What does 'Altimeter 2992' mean?

Answer 1

In US aviation, atmospheric pressure is measured in inches of mercury (in. Hg). So when a pilot attains the weather conditions for a given airport in the US, he or she will either hear or read "Altimeter xx.xx" where the x's would be numbers. Usually pressure ranges from 29.80 to 31.00, and 29.92 is what we call "standard atmosphere." It is the datum line from which non-standard conditions are measured from.

The reason a pilot needs to know this is because airplanes today have pressure-sensitive altimeters, which need to be calibrated to the current atmospheric conditions to indicate the correct altitude. So if the report said "Altimeter 29.87," for example, then the pilot would then calibrate the altimeter to that setting using a k**b or button.

One more thing - the reason I keep saying "in the US" is because elsewhere in the world pressure is expressed in millibars, not inches of mercury. And the expression is "QNH xxxx." QNH stands for "Queen's Normal Height" and standard atmosphere in millibars is 1013.

Hope that answered your question.. and more! =)


Source: I'm a flight instructor!

Answer 2

In US aviation, atmospheric pressure is measured in inches of mercury (in. Hg). So when a pilot attains the weather conditions for a given airport in the US, he or she will either hear or read "Altimeter xx.xx" where the x's would be numbers. Usually pressure ranges from 29.80 to 31.00, and 29.92 is what we call "standard atmosphere." It is the datum line from which non-standard conditions are measured from.

The reason a pilot needs to know this is because airplanes today have pressure-sensitive altimeters, which need to be calibrated to the current atmospheric conditions to indicate the correct altitude. So if the report said "Altimeter 29.87," for example, then the pilot would then calibrate the altimeter to that setting using a k**b or button.

One more thing - the reason I keep saying "in the US" is because elsewhere in the world pressure is expressed in millibars, not inches of mercury. And the expression is "QNH xxxx." QNH stands for "Queen's Normal Height" and standard atmosphere in millibars is 1013.

Hope that answered your question.. and more! =)


Source: I'm a flight instructor!