An aircraft-mounted base transceiver station (mBTS) for providing intermittent coverage in a cellular radio network. The mBTS utilizes the existing protocol of its terrestrial counterparts, thereby avoiding dual-mode devices and enabling common usage of terminal monitoring and device management systems for devices connected to a single radio access network even when outside terrestrial coverage areas. The aircraft follows a transient flight pattern, providing intermittent flyover connectivity for remote radio device such as machine-type devices. Connectivity may be store and forward. Channel usage may be adjusted to avoid interfering with terrestrial communication cells during flyover. Doppler effects due to aircraft speed may be accounted for. The mBTS may be configured to service in-range radio devices which are outside a Doppler-inhibited region and/or to prioritize communication with devices based on expected time outside the Doppler-inhibited region. An aircraft mounted antenna may have a radiation pattern focused toward devices outside the Doppler-inhibited region.