Systems and methods for Internet based aircraft communication

A method for Internet based communication for an aircraft, the method comprising:

• receiving a message from a non-Internet system of the aircraft, the non-Internet system associated with a non-Internet communication protocol;
• storing a conversion table, the conversion table linking a plurality of non-Internet services with a plurality of transport layer port numbers, the conversion table linking each of the plurality of non-Internet services with one of the plurality of transport layer port numbers;
• identifying, based on the conversion table, a transport layer port number of the plurality of transport layer port numbers, the transport layer port number linked to a non-Internet service, the non-Internet system being a first system of the non-Internet service;
• encapsulating the received messages into a transport layer segment with the transport layer port number identifying a non-Internet ground system corresponding to the non-Internet system, the non-Internet ground system being a second system of the non-Internet service;
• encapsulating the transport layer segment into an Internet layer packet;
• adding a protocol identifier to the Internet layer packet, the protocol identifier indicating to a ground message manager that the Internet layer packet is an Internet based message;
• and
• sending the Internet layer packet to the ground message manager via a plurality of communication radios to be delivered to the non-Internet ground system via the non-Internet communication protocol.

A communication system of an aircraft, the communication system comprising:

• a plurality of communication radios configured to communicate with a ground message manager;
• and
• a processing circuit configured to:
• receive a message from a non-Internet system of the aircraft, the non-Internet system associated with a non-Internet communication protocol;
• store a conversion table, the conversion table linking a plurality of non-Internet services with a plurality of transport layer port numbers, the conversion table linking each of the plurality of non-Internet services with one of the plurality of transport layer port numbers;
• identify, based on the conversion table, a transport layer port number of the plurality of transport layer port numbers, the transport layer port number linked to a non-Internet service, the non-Internet system being a first system of the non-Internet service;
• compress the message received from the non-Internet system of the aircraft;
• encapsulate the compressed message into a transport layer segment with the transport layer port number identifying a non-Internet ground system corresponding to the non-Internet system, the non-Internet ground system being a second system of the non-Internet service;
• encapsulate the transport layer segment into an Internet layer packet;
• compress the Internet layer packet;
• add a protocol identifier to the compressed Internet layer packet, the protocol identifier indicating to the ground message manager that the Internet layer packet is an Internet based message;
• and
• send the Internet layer packet to the ground message manager via the plurality of communication radios to be delivered to the non-Internet ground system via the non-Internet communication protocol.