• ALTIMETER CONSISTS OF AN ANHEROID CAPSULE (VACUUM INSDE)

• THE SYSTEM USES DIFFERENCE IN PRESSURE FROM THE SUBSCALE

SETTING AND THE EXTERIOR PRESSURE SENSED (PRESSURE IS SENSED
AT THE STATIC PORTS OF AN AIRCRAFT)

• REMEMBER AN ALTIMETER READS PRESSURE DIFFERENTIALS

• PRESSURE CREATED BY THE COLUMN OF AIR ABOVE AN OBJET

• HIGHER THE OBJET, LESS PRESSURE ABOVE

• HIGHER THE AIRCRAFT, LESS ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN P, T AND ⍴
𝑚
• PERFECT GAS LAW PV=NRT (N= )
𝑀
𝑚
• PV= *R*T
𝑀
𝑚 𝑚
• DENSITY = THUS V=
𝑉 ⍴
𝑚 𝑚
• P = *R*T
⍴ 𝑀
𝑃 𝑅
• = *T
⍴ 𝑀
• R/M CONSIDERED CONSTANT
• P= ⍴*T
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN P, T AND ⍴
• P= ⍴*T FROM THIS POINT ON, WE CONSIDER

• GIVEN MASS OF AIR

• IF WE CONSIDER ONE VALUE FIXED

• TEMPERATURE CONSTANT IF PRESSURE INCREASES DENSITY INCREASES

• PRESSURE DECREASES DENSITY DECREASES

OTHER INTERPRETATION OF PGL
𝑃𝑉
• = 𝑁𝑅
𝑇

• CONSTANT N AND R

𝑃0 ∗𝑉0 𝑃1 ∗𝑉1
• =
𝑇0 𝑇1
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PRESSURE SETTINGS
• CONVENTIONAL ALTIMETERS ARE PRESSURE SENSORS

• THEY CONVERT PRESSURE INTO ALTITUDE READING

• DEPENDING ON THE REFERENCE SELECTED ON THE ALTIMETER WE

WILL OBTAIN HEIGHT ALTITUDE OR FLIGHT LEVELS

• ELEVATION REFERS TO TERRAIN

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PRESSURE SETTINGS

• POSSIBLE REFERENCE SELECTION

• QNH, QNE (1013-29’92 ) , QFE

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PRESSURE SETTINGS
• QNH

• MEAN SEA LEVEL AS REFERENCE

• ALTITUDE IS ALWAYS REFERRED TO THIS DATUM (MSL)

• ¿WHERE CAN WE FIND THE QNH?

• WITH AIRCRAFT ON GROUND, IT READS AERODROME ELEVATION

• C ILS I 2203 (200)
• II III RA HEIGHT
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PRESSURE SETTINGS
• QFE

• FIELD ELEVATION IS THE REFERENCE DATUM.

• WHEN THE AIRCRAFT IS ON THE GROUND THE ALTIMETER WILL READ??

• IT IS NOT NORMALLY USED ON COMMERCIAL AVIATION

• APPLICATION CAN BE FOUND ON AEROBATIC FLIGHTS

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PRESSURE SETTINGS
• QNE

• IS A FIXED VALUE WHICH IS THE STANDARD ALTIMETER SETTING

• NAME THE DIFFERENT STANDARD ALTIMETER SETTINGS

• USED ABOVE TA AND BELOW TL

• 1013,25 760 29’92

• PRESSURE ALTITUDE IS READ WHEN SUBSCALE SETTING IS SET TO QNE

PRESSURE ALTITUDE AND DENSITY ALTITUDE
• PRESSURE ALTITUDE
• ALTITUD READ WHEN SETTING STD ALTIMETER SETTING (1013-29´92)
• ALTITUDE CORRESPONDING TO A GIVEN PRESSURE VALUE

• DENSITY ALTITUDE
• ALTITUD CORRESPONDING TO A GIVEN DENSITY VALUE

• THEREFORE FOR LOWER PRESSURES AND DENSITYS

• PRESSURE ALTITUDE IS HIGH (PRESSURE AT HIGHER LEVELS IS LOWER)
• DENSITY ALTITUDE IS HIGH (DENSITY AT HIGHER LEVELS IS LOWER)
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PRESSURE SETTINGS
• TRANSITION ALTITUDE
• FIXED ALTITUDE ABOVE WHICH, ALTIMETER SUBSCALE SETTING IS SET REFERENCED TO STD
• USED FOR AIRCRAFT DEPARTING AND STABLISHING CRUISING ALT.

• TRANSITION LEVEL
• FIXED ALTITUDE BELOW WHICH ALTIMETER SUBSCALE IS FIXED AS LOCAL QNH
• USED FOR AIRCRAFT ARRIVING TO AN AD

• TRANSITION LAYER
• LAYER BETWEEN TRANSITION ALTITUDE AND TL
• MINIMUM WIDTH IS 1000FT
• IE. TA 6000 FT TL FL070
• IE. TA 6000FT TL075 (FOR VERY LOW QNHS)
QNE
ALTIMETER ERRORS
• TEMPERATURE ERROR
• ALTIMETERS ARE ISA CALIBRATED
• TAKE INTO ACCOUNT ISA DECREASE IN PRESSURE (CONSTANT)
• ON WARMER AIR, RATIO IS LESS SO FOR A GIVEN CHANGE IN DISTANCE, PRESSURE
DECREASES MORE ON A COLD MAS AIR THAN ON A WARM AIR OF MASS THIS IS DUE
TO COMPRESSION OF THE AIR
• IF WE FLY FROM A WARM MAS OF AIR INTO A COLD MASS OF AIR, THE ALTIMETER
WILL READ MORE ALTITUDE THAN WE ARE ACTUALLY FLYING

• QNH ERROR, SAME HAPPENS IF WE FLY FROM A HIGH PRESSURE AREA TO A LOW
PRESSURE AREA

• FROM HIGH TO LOW, LOOK OUT BELOW

• REMEMBER ALTIMETER ALWAYS FOLLOWS THE ISOBAR!