Pilot Proficiency

Everything Explained: All About Altitude

Thursday, March 09, 2017 at 02:15 AM ET

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The barometric pressure setting window is also known as the Kollsman Window, named for inventor Paul Kollsman. Flying

Key Takeaways:

Pressure altitude is the indicated altitude when an altimeter is set to 29.92 inHg, serving as a standard reference for aircraft above 18,000 feet and for performance charts.
Density altitude is pressure altitude corrected for non-standard temperature, acting as a crucial index for aircraft performance, where warmer air (higher density altitude) leads to decreased performance.
Indicated altitude is what the altimeter reads when set to the local pressure; it can differ significantly from true altitude (actual height above mean sea level) due to non-standard temperatures, with colder air causing the aircraft to be lower than indicated.

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Pressure Altitude

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