Launch of a new version of "MyFlightWx" - an electronic flight bag mobile app

29 December 2022

The Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) launches today (29 December) a new version of "MyFlightWx", an electronic flight bag mobile app dedicated to the aviation industry. Presenting information in a more concise manner, the app enhances the safety and efficiency of aviation transport by helping the flight crew grasp the latest weather conditions with more meteorological information at a time.

In the new version, both the user interface and performance of the app have been improved. The flight number is all that the app needs to know from the flight crew, and flight and weather information relevant to the flight plan prepared by the airline will then be downloaded automatically. Apart from the currently available weather charts, aerodrome warnings and forecasts, volcanic ash and tropical cyclone advisories, aircraft observations and turbulence reports and prediction, the new version displays possible occurrence of low visibility and strong wind conditions at aerodromes as well as the runway conditions of the Hong Kong International Airport. On flights with Wi-Fi connections, the flight crew can obtain at any time the latest real-time weather information in sync with that provided to the air traffic controllers, enabling common situation awareness of the parties involved. Besides, the app makes extensive use of graphics instead of text in presenting weather information to save the time and effort of the flight crew in processing massive amount of information, thereby raising their efficiency. New features have also been introduced such that the commercial or private airliners with no regular flights can also make use of the new version.

The Observatory has been in close partnership with the aviation industry. Jointly developed with Cathay Pacific Airways since 2015, a preview of "MyFlightWx" was made available in 2017 for trial by the aviation industry, paving way to the app's operational deployment in 2019. The Observatory has gained valuable research and development experience through this collaboration process, which has greatly helped the improvement of technology and service quality. It is also one of the main reasons why "MyFlightWx" has been adopted by local major airlines. Through communication and information exchange, the HKO will strive to work with more airlines to provide better weather information and services with a view to further enhancing aviation safety and efficiency.

Figure: Indication of low visibility and strong wind conditions at aerodromes as well as real-time runway conditions of the Hong Kong International Airport can be visualized on the new version of "MyFlightWx"