Revitalizing Rural Communities Through Enhanced Aviation Microwave Data Transmission Systems

Abstract

While nearly 500 airports across the United States have staffed control towers, the remainder of the more than 19,000 airports nationwide lack the resources necessary to record and store operations data. These smaller airports, though forming the backbone of America's general aviation industry, face growing safety risks, as they are somewhat disadvantaged when applying for improvement funding through the Federal Aviation Administration's Airport Improvement Program. Airport data, such as fleet mix, takeoff and landing counts, and weather conditions, can be collected from various commercial sensors monitoring airfield operations and analyzed to identify risk factors and improve corresponding safety measures. However, rural airports must transmit this data wirelessly from antennas mounted at low elevations to network access points located potentially at considerable distances from those points in a power-efficient and cost-effective manner. An antenna system was designed, manufactured, and tested within the height, power, and cost constraints of these smaller airfields to explore the economic viability and technical feasibility of facilitating a data-driven safety improvement program. This system intends to mitigate the multipath interference that confounds data transmitted over long ranges at low altitudes, enabling compilation of accurate rural aviation operations information. Empowering airport managers with a reliable and efficient Internet connection to collect the data that influences federal grant allocations, this system would directly enhance the safety of America's aging general aviation infrastructure and stimulate America's depleted rural community economies.