Barometer Setting in Europe question...

Not disappearing at all in the UK. QFE is still taught and the numbers are
given every time a pilot calls up an airfield for landing information.

Having trained in the US, I thought QFE/QNH was just the most absurd thing
I'd ever heard. But when you fly in the south of England where the highest
point is usually less than 500 ASL, it's actually not a bad way to do it. I
kind of like the QFE reference because, once I've set the altimeter on the
approach to the pattern, it's one less piece of mental gymnastic work I have
to do.

Transition height in the UK, by the way, is 3,500 ft.

Shawn
"G Farris" wrote in message
...
In article , says...


Sounds confusing? You get used to it.


Good post, Stefan.
Sounds confusing? It IS confusing, even when you get used to it.
Having flown both systems, the European system is really a nuisance!
It is (at least theoretically) justified because in Europe, the "general"
18000' altitude would not be sufficient to provide terrain clearance in
all
locations, as it is in the US. Therefore, rather than create a special
airspace for the 10 sq-mi area concerned, the entire continent is
subjected to
arcane usage rules, with transition altitudes and levels (they are
different
when climbing and descending) that vary from day to day, depending on the
barometric pressure, and are different according to whether or not one is
in a
TMA or other terminal procedure controlled airspace.

Generally speaking, however, these transitions almost always occur at or
below
5500', so it is common to hear aircraft - even VFR - reporting FL5500,
for
example.

Fortunately, the use of QFE - once dear to VFR-only pilots - is going by
the
wayside. Time was, pilots would set their altimiters to "0" before
takeoff,
then "at some point" transition to the local altimeter setting. On VFR
approach, they would set their altimeter to the field elevation, so they
could
execute their pattern with the same reference altitudes displayed on their
altimeter, regardless of the actual field elevation. Good idea, I suppose,
but
in reality it only added "one more" reference setting to the already thick
soup. This practice appears to be disappearing with the institution of
pan-European flight crew training.

G Faris