Altimeter full real.

[pupo162]

Originally Posted by VBF-12_Gosling

pupo162
How do you know the Airfield Altitudes?

VBF-12

i only flew on 1 airdrome, so it was always the same.

[namroob]

Don't need any altimeter settings - just dial in the airfield altitude on the altimeter before take-off and you automatically have set QNH (barometric pressure at sea level).

[IvanK]

Yep as long as you know the Airfield altitude .... where do you get that from ?

Other option might be the Mission file if Mission pressure is stored in there ?

[Bonkin]

Interesting point. None of the comms report a pressure to use on the altimeter pressure scale so it seems to me like vertical navigation is not modelled correctly. I can therefore only assume that reported altitudes are QNH, i.e. above sea level and that there are no regional differences in QNH. Having said that, dynamic weather has not been integrated yet so this may all change.

[Varrattu]

Originally Posted by Bonkin

.. None of the altimeters seem to have a pressure scale so it seems to me like vertical navigation is not modelled correctly...

I do not understand. Bokin please try to explain it.

Regards Varrattu

[Bonkin]

Originally Posted by Varrattu

I do not understand. Bokin please try to explain it.

Regards Varrattu

Think I was a bit quick of the mark with that last comment. I don't think I made sense either!

All altimeters are calibrated through the pressure setting... so yes they do have a scale... but I've noted that to adjust them to read zero on the airfield the pressure setting has to be down around the 980mb level and doesn't change much.

If your flying around in real airspace its important that in order to ensure safe vertical navigation the other people around you have their altimeters calibrated the same as you, i.e. they are using the same pressure setting. Generally, around an airfield you would be provided with a QFE pressure setting. Putting this into you altimeter would mean that it would read zero when your on the airfield.

When you leave the airfield airspace you generally change the pressure setting to QNH. This would be given to you over the radio and would mean that your altimeter would read the altitude above mean sea level. As pressure is a variable, QNH pressures differ by regions.

Finally, when flying above what is known as the transition layer the altimeter pressure would be set to 1013mb - and your height is translated as a Flight Level.

Point I was trying (but failed) to make was that there are no pressure settings given over the comms so to me it seems somewhat irrelivant at the moment to start adjusting the altimeter scale.

Thinking it through... there could be some testing done here to deterime at what heights the radar reports bandits are at and then adjusting the sub-scale to see if it using Flight Levels?

[Varrattu]

@Bonkin & @cheesehawk

Thanks for the clarification.

Varrattu

[Bonkin]

Originally Posted by cheesehawk

Radar isn't what actually reports bogies, it's aircraft in the air. If you have an aircraft on your side (player or AI) that gets withing "spotting" range (I haven't quite worked this one out yet), you'll get the contact radio call. For example, you can have German flights cruising around all day over France, but until you get a British aircraft there to "see" them, you won't get any radio calls. Ever notice online that sometimes you get calls of Hurri's or Spits at Hawkinge at 200m (200m from sea level, consistent with ground altitude), and sometimes you won't? You get them when a player is over that area, and "spots" the new aircraft spawning in. Even your own plane makes radar calls, so your pilot is doing this without your input, but I think you don't actually get the call (at least, I've heard people report calls on the same side, and I don't receive them at all and the contacts are in my grid area, but maybe there's a radio range too?).

Are you sure about this Cheesehawk? Does it apply to AI also? Historically of course we had radar and the Royal Observer Corps. The latter dotted around the coast would attempt to confirm e/a type, numbers and height as raids came in. Seems a bit odd (in the game) that in order to get a radio report of enemy location they have to be spotted (or in the same area) as one of your own aircraft (or AI?) in the air?

Originally Posted by cheesehawk

But back to the topic, did smaller fields update the barometric pressures back then? I think air traffic control was a bit more primitive, and especially during war time, wonder if they really did keep someone on the mic announcing pressures as planes came in

I don't know the answer to this - but again, for safe vertical navigation for aircraft in the circuit I suspect they did. The control towers were there for that very reason - control. In the real world when joining an airfield control area you are given the QFE, runway in use and wind. I don't imagine it was any different back then.

[322Sqn_Dusty]

The best guess we (of the virtual 322) could make about the altimeter is (currently) that the altimeter would be setup above sea. Sealevel plus approx 100ft. Sadly setting up the altimeter could be the cause of some crews to crash doing it.

[ATAG_Septic]

Originally Posted by VBF-12_Gosling

We certainly do and still do.

I have been compliling an enroute Supplement (only started a couple of days ago so it is not complete) here: Enroute Supplement - Channel

Gosling
VBF-12

Thanks for sharing your work on this, much appreciated.

Chin chin