Altimeter

The altimeter is a basic required instrument for all certificated aircraft. It measures the
atmospheric pressure and displays it as altitude in feet. This altitude is called mean
sea level (MSL) since it is referenced to the average level of the major oceans. The
measurement of altitude is based on the standard atmosphere table and the changes in
pressure with altitude changes that it gives.

a- Non-Sensitive and Sensitive Altimeters

1) Non-Sensitive Altimeter

A non-sensitive altimeter has only one pointer and it makes one complete revolution
for each 10,000 ft. in altitude. If the pointer was on the number 8, that would represent
8,000 ft.; but it could also indicate 18,000 ft. For this reason, this type of altimeter is
only used for small, simple aircraft that don't operate at high altitudes. A non-sensitive
altimeter is illustrated in figure 1.

2) Sensitive Altimeter
A sensitive altimeter is more sensitive and easier to read than the non-sensitive type.
A sensitive altimeter may have three separate pointers or a single pointer and a drum
readout.
On an altimeter with three pointers, the longest pointer makes one revolution for each
1,000 ft., the second pointer makes one revolution for each 10,000 ft., and the shortest
pointer makes one revolution for each 100,000 ft. The three pointer sensitive altimeter
is shown in figure 2. A major problem with this type of altimeter is that the smallest
pointer can be covered up by one of the other two pointers which makes it easy to
misread the altimeter. The newer kind of three pointer altimeter seen in figure 3 has
been modified to make it easier to read. The pointer that makes one revolution in
100,000 ft. has been extended to the outside of the face with a small triangle on the
end so it cannot be covered up. In addition, a small window shows a striped pattern
below about 15.000 ft. (at higher altitudes the striped symbol disappears).
The sensitive altimeter with one pointer as seen in figure 4 uses the drum readout and
a single pointer which makes one revolution for each 1,000 ft. The drum readout may
have three or five digits displayed, but in any case the combination of the two permits
accurate reading of the altimeter.

Figure1 A simple non-sensitive aircraft altimeter.

(Courtesy Piper Aircraft Corp.)

Figure2 The older style three-pointer sensitive altimeter

 b- Altimeter Mechanism
The internal mechanism of the altimeter consists of three diaphragms in series. This
creates an altimeter which is sensitive to very small changes in pressure and which
has a large enough range of measurement to read altitudes of 35,000 to 50,000 ft. or
more.
Inside the case of the altimeter is a bimetallic device which gives automatic
compensation for temperature changes to ensure accurate readings.
There is a knob on the front of the altimeter which operates a mechanism that
compensates for nonstandard atmospheric pressure. The standard atmosphere table
gives the standard pressure at sea level as 29.92 in. Hg, but the actual atmosphere
pressure in any given location seldom matches the values in the table. Weather
systems with higher or lower pressure are constantly moving across the surface of the
earth.

Figure3 The newer style three-pointer sensitive altimeter uses a different pointer
and a striped symbol that is visible below about 15,000 ft. as aids to make reading
the altimeter easier.

It is due to these variations in pressure that the knob on the front of the altimeter must
be adjusted to the current barometric pressure setting for the area in which it is
operating. There is a small window on the altimeter which displays the current
barometric pressure setting. It is commonly called the Kollsman window. If for
example a pilot received an altimeter setting of 30.01 from an air traffic controller,
that number would be set into the Kollsman window of the altimeter.
When the pilot sets the altimeter to the correct setting before takeoff, the indication on
the altimeter will show the height of that airport above sea level. Outside the United
Sates, a different unit of measurement is often used for barometric pressure settings.
This unit of measurement is millibars (MB) and the altimeters found in many modern
aircraft have two Kollsman windows: one for inches of mercury and one for millibars.
Figure 4 shows the two windows and the barometric pressure setting knob.

Figure4 A sensitive altimeter with drum readout showing the static connection to
the outside of the diaphragm.

c- Altimeter Operation
The diaphragms of an altimeter are sealed at the factory. The case of the altimeter is
connected to the static ports on the airplane. The static pressure outside the airplane is
conducted to the instrument case by tubing and hose. If the airplane climbs, the
reduced pressure in the case causes the diaphragms to expand and move the pointers
to indicate a higher altitude.
The altimeter uses three diaphragms in series to increase the range of measurement.
The mechanism uses very delicate gearing which is designed in such a way that a very
small movement of the diaphragm causes a large motion of the pointer or pointers.
Under certain circumstances it has a tendency to stick and some aircraft have a
vibrator on the instrument panel or in the altimeter to prevent this sticking.

d- Altimeter Encoding
An altimeter related device which is found on many aircraft is the encoding altimeter
system. The purpose of this system is to send information concerning the aircraft's
altitude to a radar system on the ground so that it can be displayed on a radar scope.
The data is transmitted to the ground using a special aircraft radio called a
transponder.
An encoding altimeter system (also known as Mode C), supplies the electrical signal
to the transponder that contains this altitude data. An aircraft encoding altimeter and
transponder are required for three different conditions:

1- Flight operations within a TCA (terminal control area) or Class B airspace.

2- Flight operations within an ARSA (airport radar service area) or Class C
airspace.
3- Flight operations above 10,000 ft. MSL and over 2500 ft. AGL.

The connections for the encoding feature of an altimeter and an altimeter vibrator can
be seen in figure 5.
Figure5 An altimeter installation that includes a vibrator and altitude encoder.
(Courtesy Canadair Group, Bombardier Inc.)
Standard Atmosphere Table

Altimeters and other instruments obtain readings by measurements of the pressure at

various altitudes.
The average or standard pressures and temperatures at different altitudes are
contained in a table of the Standard Atmosphere. The values given in this table are
accepted by virtually all countries of the world for scientific and aviation purposes
(figure 6).

Figure6 A reference table of the Standard Atmosphere.