epmcinty
Filing Flight Plan
Hello everyone!
First of all I want to introduce myself as I am new to Pilots of America. I am Eamonn, a fellow aviator from Phoenix, AZ. Got my license a couple years ago in HS, and now just knocking off rust and getting back on the saddle after not being able to fly much since then. Hopefully continuing with instrument training shortly, but for now just focusing on college and saving up. As I study and review old and new concepts I thought it would be a great idea to join this forum to help and learn from others, that's what aviation is all about! Anyway, let me get to the question...
I was reading through the jepessen private pilot textbook (one of my personal favorite ground knowledge books) and I can't cite exactly where at the moment without my book, but I remember reading a section that said air traffic control radars/transponder interrogations utilize pressure altitude. That does not make sense when I think critically about it... Let's say a controller instructs a pilot to climb and maintain 7,000 feet and let's say the altimeter is 30.02 instead of standard 29.92. The pilot climbs and maintains 7,000 with the correct altimeter in the kollsman window and flies off INDICATED. He is indicating 7,000 but his pressure altitude is really 6,900 am I correct? So therefore the controller shows him at 6,900, 100 feet below their instructions and this error would only worsen with a greater deviation from standard pressure.
Why does ATC radar use pressure altitude? Is there something I am missing here? I apologize if this is an easy, obvious answer, it has been awhile and still knocking off the rust.
Thanks in advance, looking forward to chatting with you all!
First of all I want to introduce myself as I am new to Pilots of America. I am Eamonn, a fellow aviator from Phoenix, AZ. Got my license a couple years ago in HS, and now just knocking off rust and getting back on the saddle after not being able to fly much since then. Hopefully continuing with instrument training shortly, but for now just focusing on college and saving up. As I study and review old and new concepts I thought it would be a great idea to join this forum to help and learn from others, that's what aviation is all about! Anyway, let me get to the question...
I was reading through the jepessen private pilot textbook (one of my personal favorite ground knowledge books) and I can't cite exactly where at the moment without my book, but I remember reading a section that said air traffic control radars/transponder interrogations utilize pressure altitude. That does not make sense when I think critically about it... Let's say a controller instructs a pilot to climb and maintain 7,000 feet and let's say the altimeter is 30.02 instead of standard 29.92. The pilot climbs and maintains 7,000 with the correct altimeter in the kollsman window and flies off INDICATED. He is indicating 7,000 but his pressure altitude is really 6,900 am I correct? So therefore the controller shows him at 6,900, 100 feet below their instructions and this error would only worsen with a greater deviation from standard pressure.
Why does ATC radar use pressure altitude? Is there something I am missing here? I apologize if this is an easy, obvious answer, it has been awhile and still knocking off the rust.
Thanks in advance, looking forward to chatting with you all!
