Airborne Internet Home

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Airborne Internet has the potential to change the way aircraft receive and send data, or more appropriately, INFORMATION. A.I. will provide an interconnected digital data network between aircraft and to/from the ground. A.I. has the potential to change how aircraft are monitored and tracked by the air traffic control system, how they exchange information with and about other aircraft.

The first and original writing about the idea which became known as Airborne Internet: White Paper on Airborne Internet.

For more information on how this might take place, see the paper titled "Network In The Sky". The third writing on A.I. is called "Societal Trends Make NOW the Right Time to Create the Network In The Sky”

But consider a time horizon even farther than the near future.....consider the possibility of ubiquitous information connectivity amongst all forms of transportation mobility. The development of A.I is rapidly moving, progressing, and developing....The first Airborne Internet proof of concept system was originally developed as a supporting technology to the NASA Small Aircraft Transportation System (SATS) program. Since then, Airborne Internet has taken off on its own, still growing and developing as our society places greater and greater emphasis on information connectivity while traveling.

Papers on Airborne Internet:

The first and original writing about the idea which became known as Airborne Internet: White Paper on Airborne Internet.

Second writing: "Network In The Sky"

Third writing: "Societal Trends Make NOW the Right Time to Create the Network In The Sky”

Fourth Writing: "CREATING THE NETWORK IN THE SKY"

VIDEO: Airborne Internet interview with Ralph Yost

FLIGHT TEST ACTIVITY:

2007: Multi-Aircraft Airborne Networking Flight Tests. Two aircraft, three ground stations, two different Airborne Internet systems successfully flight tested simultaneously. High speed Airborne Internet .....90MB/sec accomplished ! Update; ground system has been installed, avionics installed....prototype flight testing accomplished. Air-to-Air network connectivity, aircraft network relay, VoIP to/from aircraft, secure communications, the first airborne VPN to SWIM Lab, weather to the cockpit, file transfer, chat, web browsing, email, live streaming video and audio. Is there anything else???

April, 2007: Atlantic City NJ: Initial flight tests using high bandwidth airborne networking capability.

Mar 15,2007: Atlantic City NJ: The Airborne Networking project is the first to demonstrate Voice over IP (VoIP) using only a 25khz standard aviation radio channel spectrum. VoIP was demonstrated between one aircraft and the ground with excellent voice quality and usability.

July 26,2006: Atlantic City NJ: The Airborne Networking project is the first to demonstrate air-to-air network relay for beyond line of sight aircraft. Two aircraft were flown in which the far aircraft relayed information to/from the intermediate aircraft to the ground. See photos here: July 26, 2007 2Aircraft Relay Airborne Network

May 2006: Article on Airborne Networking published in Jane's Airport Review. Part 1 Part 2

Nov 7, 2005, Atlantic City, NJ: The Airborne Internet project flew the first NGATS Demo test flight over the planned NGATS Demonstration flight path. The VHF/VDL Airborne Internet system was tested and found to have link connectivity out to 190 miles from Atlantic City. See photos at: Nov 7, 2005: First NGATS Demo test flight.

Ralph Yost briefs FAA Administrator Marion Blakey at the Airborne Internet demonstration booth at the NASA SATS Demo. June 2005...see picture HERE

Airborne Internet in NASA's SATS Demo: See pictures here June 3-7, 2005 SATS Demo, Danville VA

United Airlines (UAL), first U.S. domestic carrier to make real commitment to Airborne Internet reality: UAL, already an early member of the Airborne Internet Consortium (AIC), in joining with Verizon, has announced with fanfare the initiation of an Airborne Internet capability on their aircraft. See their news release here.

According to the May issue of the MIT Technology Review magazine, Airborne Networks are one of "10 Emerging Technologies"...read about it here.

- ICNS Conference: May 2-5, Hyatt Fair Lakes hotel, Fairfax Va.: Airborne Internet was featured at this conference for the third straight year. An entire track was dedicated to Airborne Internet. Jim Meer of Microflight microflight@worldnet.att.net was the session chair. http://spacecom.grc.nasa.gov/icnsconf/index.shtml for more info on the Conference.

Airborne Internet was an essential flying enabling technology of NASA's SATS project ! See photos of flight activity of the FAA Technical Center's Convair here: June 3-7, 2005 April 12-14,2005 , March 1-3,2005 , Feb 22-23,2005 , Jan 19, 2005

Read the fourth writing and latest article "CREATING THE NETWORK IN THE SKY" on Airborne Internet, published the FAA's R&D Review, Winter 2005 Quarterly, page 9 (41Mb PDF file) http://acb100.tc.faa.gov/docs/R&D_review/rdreview_winter_0405.pdf

FCC approves Internet in aircraft !!! (click here)

FCC Promotes Deployment of Broadband Communications on Vessels.

Two new groups in A.I. related technology:

- Wireless Cabin Consortium http://www.wirelesscabin.com/

- Network Centric Operations Industry Consortium (NCOIC) http://www.ncoic.org

GULFSTREAM OFFERS IN-FLIGHT ULTRA HIGH-SPEED INTERNET CONNECTIONS, Oct. 11, 2004

Airborne Internet Consortium (AIC) has formed and its officers elected. Contact Jim Meer (microflight@att.net) of Microflight for membership inquiries. Web site soon at www.airborneinternet.org

- Airborne Internet is briefed at FAA Technical Center Atlantic City, NJ, April 21, 2004. ( 27MB download)

- Airborne Internet is briefed at ATCA conference in Atlantic City, NJ, March 30, 2004. (Briefing is a 12MB download)

- Airborne Internet/Collaborative Information Environment article published the FAA's R&D Review, Winter 2004 Quarterly http://acb100.tc.faa.gov/docs/R&D_review/rdreview_v02_i04.pdf(scroll down to pages 23, 34)

- IFE Insider publishes a HOT TOPIC article on the Aerosat's Network In the Sky http://www.ifeinsider.com/airfax/ifexpress/ifexpress03022004.htm (and they link back to this site !)

Airborne Internet wins NASA's prestigious

Turning Goals Into Reality (TGIR) Mobility Award for 2003 !!

http://www.aerospace.nasa.gov/curevent/tgir/index.htm

Click here for the nomination

Welcome to the new world of the AIRBORNE INTERNET

FLIGHT TEST ACTIVITY: