altimeter

An instrument to indicate the height of an aircraft above a predetermined datum, normally sea level. Specifically, an instrument similar to an aneroid barometer that utilizes the change of atmospheric pressure with altitude to indicate the approximate elevation above a given point or plane used as a reference. A simple pressure altimeter is an airtight metal case, the interior of which is kept at atmospheric pressure by a tube connecting it to the static tube of the ASI (airspeed indicator). Inside the instrument case, a partially evacuated aneroid capsule is secured at the center of one of its faces to a base rigidly fixed to the casing. A leaf spring prevents the collapse of the capsule. The capsule expands as aircraft gains height. The expansion of the capsule is converted into height through a system of gears. A pressure altimeter suffers from barometric, temperature, instrument, and lag errors. Radio or radar altimeters indicate heights above ground level.