HKO News Bulletin for the Aviation Community

-- aims at providing the latest information and development in aviation weather (English only)

32nd Issue

Pilot's Corner
Revision of windshear alerts for departure corridors at HKIA Since the Windshear and Turbulence Warning System (WTWS) commenced operation at the Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA), automatic alerts of low-level windshear (sustained headwind change of 15 knots or above) are provided to cover up to 3 nautical miles from touch-down or take-off for both arrival and departure corridors...
Latest Development
Wireless Headset Procedure through ATLAS To protect headset man from lightning threat, the Hong Kong International Airport launched the Wireless Headset Procedure (WHP) in late 2014. Under WHP, whenever there is lightning threat, wireless headset will be deployed in order to mitigate the risk of electric shock by charges carrying from the nose landing gear when lightning strikes a parking aircraft. Commencing 1 January 2015,...
HKO launches Electronic Weather Observation Log Book The Airport Meteorological Office of the Hong Kong Observatory officially switched to use the "Electronic Weather Observation Log Book (for METAR/SPECI)" on 1 January 2015, which marks the end of a century-long history of handwritten log book (nickname "sky book" among Observatory staff). The earliest handwritten weather log book still kept at the Observatory is that of Gap Rock back in 1919. The earliest one for the airport can be traced back to 1946 the postwar Kai Tai era, and is one of the oldest series kept by the Observatory...
First wake vortex measurements at the Hong Kong International Airport The Observatory has always been keen in applying the latest technology in advancing aviation meteorological service. Over the past few summers, a rented unit of short-range LIDAR (SRL) – a higher-resolution, more agile counterpart to the long-range LIDARs currently used in the alerting of low-level windshear – has been installed on the rooftop of the AsiaWorld-Expo to study the properties of building-induced windshear and turbulence at corridor 25RA...
Commissioning of the Brothers Point Terminal Doppler Weather Radar Station The new Terminal Doppler Weather Radar (TDWR) station near Brothers Point was commissioned on 7 November 2014. Officiating at the opening of the new TDWR station were Mr CM Shun, Director of the Hong Kong Observatory, Dr Hon LAU Wong-fat, Legislative Councillor cum Chairman of Tuen Mun District Council, Mr YU Kin-keung, Edward, Principal Assistant Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mrs LAM YU Ka-wai, Sylvia, Project Director of the Architectural Services Department, Mr LAU Kam-kuen, David, District Officer (Tuen Mun), Mr HO Kwan-yiu, Junius, Chairman of Tuen Mun Rural Committee, Mr LEUNG Kin-man, Vice Chairman of Tuen Mun District Council, and Mr TSANG Chin-hung, Vice Chairman of Tuen Mun Rural Committee....
Milestone of aircraft weather observations in Hong Kong Starting from July 2014, the Hong Kong Observatory and Hong Kong Dragon Airlines Limited join forces to collect more automatic meteorological data from commercial aircrafts. This data collection project is part of the World Meteorological Organization Aircraft Meteorological Data Relay (AMDAR) programme, which aims to enhance the global coverage of weather observations, contributing to more reliable weather forecasts...
Collaboration
Delegates of the Civil Aviation Administration of China Northeast Regional Administration Visited the Observatory A group of five delegates from Civil Aviation Administration of China led by Mr. CHEN Youping, Deputy Director-General of the Northeast Regional Administration, visited the Observatory on 16 and 17 October 2014. During the visit, HKO staff introduced in detail the procedures for developing a Competency Assessment System for the assurance of the compliance of aeronautical meteorological personnel with the standards required by the World Meteorological Organization...
Visit of colleagues from Bureau of Meteorology (BoM), Australia on aviation weather services On 22 August 2014, Mr. Michael Berechree and Mr. Tim Hailes specialized on aviation weather services in BoM, Australia, visited the Observatory. They attended the presentations from the Observatory on the latest developments of aviation weather services in Hong Kong, including lightning nowcasting, windshear and turbulence alerting and meteorological instrumentation...
Education and Training
The Observatory held Workshop for Ambassador of Weather Observation The Observatory has been recruiting Ambassadors of Weather Observation from the active members of the Facebook of the Community Weather Observing Scheme (CWOS), air scouts and air cadets, as well as the Friends of the Observatory since May 2014 with a view to promoting public education on weather and climate...
Conjoint ICAO Meteorology Divisional and WMO Commission for Aeronautical Meteorology Meeting 2014
Working Papers: WP.13-Doc.13: Inclusion of meteorological service for the terminal area in aviation system block upgrade methodology WP.18-Doc.18: Provision of meteorological services in a SWIM-based environment WP.38-Doc.38: Future aeronautical meteorological service provision WP.39-Doc.39: Governance of MET-related development under system-wide information management WP.40-Doc.40: Restructuring of MET provisions WP.41-Doc.41: Qualifications for oversight of aeronautical meteorological service provision Information Papers: IP.11-INF.11: Nowcasting services to support air traffic flow management and airport operations at the Hong Kong international airport IP.15-INF.15: Objective quantification of weather impact on aircraft operations due to significant convection IP.16-INF.16: Development of windshear alerting service at the Hong Kong international airport IP.17-INF.17: Development of fine-scale aviation model in support of short-term weather forecasts in Hong Kong, China IP.20-INF.20: Radiation monitoring and nuclear accident consequence assessment in Hong Kong, China Report: Yellow Cover Report — MET.14-WP.64-CAeM.15-Doc.64
Click here for previous Issues

Pilot's Corner

Revision of windshear alerts for departure corridors at HKIA

Since the Windshear and Turbulence Warning System (WTWS) commenced operation at the Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA), automatic alerts of low-level windshear (sustained headwind change of 15 knots or above) are provided to cover up to 3 nautical miles from touch-down or take-off for both arrival and departure corridors...

Latest Development

Wireless Headset Procedure through ATLAS

To protect headset man from lightning threat, the Hong Kong International Airport launched the Wireless Headset Procedure (WHP) in late 2014. Under WHP, whenever there is lightning threat, wireless headset will be deployed in order to mitigate the risk of electric shock by charges carrying from the nose landing gear when lightning strikes a parking aircraft. Commencing 1 January 2015,...

HKO launches Electronic Weather Observation Log Book

The Airport Meteorological Office of the Hong Kong Observatory officially switched to use the "Electronic Weather Observation Log Book (for METAR/SPECI)" on 1 January 2015, which marks the end of a century-long history of handwritten log book (nickname "sky book" among Observatory staff). The earliest handwritten weather log book still kept at the Observatory is that of Gap Rock back in 1919. The earliest one for the airport can be traced back to 1946 the postwar Kai Tai era, and is one of the oldest series kept by the Observatory...

First wake vortex measurements at the Hong Kong International Airport

The Observatory has always been keen in applying the latest technology in advancing aviation meteorological service. Over the past few summers, a rented unit of short-range LIDAR (SRL) – a higher-resolution, more agile counterpart to the long-range LIDARs currently used in the alerting of low-level windshear – has been installed on the rooftop of the AsiaWorld-Expo to study the properties of building-induced windshear and turbulence at corridor 25RA...

Commissioning of the Brothers Point Terminal Doppler Weather Radar Station

The new Terminal Doppler Weather Radar (TDWR) station near Brothers Point was commissioned on 7 November 2014. Officiating at the opening of the new TDWR station were Mr CM Shun, Director of the Hong Kong Observatory, Dr Hon LAU Wong-fat, Legislative Councillor cum Chairman of Tuen Mun District Council, Mr YU Kin-keung, Edward, Principal Assistant Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mrs LAM YU Ka-wai, Sylvia, Project Director of the Architectural Services Department, Mr LAU Kam-kuen, David, District Officer (Tuen Mun), Mr HO Kwan-yiu, Junius, Chairman of Tuen Mun Rural Committee, Mr LEUNG Kin-man, Vice Chairman of Tuen Mun District Council, and Mr TSANG Chin-hung, Vice Chairman of Tuen Mun Rural Committee....

Milestone of aircraft weather observations in Hong Kong

Starting from July 2014, the Hong Kong Observatory and Hong Kong Dragon Airlines Limited join forces to collect more automatic meteorological data from commercial aircrafts. This data collection project is part of the World Meteorological Organization Aircraft Meteorological Data Relay (AMDAR) programme, which aims to enhance the global coverage of weather observations, contributing to more reliable weather forecasts...

Collaboration

Delegates of the Civil Aviation Administration of China Northeast Regional Administration Visited the Observatory

A group of five delegates from Civil Aviation Administration of China led by Mr. CHEN Youping, Deputy Director-General of the Northeast Regional Administration, visited the Observatory on 16 and 17 October 2014. During the visit, HKO staff introduced in detail the procedures for developing a Competency Assessment System for the assurance of the compliance of aeronautical meteorological personnel with the standards required by the World Meteorological Organization...

Visit of colleagues from Bureau of Meteorology (BoM), Australia on aviation weather services

On 22 August 2014, Mr. Michael Berechree and Mr. Tim Hailes specialized on aviation weather services in BoM, Australia, visited the Observatory. They attended the presentations from the Observatory on the latest developments of aviation weather services in Hong Kong, including lightning nowcasting, windshear and turbulence alerting and meteorological instrumentation...

Education and Training

The Observatory held Workshop for Ambassador of Weather Observation

The Observatory has been recruiting Ambassadors of Weather Observation from the active members of the Facebook of the Community Weather Observing Scheme (CWOS), air scouts and air cadets, as well as the Friends of the Observatory since May 2014 with a view to promoting public education on weather and climate...

Conjoint ICAO Meteorology Divisional and WMO Commission for Aeronautical Meteorology Meeting 2014

Working Papers:

Information Papers:

Report:

Yellow Cover Report — MET.14-WP.64-CAeM.15-Doc.64

Click here for previous Issues

Information for Pilots	Technical Papers	Weather On Wings	Games & Quizzes
World City Forecast	Global Severe Weather	World Airport Weather	Aviation Weather
HKO e-Bulletin	Windshear Posters	SIGMET Posters	ADRR Website