"Peter Duniho" wrote in message
...

It's better than just a memory aid (though that's useful too). A readback
of information like that is critical to air safety. No big deal if you
get the last digit wrong, but if you mess up something to the left of the
decimal, that's serious business. Best to check and make sure you heard
it right the first time.


Altimeter settings don't tend to vary a great deal from one controller to
the next. If you're issued one that differs by more than a few points from
the previous then it's a good idea to check on it.



Of course, as the FAA has recently decided, if ATC fails to correct an
incorrect readback, the pilot is still to blame for whatever happens
subsequently.


The FAA never made any decision like that or changed the requirements for
controllers to verify readbacks.