Wireless data transmission within an aircraft environment

The WiTNESSS (Wireless Technology for Novel Enhancement of Systems and Structures Serviceability) programme aims to investigate the feasibility of implementing wireless networks for the purposes of data transfer within air vehicles. Two specific cases were considered, that of the transfer of health monitoring data from sensors distributed along the wing of a civil airliner to the fuselage, and for the purposes of structural monitoring of main, tail rotor and turboshaft components on a military rotary wing platform. Wireless network architectures, operating frequencies, bandwidths, and modulation schemes are proposed based on the technical requirements of the system, existing spectrum usage, and the regulatory requirements which exist in relation to EMC/EMI, and environmental legislation.