Simviation Forums

Hi everyone. Just want to ask if anybody have a same problem with me. The best part for me in Flight Simulator is landing and everyone want to make a perfect and smooth landing.

But it's hard to make a good landing when this problem happen. Below is example of the wrong altimeter reading problem:
http://www.geocities.com/parafuso84/landing.jpg
I print screen this just after landing on heathrow airport. The landing is great, but it's hard because as you can see in red box, it's say 100ft but it suppose to be 0ft because the aircraft is on the ground and totally stopped.

The picture below is the worst ever!! 2000ft but aircraft is totally on the ground

http://www.geocities.com/parafuso84/landing02.jpg


Is it normal to have this wrong altimeter reading in FSX? Anyone have a same problem with me? What should to do to correct this error? Thank you

The altimeter needs to be set. You can press 'B', or use the knob next to the altimeter to set the pressure after ATC telling you the pressure, or simply by listening to the weather

In both instances your altimeter is set a 1013mb. You need to listen to the ATIS for the airport and set your altimeters to the QFE for that airfield.

What's happening in your case is that your altimeters are set so that zero is at sea level. And because most airports are not at sea level and can be several hundred or thousand feet above it it is giving you this inaccuracy. Heathrow is roughly 100 feet above see level so the altimeters are correct , just set incorrectly so that zero isn't where you want it!  ;)

ALSO I would modify your post and get rid of the linked images and upload them to the SimV server before a mod removes them. Its in the rules y'know  ::)  ;)

Please don't link images, it slows the forums down for other users. Please upload all images to the SimV server using the Image Upload button in the blue toolbar just below the Simviation Forums logo at the top of the page.
Also as well as pressing B to set your pressure correctly remember that 0 feet isn't necessarily the tarmac. You need to remember what the airport elevation is or you'll be in for a nasty shock along with your passengers and undercarriage

If you fly for any distance at all your altimeter can change the only times you do not have to worry about altimeter settings is when you fly above 18,000 feet then you set it 29.92 and forget abou it untill you descend below 18,000 feet. Then you should contact ATC or check the weather at the closest weather station to obtain current altimeter for that area. 8-)

Your altimeter will never be 0 ft when landing (except in the rare case that you land at or below sea level, or the current altimeter setting is so wrong that it reads 0 ft).  The altimeter reads only altitude above sea level, not above the ground.  This is so everyone in the air and on the ground is on the same page, when ATC tells you to fly at 4000 ft, that 4000 ft means the same thing to you, the controller, and the airplane flying 6 miles to the north of you.  Look at the airport information below:

FAA Identifier:      MSN
Lat/Long:      43-08-23.4880N / 089-20-15.0490W
43-08.391467N / 089-20.250817W
43.1398578 / -89.3375136
(estimated)
Elevation:      887 ft. / 270.4 m (surveyed)
Variation:      00E (1990)
From city:      5 miles NE of MADISON, WI
Time zone:      UTC -6 (UTC -5 during Daylight Savings Time)
Zip code:      53704

Notice the "elevation" is 887ft, so when you land at Madison, your altimeter will read 887 ft (plus or minus a 20 or 40 ft for pressure differences),.

Remember that FS treats everyone as though they are using the United States FAA rules...

Therefore Mobius' reply is precisely correct.

Aircraft altimeters are set based on se level using barometric pressure. For example my home Airport Is KEST with a field elevation of 1317 bove sea level. So for this reason it would read 1317 when i land there.  When you fly above 18000ft you set the Altimeter to 29.92 so that everyone is at the same pressure altitude.

[quote]Aircraft altimeters are set based on se level using barometric pressure. For example my home Airport Is KEST with a field elevation of 1317 bove sea level. So for this reason it would read 1317 when i land there.

Fr Bill and Mobius have given very good advice and sound instruction.

Maybe there are other places than England that use QFE rather than QNH but it requires the pilot to be aware that they must change to QNH when leaving the aerodrome zone or else they will be climbing, cruising and descending at a different height to other traffic. Also the airfield needs to have an active weather station on the field, otherwise more error.