PlaneFilter — Flight Aircraft Type Lookup
Look up aircraft type, equipment changes, and confidence scoring for any flight by querying multiple aviation data sources (OpenSky, AeroDataBox, AirLabs) and merging results with weighted confidence scoring.
Prerequisites
Required
- Node.js (v18+)
- RAPIDAPI_KEY — Subscribe to AeroDataBox on RapidAPI (free Basic plan: 150 req/month)
Optional (more data sources)
- AIRLABS_KEY — Get from AirLabs (free: 150 req/month)
Commands
1. Search Flight
node {baseDir}/scripts/search_flight.js --flight=CI101 [--date=2026-03-22]
Required env: RAPIDAPI_KEY
Optional env: AIRLABS_KEY (adds another data source for higher confidence)
2. Health Check
node {baseDir}/scripts/health_check.js
Verifies all API keys are set and reachable. Shows which data sources are available.
Output Format
search_flight.js outputs JSON to stdout:
{
"flightNumber": "CI101",
"date": "2026-03-22",
"airline": "China Airlines",
"origin": "NRT",
"destination": "TPE",
"aircraftType": "A333",
"registration": "B-18311",
"confidence": 0.6,
"equipmentChange": null,
"typeDistribution": { "A333": 1 },
"sources": ["aerodatabox"]
}
Output Interpretation
When presenting results to the user, follow these rules:
| Field | How to Interpret |
|---|---|
confidence ≥ 0.8 | High confidence — present the aircraft type directly |
confidence 0.5–0.8 | Medium — mention "likely" or "most probable" |
confidence < 0.5 | Low — warn that data is uncertain, show typeDistribution |
equipmentChange not null | ⚠️ Important — Highlight this! The actual aircraft differs from the scheduled one. Show from, to, and changeType (upgrade/downgrade/lateral) |
typeDistribution | Shows agreement across sources. Multiple entries = sources disagree |
sources empty | No data found — suggest trying a different date |
Note on aircraft type codes: The script automatically normalizes model names (e.g. "Airbus A330-300" → "A333") and filters invalid typecodes. In rare cases, an unrecognized model name may pass through as-is.
How It Works
- Parallel query — Hits OpenSky (free, no key) + AeroDataBox (RapidAPI) + AirLabs (optional) simultaneously
- Confidence scoring — Weighted votes from each source (AeroDataBox 0.9, OpenSky 0.7, AirLabs 0.6)
- Equipment change detection — If scheduled aircraft ≠ actual aircraft, classifies as Upgrade/Downgrade/Lateral
Troubleshooting
| Error | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
RAPIDAPI_KEY not set | Missing env var | export RAPIDAPI_KEY=your_key or set in ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json |
403 from AeroDataBox | Invalid or expired key | Check your RapidAPI subscription |
No flight data found | Flight not in any database | Try with a different date or a major airline flight |