We present an airborne retrieval algorithm to infer cirrus cloud temperature, optical depth, and mean effective sizes using the Airborne Remote Earth Sensing System (ARES) hyperspectral spectrometer data for the 5.1--5.3 and 3.7 μm channels. The algorithm development and the selection of the channels are based on the principle and parameterization of radiative transfer involving cirrus clouds and the associated atmospheric and surface properties. It has been applied to a selected case of the ARES data collected over the western Boston area on September 16, 1995. Validation of the retrieved parameters was carried out using the collocated and coincident ground-based 8.6-mm radar data and ice crystal size distribution measurements obtained from the 2D-P probe on board the high-altitude reconnaissance platform (HARP). We show that the retrieved cirrus cloud temperature, mean effective ice crystal size, and optical depth match closely with those derived from the observations. ¿ 1998 American Geophysical Union