Detection of network issues and health reporting to ground-based stakeholders

A method comprising:

• communicating through one or more communication links between an aircraft and a destination receiver;
• identifying a degraded communication link event;
• compiling network event information related to the degraded communication link event in a degraded link event report;
• transmitting the degraded link event report to a network issue detector;
• analyzing multiple degraded link event reports from multiple aircraft by the network issue detector;
• and
• identifying systemic degraded data link network problems with the one or more communication links based on context identified in the multiple degraded link event reports.

A system comprising:

• a plurality of aircraft, wherein an aircraft in the plurality of aircraft communicates through one or more communication links, the aircraft comprising:
• one or more processors that compile network event information related to degraded communication link events;
• and
• one or more memory units that store a degraded link event report and a configuration database, wherein the degraded link event report stores the compiled network event information related to the degraded communication link events as directed by information in the configuration database;
• and
• a network issue detector in communication with the plurality of aircraft, wherein the network issue detector receives degraded link event reports from the plurality of aircraft, wherein the network issue detector comprises one or more network issue detector processors that identify systemic degraded data link network problems with the one or more communication links based on context identified in the degraded link event reports.