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While true, my understanding is that the altimeters automatically calibrate themselves to air pressure as well as use auxiliary readings from the radio altimete
by nexuist 5y ago
While true, my understanding is that the altimeters automatically calibrate themselves to air pressure as well as use auxiliary readings from the radio altimeter to provide an altitude system where 0ft is sea level, always. However given that the pilots seemingly didn't follow the pre-flight checklist it's possible they did not calibrate the altimeter either.
- jackweirdy 5y agoAltimeters are only pilot calibrated to ensure planes travelling in various directions can trust their vertical separation is constant even amid rising or dropping temperatures and pressures. In that context an altimeter that calibrates itself is quite undesirable There is the radio-altimeter which uses ground based radar but that is for spoken-aloud altitude readouts and terrain warnings and as far as I’m aware doesn’t factor in Boeing or airbus autopilot. At least in the U.K., the lingo has us refer to this always as height (ie, above the ground) and not altitude (within the air above a hypothetical sea level)