Altimetry Practice Exam

This is your chance to see how much of the information you have taken
on-board. Try to simulate an exam environment and do not use any
resources to help you answer these questions.

You may use:

•Pen or pencil
•Spare paper
•A non-scientific calculator

There is no time limit, but try completing it in under 30 minutes. Make

sure to watch Lesson 4 to get a walkthrough for each question.


1
1.An aircraft is at an airfield with an elevation of 350ft. The altimeter
setting is 1002hPa but the actual QNH is 993hPa. What is the altimeter
reading?
a) 620ft
b) 350ft
c) 270ft
d) 80ft

2.The regional pressure setting is 1012hPa, the altimeter setting is

1022hPa and the indicated altitude is 4100ft. Ahead is some high
ground shown on the map at 3700ft. Will the aircraft clear the high
ground, and if so, by how much?
a) Yes, by 300ft
b) No, too low by 300ft
c) No, too low by 100ft
d) Yes, by 100ft

3. What is the altimeter reading if the setting is 978hPa, the QNH is

993hPa and the aircraft is on the ground at an airport with an elevation
of 770ft?
a) 450ft
b) 1220ft
c) 320ft
d) 850ft

4.You land at an airport, local QNH 993 hPa. After landing, you notice,
that your altimeter subscale is still set to 1013hPa. Your altimeter
indicates 1200ft. What is the airport elevation?
a) 840ft
b) 1800ft
c) 1200ft
d) 600ft

2
5.Suppose that you are flying at FL 40 and that you reset the altimeter
to reference pressure 991 hPa. The altimeter then indicates:
a) about 5000ft
b) about 4700ft
c) about 3400ft
d) about 700ft

6.Before landing, an altimeter set to the QFE will indicate:

a) Flight Level
b) Height above sea level
c) Height of the aircraft’s wheels above the airport’s runway
d) Altitude

7.An aircraft is flying at FL 80 over point A where the QNH is 1013mb,

en-route to B where the QNH is 984mb. Assuming that 1mb = 30ft and
that the elevation of B is 754 metres, the terrain clearance over B is:
a) 2475ft
b) 4655ft
c) 5525ft
d) 3345ft

8.What will happen to your indicated altitude if you change from QNE to
QNH, when the QNH is 1020hPa?
a) It will stay the same
b) It will increase
c) It will decrease
d) It’s impossible to tell

9.The QNH at Timbuktu (690ft AMSL) is 1016hPa. What is the QFE?

a) 993hPa
b) 1013hPa
c) 1039hPa
d) 1000hPa

3
10.An aircraft is moving from an area of high pressure to an area of low
pressure, but the pilot doesn’t update the altimeter, and flies at
constant indicated altitude. What will happen to the true altitude?
a) Increase
b) Stay the same
c) Decrease
d) Impossible to tell

11.Which statement is true for an airport above sea level?

a) QNH is always the same as the QFE
b) QFE is always bigger than the QNH
c) it’s not possible to tell
d) QNH is always bigger than the QFE

12.An aircraft is flying south to fly overhead an airfield at 3000ft

indicated, with 1027hPa set. An aircraft is flying north to fly overhead
the same airfield at 2300ft indicated, with 1020hPa set. They will reach
the airfield at the same time. What will be their vertical separation?
a) 490ft
b) 210ft
c) 700ft
d) 910ft

End of Exam

6. b
12. a 5. c
11. d 4. d
10. c 3. c
9. a 2. d
8. b 1. a
7. c Answers: