Airborne Internet

Airborne Internet (AI)[1] is a proposed Internet connection that would provide an interconnected digital data network between aircraft and the ground as opposed to the traditional broadband and wireless connectivity.[2] It would utilize aircraft as nodes or points-of-entry in order to transmit Internet data.[3] It has the potential to change how aircraft are monitored and tracked by air traffic control systems, and how they exchange information with and about other aircraft (peer-to-peer). Critical information such as weather, turbulence, and landing conditions can be exchanged, as well as the distance between aircraft and the ground. This information becomes even more critical for aircraft that are beyond the range of conventional surveillance radar. There would also be the capability to allow aircraft passengers to go online to check their e-mails, pay bills and surf the web without interference with radio and aircraft control signals.[4]

History
See also: Airborne Interception radar

The earliest connection between aircraft and aerial transport was conceived prior to World War 2 with the Royal Air Force installing several radar systems in their air fleet circa 1936. Its use would benefit pilots and their colleagues in locating and tracking other aircraft during night time as well as to do secondary roles during the war. Although radar technology at that time was at its infancy, there were multiple research and studies about the possibility of fitting a radar system within an aircraft. The first operational air-to-air radar system developed is the AI Mark IV radar with several units used in the frontlines especially during the Blitz. However, its usage was short-lived with the subsequent development and improvement of microwave-frequency radars and transmissions in the 1940s. This proved to be effective for aerial communications against its German counterpart Luftwaffe with the latter creating its own equipment of radio systems. After the war, several units were used for experimentation.

Commercial flights and planes were created as means of fast transportation after the war. As early as 1999, Internet communications are needed by passengers and crews while onboard an aircraft.[1] Prior to this conception, the United States Government employed several means of communication from the sky and beyond the stratosphere. The development of light-weight air-propelled instruments was funded and supported by NASA with various private companies such as Aero Vironment.[5] NASA’s Small Aircraft Transportation System (SATS) in 1999 projected unmanned aircraft as well as capacity for creating a network between airports and other aviation instruments.[6] Blimps are even considered as an alternative to planes by the Sky Station International.

Potential results and demonstrations are yielded in the mid-2000s with various flight tests in the US.[7] The Airborne Internet Consortium (AIC) was created in order to promote and support such system of network and different aviation projects.

Usage and function

Primarily, Airborne Internet would need an aircraft and radar for signals to be sent. Unlike satellites which require satellite dish over long distances, airplanes and alike can easily be fetched by radar systems while being close to the ground. In this way, ground transmission can be done quickly and efficiently but only within a small circular area on Earth.

See also

References
  1. "What is the Airborne Internet? (with pictures)". EasyTechJunkie. Retrieved 2022-02-17.
  2. Gupta, Neetu; Aggarwal, Abhishek (January 2017). "Airborne Internet — The Internet in the air". 2017 7th International Conference on Cloud Computing, Data Science Engineering - Confluence: 441–444. doi:10.1109/CONFLUENCE.2017.7943191.
  3. "What is the meaning of Airborne Internet? - Technology, Innovation, Internet and Security Science". www.security-science.com. Retrieved 2022-02-17.
  4. Castellano, Pete (January 2, 2006). "The Future is Now: The World of the 'Airborne Internet'". FAA. Retrieved December 9, 2016. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  5. Thakur, Sumit (2015-01-09). "Airborne Internet Seminar and PPT with pdf report". Study Mafia: Latest Seminars Topics PPT with PDF Report 2021. Retrieved 2022-02-17.
  6. "Airplanes Can Be Networked". www.airborneinternet.com. Retrieved 2022-02-17.
  7. "Airborne Internet Home". www.airborneinternet.com. Retrieved 2022-02-17.
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