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What Are Altimeters & Why Are They Important In Aviation?

Simple Flying

On a foggy winter morning in February 2009, Turkish Airlines Flight 1951, using a Boeing 737-800, was on a seemingly routine final approach into Amsterdams Schiphol Airport when it suddenly stalled and fell out of the sky about a mile from the runway.

Altimeter 104
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Terrifying: Southwest 737 Descends To 150 Feet Above Tampa Bay

One Mile at a Time

Around 2hr50min after departure, the plane was on approach to runway 10 at Tampa Airport. As the plane was coming in over Tampa Bay, while around four miles from the runway, it descended as low as 150 feet, according to ADS-B data. Tampa’s altimeter is 30.14.” For now you can fly runway heading and climb and maintain 1,600.”

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The anatomy of a commercial flight – all you ever wanted to know:   Part two   

Aerotime

The touchdown speed will have already been calculated using a combination of aircraft weight, length of runway in use, and prevailing conditions. If you are traveling towards the front of the cabin on an Airbus aircraft, you may also hear three ‘bleeps’ emanating from behind the flight deck door as the plane approaches the runway.

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Quiz: Understanding Aircraft Performance

Flight Training Central

What is the headwind component for a landing on Runway 18 if the tower reports the wind as 215° at 30 knots? Determine the pressure altitude at an airport that is 1,300 feet MSL with an altimeter setting of 29.6. What effect does high density altitude have on aircraft performance? It increases takeoff performance.

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Jeju Air flight 2216

Fear of Landing

On the 29th of December 2024, a Boeing 737-800 operated by a low-cost South Korean airline crashed after an emergency landing and overshooting the runway at Muan International Airport in South Korea. They turned and attempted to land in the opposite direction of the runways operation that day, going north to south.

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MDA vs. DA Made Simple: A Guide to IFR Minimums

Pilot Institute

Pilots use special paths called IFR approaches to help them line up with the runway. Minimums are the lowest height you can go without seeing the runway. Both MDA and DA are measured from sea level, just like the altimeter in the airplane. This is like DA but measured from the runway’s height above sea level.

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Understanding Different Types of Altitudes

Northstar VFR

As an inexperienced, aspiring pilot, you’ve surely heard the saying that “the least important thing in aviation is the runway behind you, the fuel left in the truck and altitude above you”. Before discussing the different types of altitude, let's discuss the one common thing every pilot uses in reference to altitude: The altimeter.