Shadow-Mode Meteorological Concordance Between Remote and On-Site Observation at a Brazilian Regional Aerodrome
Keywords:
Remote aerodrome flight information service, Aerodrome weather observation, Shadow mode validation, Non-towered aerodromes, Remote towerAbstract
This study assessed whether a remote aerodrome flight information service could reproduce on-site aeronautical weather observations with operationally acceptable concordance at a Brazilian regional aerodrome. A shadow-mode campaign ran from March to November 2025 at a non-towered aerodrome in southeastern Brazil, compiling 749 paired routine and special weather reports produced independently by on-site and remote operators over 118 operational days. Six meteorological elements were evaluated using a weighted concordance index, a pre-defined divergence framework, Cohen’s kappa, intraclass correlation coefficients, and a day-clustered bootstrap. The weighted concordance index was 97.41% (95% bootstrap confidence interval 96.8–97.9%), above the 95% benchmark used in European shadow-mode validation. Agreement was almost perfect for clear-weather coding and moderate for cumulonimbus/towering-cumulus detection, intraclass correlation coefficients were at least 0.975 for continuous variables, and post-commissioning concordance reached 97.57% across 555 messages with no convective-cloud divergences after April 2025. These results indicate high concordance between remote and on-site observation at a daytime regional aerodrome under visual-flight conditions and support further regulatory evaluation of remote aerodrome service in Brazil, while broader generalization still requires multi-site, clustered, and operator-stratified validation.
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