried 5G signals could lead to airplane crashes. Here’s why (Q McCray, WFTV.com)

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