Host aircraft with mobile device-based system for collecting and disseminating flight data

A method for collecting and disseminating flight data aboard a host aircraft using a flight data system, the method comprising:

• collecting Global Positioning System (GPS) data using a GPS receiver aboard the host aircraft;
• collecting raw flight data via a sensor suite of a mobile device within the flight data system, including using a multi-axis accelerometer to generate a set of composite accelerometer readings as part of the raw flight data;
• processing the raw flight data into a synthesized data set;
• filtering out human-induced motion of the mobile device from the synthesized data set, via a statistical filtering model of the mobile device, to thereby generate time-stamped filtered flight data, including calculating a rolling standard deviation of the set of composite accelerometer readings;
• generating, as part of the filtered flight data, time-stamped turbulence data of the host aircraft based on the composite accelerometer readings;
• wirelessly transmitting the time-stamped filtered flight data to a central data server located aboard the host aircraft, via an RF communications circuit of the mobile device;
• receiving the time-stamped filtered flight data via the central data server;
• and
• disseminating the time-stamped filtered flight data via a transceiver coupled to the central data server, including at least one of transmitting an air-to-ground signal to an air traffic control tower or broadcasting a message to an additional aircraft, wherein the time-stamped filtered flight data includes time-stamped turbulence data of the host aircraft based at least in part on the composite accelerometer readings.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising executable instructions, wherein execution of the executable instructions causes a mobile device onboard a host aircraft to:

• collect Global Positioning System (GPS) data using a GPS receiver;
• collect raw flight data using a sensor suite, the sensor suite including a multi-axis accelerometer configured to generate composite accelerometer readings, wherein execution of the executable instructions causes the mobile device onboard the host aircraft to:
• generate, as part of the filtered flight data, time-stamped turbulence data of the host aircraft based on the composite accelerometer readings;
• process the raw flight data into a synthesized data set;
• filter out human-induced motion of the mobile device from the synthesized data set, via a statistical filtering model, including calculating a rolling standard deviation of the set of composite accelerometer readings, to thereby generate time-stamped filtered flight data;
• and
• wirelessly transmit the time-stamped filtered flight data to a user device located aboard the host aircraft via an RF communications circuit, wherein the time-stamped filtered flight data includes time-stamped turbulence data of the host aircraft based at least in part on the composite accelerometer readings.