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Answers: Aircraft altimeter errors
Q: Can you help me understand in very simple terms altimeter error when flying from high to low pressure areas and from low to high areas? I am studying it but its just not clicking.—Mark, Noblesville, Ind. A: To answer your question I'll begin with some basic information about aircraft altimeters and then use the diagram below to help you see... »
Altimeter temperature change diagram
The diagram below helps explain why an aircraft's pressure altimeter will read lower than the true altitude if the aircraft flies from an area with warm air to an area with cold air. If an aircraft flies from an area of cold air to an area with warm air its altimeter will read higher than the true altitude. The explanation for this... »
Altimeter pressure change diagram
The image below helps explain why an aircraft altimeter will read lower than true altitude if the aircraft flies from an area of relatively high atmospheric pressure to an area of lower pressure without changing the altimeter to reflect the sea-level setting. An article on how air pressures affect aircraft altimeters is... »
Suggestions for hurricane-oil spill coverage
With Hurricane Alex no longer a threat to the people and vessels working to stop and clean up the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, reporters, newscasters, editors, and other news people can take a breather and think about ways to improve coverage when the next hurricane moves into the Gulf of Mexico. One of the things to think a lot more... »
