EXPERIMENT NO.

4: ALTIMETER CALIBRATION PROCEDURE

AIM:
To understand and carry out the calibration and setting up procedure of an altimeter
in an aircraft.

GENERAL INFORMATION:

The altimeter is used to indicate the height of the aircraft above sea level. The
instrument also provides information for determining the true airspeed of the aircraft,
proper engine-power settings, proper clearance above the terrain, and proper flight
altitude to avoid the flight path of other aircraft.
Certain tests and adjustments can be made on some instruments by a qualified
aviation maintenance technician in the field. In this case, a qualified aviation
maintenance technician is one who is familiar with the particular instrument and the
way the tests and adjustments should be made. The adjustments that can be made do
not involve opening the case of the instrument. Whatever the instruments, the
technician should consult the manufacturer’s manual and FAA AC-43.13-1A & 2A.
An altimeter is tested by comparing the altitude
reading on the instrument with the actual
altitude at the point of testing when the local
barometric pressure is adjusted into the
instrument. For example, if the barometric setting
of the altimeter is placed at 29.92 in Hg and the
actual barometric pressure at the test location is
29.92 in Hg [76 cm Hg], then the altimeter should
show an altitude of 0. If suction is applied to the
suction port of the altimeter to a level of 28.86 in
Hg [73.3 cm Hg], then the altimeter reading
should be 1000 ft [305 m]. Additional tests
should be made at specified intervals of altitude. Positive pressure must not be applied
to an altimeter except in the small amount that may be specified by the manufacturer.

BAROMETRIC ALTIMETER ERRORS AND SETTING PROCEDURES

Aircraft altimeters are subject to the following errors and weather factors:

o Instrument error.
o Position error from aircraft static pressure systems.
o Nonstandard atmospheric pressure.
o Nonstandard temperatures.

BAROMETRIC PRESSURE ALTIMETER ERRORS

High Barometric Pressure: Cold, dry air masses may produce barometric pressures
in excess of 31.00 Hg. Many aircraft altimeters cannot be adjusted above 31.00 Hg.
When an aircraft’s altimeter cannot be set to a pressure setting above 31.00 Hg, the
aircraft’s true altitude will be higher than the indicated altitude on the barometric
altimeter.
Low Barometric Pressure: An abnormal low-pressure condition exists when the
barometric pressure is less than 28.00 Hg. Flight operations are not recommended
when an aircraft's altimeter is unable to be set below 28.00 Hg. In this situation, the
aircraft's true altitude is lower than the indicated altitude. This situation may be
exacerbated when operating in extremely cold temperatures, which may result in the
aircraft's true altitude being significantly lower than the indicated altitude.

As the (barometric) Altimeter is reading altitude based on pressure it needs to be

calibrated to a reference value. In days gone by, this used to be done by setting
(calibrating) the reference pressure on the “subscale” of your Altimeter, the image
below shows this set to 1013mb. Once this reference pressure is set, your Altimeter
then displays (barometric) height above this pressure surface. There are three
reference pressures that are in general use for calibrating Altimeters and these are
referred to as QNH, 1013.2mb (Standard Pressure) and QFE.

QNH, Standard Pressure and QFE

These different pressure references are used depending on where and at what height
you are flying. When close to the ground your biggest concerns are obstacles near the
ground or low level controlled airspace. When high and clear of the ground, you are
only concerned about other airborne traffic in your vicinity and high level airspace.

QNH (height above sea level) – It is pressures setting you dial into your altimeter to
produce the height above sea level. This
is the local atmospheric pressure
adjusted to mean sea level at your
current location. When you calibrate
your Instrument or Altimeter using the
QNH pressure value your instrument
reads (barometric) Altitude above mean
sea level. If the conditions on the day are
close to the ideal ICAO atmosphere, then
your (barometric) Altimeter will read very
close to your GPS Altitude.  This is the
setting you would normally fly with 99%
of the time.
QFE (altitude above ground) – This is the local atmospheric pressure at your current
location/ airfield. When you calibrate your Instrument or Altimeter using the QFE
pressure value your instrument reads (barometric) Altitude above that location, this
was traditionally used for Take Off and Landing at airfields to display your height
above the runway. Pilots often remember this using the acronym Query Field
Elevation.

QNE (International Standard Atmosphere) – This one is the average mean sea level
pressure around the globe. It is earths mean atmospheric pressure at sea level.
PROCEDURE:

An altimeter, also referred to as the aneroid barometer, is an important instrument for

proper operation of the pitot-static system and navigation of an aircraft. Without
proper altimeter functionality, an aircraft would not be able to measure altitude, which
is necessary for safe flight. Because altitude varies in different settings, it is extremely
important to ensure that the altimeter is properly measuring the correct amount of
atmospheric pressure. In order to ensure this, altimeters not only need to be set before
every fight, but also calibrated frequently.

ALTIMETER CALIBRATION PROCESS

Essentially, an altimeter is a type of pressure gauge. The inside of the altimeter

consists of a sealed casing which contains a stack of sealed aneroid diaphragms, also
referred to as wafers. These wafers are calibrated to a standard atmospheric pressure
and are responsible for reading the intake of pressure. Calibration of an altimeter
ensures that pressure measurements from the wafers are accurate and reliable.
During calibration, an accredited calibration laboratory will apply known pressure to
the altimeter to check that the instrument is indicating pressure levels that
correspond with the International Standard Atmosphere (ISA). Similarly to other
pressure gauges, if calibration of an altimeter is ignored, high chances of inaccurate
results, unreliability and extreme safety risks are likely.
It’s important to note that the calibration of an altimeter before each flight is much
different than actual instrument calibration. The instrument itself should be
calibrated regularly by an accredited calibration lab to ensure that the absolute
altitude measurements are calculating accurately. Calibration of an altimeter is
essential to assure proper functionality of the pitot-static system as a whole.
The barometric altimeter sensor found in many outdoor handhelds and watches
measure the atmospheric pressure to determine elevation. 

AUTO CALIBRATION

The auto calibrate feature eliminates the need to repeatedly calibrate by using the GPS
elevation data. This will help eliminate errors caused by changes in weather that alter
atmospheric pressure. However, since it relies on GPS elevation, it can be less
accurate than manually calibrating to a known elevation.
Some units offer a One-Time or Continuous option when using auto calibrate. If One-
Time is selected the altimeter will be calibrated by the GPS elevation when an activity
is started but will not be updated after that. The Continuous setting will provide
further calibration throughout the activity to mitigate the effect of changes in pressure
over time.

MANUAL CALIBRATION

Calibration can be done manually, but fluctuations in pressure over time can cause
false readings, it is important to periodically calibrate the altimeter to maintain
accurate readings.

If it is found that the barometric setting and the altitude reading of an altimeter do not
correlate, the instrument can be adjusted. A recommended procedure is as follows:
1. Rotate the barometric setting knob until the altimeter indicates the known altitude,
exactly, of the test location.
2. Following the manufacturer’s instructions, release the locking mechanism of the
barometric setting device. Pull the barometric setting knob out until it is disengaged
from the internal gearing. Be careful not to rotate the knob during this process.
3. Rotate the knob to the current correct barometric setting and then gently press the
knob back until the internal gearing is meshed and engage the locking mechanism.
4. Check the operation of the barometric setting mechanism by rotating the knob. The
movement should be smooth, and no grinding or sticking should be apparent.
If an adjustment of more than 40 ft [12.2 m] altitude is required to correlate the
altimeter reading and the barometric scale, the instrument should be tested for scale
error. This should be accomplished in an instrument shop. Adjustments to altimeters
should be recorded in the aircraft’s permanent maintenance record.

Altimeter Setting Procedures

Manufacturing and installation specifications, along with 14 CFR Part 43, Appendix E
requirement for periodic tests and inspections, helps reduce mechanical, elastic,
temperature, and installation errors.
Scale error may be observed while performing a ground altimeter check using the
following procedure:

o Set the current reported airfield altimeter setting on the altimeter setting scale.
o Read the altitude on the altimeter. The altitude should read the known field elevation
if you are located on the same reference level used to establish the altimeter setting.

The aircraft cruising altitude or flight level is maintained by referencing the barometric
altimeter.
Procedures for setting altimeters during high and low barometric pressure events
must be set using the following procedures:

o Below 18,000 feet mean sea level (MSL).

o Barometric pressure is 31.00 Hg. or less.
o Set the altimeter to a current reported altimeter setting from a station along the
route and within 100 nm of the aircraft, or;
o If there is no station within this area, use the current reported altimeter setting of
the nearest available station, or;

NOTE- Air traffic controllers will furnish this information at least once when en route
or on an instrument flight plan within their controlled airspace.

VFR aircraft: VFR operating aircraft have no additional restrictions. Pilots must use
caution when flight planning and operating in these conditions.

IFR aircraft: IFR aircraft unable to set an altimeter setting above 31.00 Hg should
apply the following:
The suitability of departure alternate airports, destination airports, and destination
alternate airports will be determined by increasing the published ceiling and visibility
requirements when unable to set the aircraft altimeter above 31.00 Hg. Any reported
or forecast altimeter setting over 31.00 Hg will be rounded up to the next tenth to
calculate the required increases. The ceiling will be increased by 100 feet and the
visibility by 1/4 statute mile for each 1/10 Hg over 31.00 Hg. Use these adjusted
values in accordance with operating regulations and operations specifications.

MODERN INSTRUMENTS:

Instrument Displays:

GPS Alti – This displays the Altitude reported by the GPS, so is displaying an absolute
height above mean sea level rather than barometric altitude.

Altitude – This readout gives you your (barometric) Height above the reference, when
calibrated to local QNH, you will read barometric Altitude AMSL.

Flight Level FL – This data field will display your (barometric) height above the
standard pressure surface of 1013.2mb i.e. Flight Level.

Above Take Off – This is automatically reset to “0” at launch and will display your
(barometric) height relative to this is essentially a QFE setting.

AGL – This gives readout of height above the ground using the GPS height and the
internal database of Ground level at your current location on the instruments.

Ground – This displays the height of the ground above mean sea level for the current
location from the internal database.

INSTRUMENT CALIBRATION

There are three options to calibrate your instrument to read Barometric Altitude, i.e.
relative to local QNH pressure. These are all accessed from “Menu” then “Settings”
then “Set Altimeter”.

1. Input the QNH directly – you can input the Sea Level Pressure for your
location in the QNH field. This can be obtained from synoptic weather charts or
weather apps etc. such as XCWeather.

2. Use the GPS to calibrate – This is the option that you would normally use
most of the time. When you get to the flying site, turn on your instrument and
allow it to get a good GPS fix. If you set the “Get from GPS” option to “automatic”
on an instrument it will then calibrate the QNH value automatically from the GPS
height as the position fix improves, until you launch. If you select “Yes” in the “Get
from GPS” field and then “Enter” this setting, it will calibrate the Altimeter once at
that point in time from the GPS and then return the setting to “Get from GPS: No”
(Note: this onetime adjustment can be made during flight, this can be useful on
your “final glide to goal” to ensure your altimeter has the best calibration). The
“Automatic” setting is the best option to use. When you calibrate from GPS, you
will notice that the “QNH” value changes to the calculated local sea level pressure
and “Altimeter” value changes to your current height. You should find similar
“calibrate from GPS” options on your particular instrument.
3. Input the actual height of Take Off into the “Altimeter” setting field. In this case
you will notice the calculated sea level pressure appearing in the “QNH” field.

RESULT:

Calibration and setting up procedure of an altimeter in an aircraft is understood and

practiced.