Path Loss Models for Air-to-Ground Radio Channels in Urban Environments

This paper provides new statistical models for air-to-ground channels in an urban environment. The model is derived to operate at frequencies from 200MHz to 5GHz. Issues such as path loss and shadowing are evaluated as a function of the elevation angle to the airborne platform, rather than the more usual separation distance used for terrestrial mobile communications. Results demonstrate the advantages of an air-to-ground channel for urban communication, and relayed peer-to-peer links in particular.