Altimeter for Aviators 2.6

If you are in search of a genuine Altimeter without the use of GPS, then your search ends here. Altimeter for Aviators provides a real pressure-based altimeter experience, just like the ones found in aircraft. Primarily designed as an Apple Watch application, it is also compatible with iPhones or iPads that have a barometer. The best part is that if your watch includes a barometer, you can even use the app independently without an iPhone.

Aviator students and instructors will find this app to be an invaluable training tool. Additionally, those with knowledge of how to use an altimeter will appreciate the convenience of having it right on their wrist.

To determine your altitude (height above sea level), you need to set the 'pressure setting' to the current air pressure at sea level. You can obtain this information from weather forecasts, weather pressure charts, or METAR reports from airports. In aviation terms, this is referred to as QNH. Adjust the pressure setting by rotating the crown on your watch. You can also lock this setting to prevent accidental changes by doing a long-press and selecting 'Lock'. Alternatively, if you know the altitude of your current location, you can rotate the watch crown until the Altimeter displays the correct altitude.

To determine your height above a specific location, set the 'station' pressure to the actual air pressure at that location. This pressure setting is known as QFE in aviation terminology. If you are at that location, simply rotate the crown of your watch until the Altimeter reads zero. As a shortcut, you can do a long-press and select "Zero (QFE)".

If you want to obtain your Flight Level (FL), which is typically used above 3000ft, set the standard setting of 1013.25mb. This will provide you with a 'Flight level' instead of an accurate 'Altitude'. For this, do a long-press and select the "STP (FL)" option. STP stands for 'Standard Temperature and Pressure'.

If you are more comfortable with inches of mercury (inHg) as opposed to hectopascals (hPa) or millibars (mb), you can toggle this setting using the 'Units' menu.

Keep in mind that the accuracy of your watch or iPhone pressure sensing device may not be on par with the calibrated altimeters found in aircraft. Electronic devices are prone to failure and errors due to their miniature and electric nature. Therefore, this app cannot replace or be used for actual flying purposes. Running this app on two different iOS devices side by side will likely give you slightly different altitudes. Furthermore, the pressure in your cockpit may not be as accurate as the location of the static pitot tube and is susceptible to changes caused by factors such as air vents, open doors, climate control, speed, and vibration.

It's important to note that air pressure changes throughout the day can cause readings to drift by up to 1 foot per minute. Therefore, it is recommended to update the pressure setting whenever possible, especially when you reach locations of known altitude or hourly if you receive pressure settings through other means.

Altimeter for Aviators uses color codes to indicate the recency of altitude calculations:

• White: updated within the last 10 seconds
• Yellow: updated between 10 and 60 seconds ago
• Pink: updated between 1 and 10 minutes ago
• Dark Red: updated more than 10 minutes ago

The long hand on the display represents hundreds of feet, while the short hand represents thousands of feet. The inward-pointing arrow on the edge indicates tens of thousands of feet. Below 10,000 feet, a visible barber pole stripe serves as a visual indicator, signaling a risk of Hypoxia if it disappears.