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, serving as a reference for flight at higher altitudes and for aircraft performance charts.
Density altitude is pressure altitude corrected for non-standard temperature and is a critical index for aircraft performance; higher density altitude (often due to warmer air) reduces performance.
Indicated altitude is what the altimeter reads with the local pressure setting, but it can differ significantly from true altitude (actual height above mean sea level) due to non-standard temperatures, particularly in cold conditions.
Absolute altitude is the actual height above the ground (AGL), while true altitude is the actual height above mean sea level (MSL).

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Pressure Altitude

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