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Anyone else notice those white patches on top of the planes?

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Anyone else notice those white patches on top of the planes?

 
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Old Feb 13, 2008, 12:28 pm
  #1  
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Anyone else notice those white patches on top of the planes?

Riding the terminal train at DTW today after about 36 hours in transit and noticed a series of white patches on top of all of the airplanes, near the front on most of them above the cockpit, but further back on a few.

Didn't notice any difference in location based on aircraft, but they all had them. Are these new? Am I dreaming?

What are they for?
nathockens is offline  
Old Feb 13, 2008, 1:10 pm
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Perhaps covers for where antennas for the old air phones may have been?
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Old Feb 13, 2008, 1:33 pm
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Well considering the weather today in DTW, my guess is its snow
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Old Feb 13, 2008, 4:25 pm
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"Perhaps covers for .. antennas for the old air phones .."

Seems those would have been belly-mount.. and certainly not on 'every' aircraft.

How about: future IFE/AVOD!?!? or inflight refuel dock?? or GPS/NAV
/.
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Old Feb 13, 2008, 4:31 pm
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Prep work for trial sun roofs - the new IFE.
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Old Feb 13, 2008, 5:31 pm
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just bald spots even airplanes lose a little "hair" with age... hehe
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Old Feb 13, 2008, 5:44 pm
  #7  
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So they're about maybe 12" wide by 18" deep and varying in shapes from oval to Superman S shaped.

Seriously, have they always been there and was I just sleep depraved wonky?
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Old Feb 13, 2008, 5:58 pm
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They're docking pods for aliens.
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Old Feb 13, 2008, 6:43 pm
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Liver(y) spots.
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Old Feb 13, 2008, 6:49 pm
  #10  
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Originally Posted by CaveatEmpty
Originally Posted by tev9999
Perhaps covers for where antennas for the old air phones may have been?
Seems those would have been belly-mount.. and certainly not on 'every' aircraft.
I thought those were satellite-based, in which case top-mount would make sense... but yeah, not on 'every' aircraft.
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Old Feb 14, 2008, 7:52 am
  #11  
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Originally Posted by KtownTraveler
Liver(y) spots.
LMAO! ^ ^
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Old Feb 14, 2008, 1:33 pm
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If you look closely it is a Delta Logo
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Old Feb 14, 2008, 2:14 pm
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Originally Posted by DanTravels
I thought those were satellite-based, in which case top-mount would make sense... but yeah, not on 'every' aircraft.
Nope, Airphone was Radio based. From what I understand about half the old radio bandwidth was bought buy LiveTV (aka JetBlue).
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Old Feb 16, 2008, 4:19 am
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bad paint job?
Wiley is offline  
Old Feb 16, 2008, 5:08 am
  #15  
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Originally Posted by motytrah
Nope, Airphone was Radio based. From what I understand about half the old radio bandwidth was bought buy LiveTV (aka JetBlue).
This is correct. The other half was purchased by AirCell. Both companies are using the frequencies for in-flight Internet service, though the LiveTV implementation is anything but.

There was also a sattelite-based option for phone service, but AFAIK that is still in operation; I believe CO still has it on their wide-body fleet.
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