[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Re[3]: correct air pressure and aircraft altimeter settings



>Content-Description: cc:Mail note part
>Date:         Thu, 26 Mar 1998 13:46:49 -0500
>Reply-To: Medical Physics Mailing List <MEDPHYS@LISTS.WAYNE.EDU>
>Sender: Medical Physics Listserver <medphys@lists.wayne.edu>
>From: James Burns <Jim.Burns@PROMEDICA.ORG>
>Subject:      Re[3]: correct air pressure and aircraft altimeter settings
>To: Multiple recipients of list MEDPHYS <MEDPHYS@LISTS.WAYNE.EDU>
>
>
>         ** Mail from Medphys Listserver **
>If you reply to this message, it will be posted on Medphys for all the
>subscribers to review ...
>
>
>You said
>______________________________ Reply Separator
_________________________________
>Subject: Re: correct air pressure
>Author:  Bob Flood <bflood@SLAC.Stanford.EDU> at internet_smtp
>Date:    3/26/98 11:55 AM
>
>
>Well, those mis-spent years as a meteorologist finally become useful!
>
>The local weather service determines pressure in 2 ways, each for a
>different purpose.
>
>Naturally, pressure varies dramatically with elevation. A pilot trying to
>land needs to know the actual air pressure so s/he can set the altimeter
>for local conditions. Thus, the pressure value must reflect actual
>conditions including current weather AND altitude.
>
>     ....
>
>     ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>     But a pilot needs to set the altimeter to the local pressure corrected
>     to sealevel.  The altimeter measures the pressure at its location and
>     calculates the altitude based on the difference between the measured
>     pressure and the pressure setting.  As he wants to know his altitude
>     above sea level, not above the ground, that setting needs to be the
>     sea level corrected reading. However, all pilots above about 20,000
>     set altimeters to a standard value around 29.92 so everyone in a small
>     area will be at the same altitude for the same reading.
>
>     radar altimeters are used to measure distance above the ground.
>