Wireless spread spectrum ground link-based aircraft data communication system with airborne airline packet communications

An airline packet network for transferring flight data files among respective aircraft in flight comprising:

• a plurality of aircraft, each aircraft having a ground data link unit that, each of said ground data link units comprising,
• a) data store operative to accumulate and store flight data files and flight performance data related to the flight performance of the respective aircraft in flight, said data store including a buffer for storing flight data files that have been uploaded to the aircraft from another airborne aircraft for ready transfer in flight to another aircraft in flight, and an archival data store for storing flight performance data related to the flight performance of the respective aircraft in flight;
• and
• b) a spread spectrum transceiver having a receiver and transmitter coupled to said data store that is operative to transmit flight performance data when the aircraft is on the ground and transmit and receive flight data files when the aircraft is airborne for transfer of flight data files to at least another airborne aircraft when the airborne aircraft are within about ten miles in proximity to each other;
• and
• an airport based spread spectrum transceiver comprising a receiver that receives the spread spectrum communication signal from an airborne aircraft when the aircraft is within close proximity to the airport and demodulates the spread spectrum communication signal to obtain the flight data file.