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:

The article defines six distinct types of altitude—Pressure, Density, Indicated, True, Absolute, and Calibrated—each serving a specific purpose in aviation.
**Pressure altitude** is the indicated altitude with an altimeter set to 29.92 and is used for high-altitude flight and aircraft performance charts.
**Density altitude**, derived from pressure altitude corrected for non-standard temperature, is a critical index for aircraft performance; higher density altitude (warmer air) significantly decreases performance.
**Indicated altitude** is what the altimeter reads with local pressure settings, but it can differ from **True altitude** (actual height above mean sea level) due to temperature variations, where colder temperatures mean the aircraft is lower than indicated.

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Pressure Altitude

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