I would make a 10 euro bet that O'Leary is correct on potential uptake of this service across his short-haul network. This guy did not get insanely rich by misjudging his customers.Apart from that, I consider Musk, however wealthy he may be, as a colossal disgrace to humanity in general. DOGE qualifies as a total waste of time, energy, and public attention.
Daniel Solon On Sun, Jan 18, 2026 at 11:09 PM Tom Ronell via Mifnet < [email protected]> wrote: > > > Besides drag, there are installation, weight, upkeep and usage costs. > O'Leary has a valid point regarding the question of how many short-haul > Ryanair passengers will be willing to pay for the service, versus if he > will lose any passengers to other airlines which offer Starlink. > > TR > > ------------------------------ > > *From: *RWM--- via Mifnet <[email protected]> > *To: *[email protected] > *CC: *[email protected] <[email protected]> > *Date: *2026-01-18T19:48:05Z > *Subject: *[Mifnet 🛰 75163] Re: rich and richer argue > > The holy grail of airborne satellite terminal antennas is the Conformal > Electronically Steerable Phased Array Antenna (CESPAA) which integrates > multiple small antenna elements into a low-profile, curved, fuselage or > missile-body surface profile, using electronic phase shifting to steer the > radio beams without physically moving parts, minimizing aerodynamic drag. > > > These lowest-profile, lowest-drag arrays use advanced digital processing > to form beams, enabling high performance in mobile, space, and airborne > systems by closely conforming to vehicle shapes, while electronic > phase shifters account for the varying distances from the conformal curved > surface to create a planar wavefront, ensuring ideal beam quality. > > > Primary applications are in military Aerospace & Defense, providing > seamless, high-gain signal integration on aircraft, drones, and missiles > for radar and communication, and the ability to simultaneously track > multiple satellite elevations (GEO/MEO/LEO) and relative angular velocities > for highest throughput on mobile land, sea and aerial terminals. > > > - Bob Mann > > > On Jan 18, 2026, at 13:56, Mifnet Admin via Mifnet < > [email protected]> wrote: > > > > Best shot. I REALLY doubt there's a 2% difference between a Starlink > antenna & a conventional antenna (see "Other" photo below). If there's a > difference it will favor Starlink but their design is probably just leading > the pack, they're all probably going that direction. The lower the antenna > profile the lower the drag the happier the operator. > > > > Starlink has a phased array antenna that's flatter & steered > electronically. Don't ask me how because it's magic. See the bullet for a > Wiki article on phased array. *WARNING*: If you're a child of the sixties > you may want to prepare yourself. > > > - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phased_array > > > A conventional antenna is mechanically steered like the old days, > sometimes with a bit of phased array & the radome is more bulbous with a > variety of shapes but usually have more drag, see the 3rd pic. Check out > the *"Other" antenna* pic below. The link over that photo take you to an > article about a Canadian Airworthiness Directive that addresses "....*ELT > antenna failures are related to vibration induced by vortices created by > the antenna radome*." And vortices = drag = $$$$. > > > > There is a drag penalty for radome certification. The drag numbers are > generated by computerized fluid dynamics (CFD). The biggie is takeoff > performance, obstacle clearance might be the most critical factor. The > performance loss from drag is figured and the airplane gets a weight > penalty with the approval, adding some "fake" numbers to the empty weight > to ensure takeoff, obstacle clearance & initial climb profile are > equivalent to a clean airplane. There's bound to be drag in cruise as well > and fuel consumption may be figured differently. I'm not aware of a > requirement for new cruise numbers so I suspect the weight penalty deals > with that as well. I gotta confirm that, it makes sense > > > > Starlink antenna > > <image001.png> > > > > "Other" antenna (generic) it's a bit higher > > > https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/ad-cf-2021-10-large-antennas-juan-carlos-pinzon/ > > > <image.png> > > > > Real numbers, a decent explanation > > > https://www.aviationtoday.com/2018/12/21/gogos-2ku-antenna-de-icing-fix-working/ > > > <image.png> > > Mike Borfitz > > Cell 206-714-8797 > > Kilroy Aviation LLC > > WWW.FAAODA.COM <http://www.faaoda.com/> > > > > Kilroy is available for aviation regulatory and safety issues > > - Type & Production Certification, Continued Operational Safety > > - International validation & safety matters > > - Program & system management > > - FAA STC ODA > > > > On Sat, Jan 17, 2026, 5:10 PM Jack Keady via Mifnet < > [email protected]> wrote: > > keady - maybe Mr. Borfitz can talk to the figures > > > > > > ‘He’s an idiot’: Musk and Ryanair’s O’Leary trade insults in Starlink > Wi-Fi row > > What began as a disagreement over airline internet has turned into a > full-blown war of words. > > > - Copy Link > > <https://www.politico.eu/article/elon-musk-ryanair-chief-michael-oleary-trade-insults-starlink-spat-war-wi-fi-row/> > > - > > > - > > > - > > > - > > > > Free article usually reserved for subscribers > <https://www.politico.eu/pro/elon-musk-ryanair-chief-michael-oleary-trade-insults-starlink-spat-war-wi-fi-row/> > > [image: BELGIUM-AVIATION-TRANSPORT-ECONOMY-RYANAIR] > > “He’s an idiot — very wealthy, but still an idiot,” O'Leary said. He also > described Musk’s social media platform X as a “cesspit.” | Simon Wohlfahrt > / AFP via Getty Images > > January 17, 2026 10:19 am CET > > By Chris Lunday <https://www.politico.eu/author/chris-lunday/> > > A spat over in-flight Wi-Fi has spiralled into a public verbal brawl > between Elon Musk and Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary, pitting one of the > world's richest men against Europe’s most outspoken airline boss. > > The clash burst into the open after O'Leary dismissed Musk and his > satellite internet business in a radio interview > <https://www.newstalk.com/news/michael-oleary-elon-musk-2225838> on > Ireland’s Newstalk. Responding to Musk calling him “misinformed” over > Ryanair’s refusal to install Starlink Wi-Fi, O’Leary told listeners he > would “pay no attention whatsoever to Elon Musk.” > > “He’s an idiot — very wealthy, but still an idiot,” O'Leary said. He also > described Musk’s social media platform X as a “cesspit.” > > Musk fired back on X <https://x.com/elonmusk/status/2012149807192981801>, > writing: “Ryanair CEO is an utter idiot. Fire him.” In a follow-up post, he > accused O’Leary of getting Starlink’s fuel-burn impact wrong “by a factor > of 10” and added: “Fire this imbecile.” > > Ryanair’s official X account also joined the fray, mocking Musk during a > reported outage <https://x.com/Ryanair/status/2012213546222833983> on his > platform, replying: “perhaps you need Wi-Fi @elonmusk?” > > Behind the insults lies a substantive dispute about costs and aircraft > performance. Ryanair has publicly ruled out installing Starlink across its > more than 600 Boeing 737s, arguing the external antennas would increase > drag and fuel consumption. > > O’Leary has said the technology would impose around a 2 percent fuel > penalty and could cost the airline hundreds of millions of dollars a year, > a trade-off he says makes little sense on short-haul flights where > passengers are unlikely to pay for connectivity. > > Musk disputes those figures, pointing to airlines already flying with > Starlink-equipped aircraft and arguing that fast internet will increasingly > shape passenger choice. > > Related Tags > > > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Revised: 20250507 > > You are receiving The Mifnet because you requested to join this list. > > The Mifnet is largely a labor of love, however the infrastructure isn't > exactly cost-free. 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