Analysis of the Quality of Meteorological Measurements of a Certain Type of Commercial Aircraft Between Hong Kong and Shanghai

The quality of meteorological data from a certain type of commercial aircraft flying between Hong Kong and Shanghai is investigated in this study with a special focus on wind-related parameters, including the horizontal wind speed, horizontal wind direction, and eddy dissipation rate (EDR). The novelty of the study is the analysis of flight data on a new route between Hong Kong and Shanghai. The method for calculating the EDR from Quick Access Recorder (QAR) data of the studied aircraft type is first described. Then, we analyze seven flights operating between Hong Kong and Shanghai in 2025, when Hong Kong was affected by two typhoons, Wipha and Ragasa. Both low-level and enroute wind data are considered. The quality of QAR-based wind data is established through comparison with (a) QAR data from other airline flights separated by 10 min and by one runway from the studied aircraft; (b) headwind and EDR observations from Doppler Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) systems at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA); and (c) reanalysis data of a global numerical weather prediction (NWP) model for the enroute phase of the studied aircraft type. The QAR-based wind data is found to have sufficient quality for the study of low-level windshear and turbulence as well as meteorological applications such as upper-air wind monitoring and data assimilation into NWP models. The wind data collected in the enroute phase is studied further by considering an extended period of July and September 2025 with 151 sets of valid QAR data. The horizontal wind speed and wind direction from the QAR are in general agreement with the model reanalysis data, noting the different nature of the matched data (e.g., averaging period, model grid resolution).